Day 17: 21-day conscious cleanseSo, there are only five more days of the detox diet programme to go! How do you feel? Are you managing to stick to the diet for the most part, or have you succumbed to more off-limits culinary delicacies than you would care to admit?In my eyes, it doesn't help to be too hard on ourselves when we're following this dietary plan. It doesn't much matter if we 'stray off the path' from time to time. We're creating new habit patterns for life here - not just for the duration of the programme. Hopefully, some of you will reach day 21 and decide to base your diet more permanently on the foods and drinks you have been consuming over the past three weeks.I tend to follow the nutritional guidelines of this programme (ie, I eat a vegan diet with a high proportion of fresh, raw fruits and vegetables most of the time, taking care to eat foods in as near their natural state as possible and tending to avoid anything that is processed in any way.Having said this, I do notice that I am susceptible to reaching out for fast-release carbohydrates and sugars when I go through intensely 'full-on' phases in my life (and also at certain times in my monthly cycle). It also serves my personal make-up to eat a higher proportion of cooked foods, stews and soups in the winter months and more raw foods in the summer, when my digestion seems to like to live off fresh fruits and vegetables. And I suppose it goes without saying that everyone is different and needs to find the best diet for them - that is one reason why an annual programme like the 21-day conscious cleanse is good for identifying which foods are good for us and which do not agree with us on a subtle level - and make changes! What do you think?