Day 18: 21-day conscious cleanseWith three more days of the detox diet to go, today might be a good time to reflect on what the diet has done for us - and to set some intentions for positive changes we'd like to make in our lives as a result. Those of us that have followed the programme to the letter have gone to the trouble of disciplining our diet for, let's see... 31 whole days, if you count the 10-day countdown days at the beginning. That's no mean feat! It would be a shame not at least to take some kind of learning from it.So set aside some time today to reflect on what you've learnt about your body and its needs while on this diet. Have you felt healthier as a whole? Or did you feel that something was lacking for you and that there are certain foods not allowed on the diet that actually suit your lifestyle and make you feel more fully resourced to deal with your life as it is?For me, the learnings I've had this time round have been that I'm able to be most fully myself - and most balanced, in general - when I do not have coffee, black tea, alcohol and any dairy products in the house. If I want then to share a cappuccino with a friend or have a glass of rose to celebrate a special occasion, I can do that as a special treat, but away from home. I've also discovered some nice organic alcohols - and some nice additive free alcohol alternatives.Next, it might be helpful to reflect on whether you would like to use the principles of this 21-day detox plan as the basis for an ongoing healthy eating diet. Speaking for myself, disciplining my diet in this way over the years has made my mind clearer, my body feel more comfortable and my emotions more consistently balanced.When I started doing the annual Little White Feather cleanse, nine years or so ago, now... it was a big shift for my system and I would go through some quite dramatic withdrawal symptoms. Now, it hardly makes much difference. So my intention is to make the plan the foundation of my diet. However, I am going to allow myself the flexibility to follow my body's natural instincts and, if a friend invites me round for dinner and offers me a dessert, or I feel like having an ice cream on a hot day, I will decide then and there what to do. Living according to an internalised set of 'rules' is not really my bag, long term - I like always to allow my own authentic sense of rightness - my inner compass - to show me the way!