Sometimes it feels like there is nothing else to do but put more food into your mouth. That's perfectly understandable. Food is, after all, life.

But with minimum movement these days, and a big holiday in a few weeks, we might not notice that we've already gained weight.

From time to time, it's always good to recalibrate your taste buds and get your body into a place where it is fed well and nourished.

A juice cleanse is an easy and healthy way to detoxify and heal. But many people, myself included, approach this diet in the wrong way.

Some feed themselves all the junk food they love right until the first juice. Not only are you mentally ill-prepared, but you are also doing a disservice to your body.

This may lead you to an unpleasant 'healing crisis'. It's when you feel so bad before you start feeling good. Your body is reacting negatively to the detox efforts it is getting.

Instead of shocking your system, doing a pre-juice cleanse eases you into the juice cleanse diet.

Depending on your lifestyle, you can take 3 days to 7 days of the pre-cleanse phase. For those who are not in any way a health nut, you should embark on at least 7 days of pre-cleansing.

Here are a few suggestions you can do:

Drink More Water

Sometimes our brain mistakes thirst for hunger. When we hydrate, by drinking plenty of water, we eliminate that false hunger. Water also helps flush out all the toxins from whatever you've been drinking before the cleanse.

Eat More Vegetables

In your juice cleanse, you will be drinking more fruits and vegetables. But that doesn't mean you should hold off on the greens till then. Increase your enzyme intake and introduce more fruits and vegetables into your meals.

Eliminate Processed Products and Animal Products

If you eat more than one serving of these products, your pre-cleanse phase is the right period to start discarding them. You want to avoid shocking your digestive system, so start slowly eliminating the hard to process foods.

Limit Caffeine and Sugar

If you enjoy pop, juice, or coffee, you should start limiting them during the pre-cleanse phase.

We get better cleansing results when our body is in an alkaline state. So acidic drinks like soda are not allowed on the diet.

After seven days, you will already notice results. But this isn't the official juice cleanse diet yet! Once you start your strict juice cleanse, you will hopefully avoid the withdrawal symptoms that have plagued you before.

That means a happier, healthier you.