We’re one week away from the start of our cleanse. It is a great time to start thinking about the foods you’ll be eating and those you’ll be avoiding. Consume anything you have at home that you won’t be eating for a while. One of the most important factors of success is ensuring that your fridge and pantry are stocked with foods you’ll be consuming and are bare of foods you’ll be avoiding. For those of you with family members who won’t be following an altered diet during the month, consider having a cupboard dedicated to your foods. You might considering doing the same with your fridge, dedicating a shelf, a side or a drawer to your foods. This will help to eliminate the temptation to dip into something you’re trying to avoid when you’re looking for a snack, or preparing a meal on an empty stomach!
Over the next few days I will be soaking and cooking beans, which I’ll store in the freezer to be used in several recipes. As a rule, we try to avoid canned foods in our house, and rarely consume canned beans. These are so easy to prepare at home, it just doesn’t make sense to eat canned, which can expose us to BPA (from the lining of the can), as well as high sodium levels. That said, canned beans are a good choice for some. If using canned, be sure to rinse the beans well before consuming them.
When soaking beans, I like to choose a day when I’ll be home for at least part of the day. I soak beans in hot water, and rinse them several times (at least 4-5 times) throughout the day. This helps to reduce the GI discomfort some people experience from eating beans. At the end of the day, I give them a final rinse, then put them into the crock pot with plenty of water (be sure you have at least 3-4cm of water above the beans) and leave them overnight. The following day, I transfer the beans into glass storage containers, ensuring that I transfer at least some of the liquid with each batch.