DAY 6: COUNTDOWN TO THE21-DAY 'CONSCIOUS CLEANSE'Taking wheat and gluten out of the diet is not as easy as it might at first seem. There are traces of gluten in everything from oats to cous cous. And gluten intolerance is not something that only coeliacs are prone to – it has been estimated that 15-20 per cent of us, while not having coeliac disease per se, are sensitive to gluten to some degree (or the gluten protein, called gliadin, that is found in varying quantities in wheat, barley, rye and sometimes oats).Gluten intolerance seems to me to be responsible for much of the bloating and overweight that many of us suffer from (that and many years' of ingesting artificial additives and other toxins). And once we have taken it out of our diets, we'll often find that the excess weight just falls away!Like a lot of those things that we are intolerant to, however, a lot of us crave a big chunk of bread. And often with a big slab of cheese on it (ring any bells)? More often than not, this is because our systems are sensitive to one or more of the ingredients. The body sets up a chemical reaction – a bit like the 'fight or flight' feeling of adrenalin racing round your body. We can confuse this low-level allergic reaction with a positive feeling like excitement - and this will fuel our craving. We get hooked on the high! The reality, however is that this food is really setting up reactions in our body that are disturbing its chemical balance - and we'd be better off avoiding the trigger!But as discussed in an earlier post, this is a get-to-know-yourself diet - we're talking about exploring our connections with food not severing ties like a samurai . If you're one of those people (like me) that loves a slab of granary bread once in a while, support yourself by always having a bread-alternative – rice cakes, oatcakes or a gluten-free crispbread - on hand, with humus or a favourite spread. The craving will go away after a couple of weeks – and you'll start to feel so much better (and you'll probably start to look forward to eating that rice cake – especially when you've become an aficionado at creating delicious natural spreads and toppings to crown it with!)This avocado dip, adapted from a recipe from raw food 'guru' Leslie Kenton, is an easy and delectable one to start with. Make it thick as a dip for crudites or thin to pour over a salad. Yum!:Avocado dip1-2 avocadosI cup fresh orange juice (use more or less to give the desired consistency)1 tsp curry powder2 tsp vegetable bouillon powderfresh herbs (eg lovage and French parsley)1 small clove garlic (optional)Peel and stone the avocado(s). Blend all the ingredients together in a food processor until smooth.And keep your eye out on the Little White Feather Facebook page for useful alternatives to some of the foods we're taking out, over the next few days.Tomorrow, we junk the sugar! If you would like to take part in the 21-day cleanse (starts next week), remember to click 'like' on the Little White Feather Facebook page and you'll get the daily detox post delivered direct to your news feed.