The 18-Hour Fast | A POST-SUPER BOWL CHALLENGE TO RE-ENERGIZE YOUR BODY

By Dominick H. 

Fasting. Who likes it? Probably no one truly enjoys it. Popular among various religious sects and belief systems, many followers of the fasting ritual do it for health and spiritual benefits. We are focusing on the health benefits here. Because 50 buffalo wings, 5 beers, and 100 cheesy appetizers and dips later, you could be setting yourself up for a stomach ache in the morning. Totally not project: Clean Food approved. But at the end of the day, it is Super Bowl: we understand. And besides, Beyonce, Bruno Mars, and Coldplay at the half time show are enough to excite anyone to eat and drink things that may not necessarily agree with our bodies. But fear not, we've got you covered. We hope you ate and celebrated joyfully this evening. Because tomorrow, we're prescribing a little 18-hour fast to help invigorate and rejuvenate your body after tonight's amazing romp. It sounds a lot harder than it actually is. And if it's any motivation, Coldplay's Chris Martin is likely fasting tonight or tomorrow according to his new 6:1 diet (eat 6 days, fast 1 day). 

So here's how this is gonna go:

Abundant Energy | FOUR WAYS TO LIVE A FULLER LIFE AND BEAT FATIGUE

By Katie G.

Recently, I had the good fortune of being invited to an IVY Connect panel discussion with Dr. Holly Phillips, a contributor to CBS News and author of the new book The Exhaustion Breakthrough. I have  always been intrigued by the idea of energy in the body: where it comes from and how it affects our everyday lives. During this event, I had an a-ha moment. I realized that many of the behaviors viewed as "normal" are actually telltale signs that we need to take a step back and be honest with ourselves. For example, do you find yourself yawning uncontrollably at 3:00 pm when you're in the umpteenth meeting of the day? Do you make excuses not to exercise or socialize because you're just not feeling up to it? Are you nodding out every night on the couch at 9:00 pm? Do you just wish you had a little extra oomph? Do you feel like you're in a fog when you wake up in the morning? Are you drinking more than one cup of coffee and/or eating sugary foods to keep your energy "up?"

If the answer is yes to any one of these questions, then you, my friend, need to read on.  The secret to energy isn't found solely in sleep (although don't get me wrong, it's important), but in various lifestyle choices and patterns that you can control.

I Started From The Bottom | THE BIRTH OF CLEAN LIVING AND THE ROAD TO A BALANCED DIET

By Dominick H.

Joshua Dorfman / project: Clean Food

When 2007 hit, I finally decided that eating terribly, partying hard and drinking myself into oblivion was no longer serving me: go figure. The recession hit, for me that is. But somehow, I managed to keep the facade going. The life I lived would seem ideal to most people. You know, a scheme of appearances. Great relationship. Great job. Great friends and family. I traveled a lot. And then there was yoga: I had been practicing for about two years at that point. Seemingly all good, right? All sounds like someone that should be happy and content with things. But, something was missing. I couldn't quite put my finger on it. But that feeling of "something missing" had always been with me ever since I can remember: probably since I was 9 or 10 years old. Ever since I was a young boy, I would write a lot. Poetry. Short Stories. Songs. I loved writing. So it always served as an outlet for me to express and understand myself. But in 2007, writing and reflecting was no longer enough. I craved something more, something deeper. I wanted to feel better than I was feeling. I was tired of feeling disconnected. I was tired of feeling purposeless and lost. And with regard to my health, I was tired of feeling sluggish and low-negative energy. The lifestyle of poor diet choices and alcoholic indulgence was basically me attempting to fill a void within myself that, in all honesty, was never filled. However, that life I was living served as a springboard for what I was about to dive into. The job. The relationship. The friends. The old lifestyle. Even the yoga. It all flung me right into a new project: a project of clean food and clean living. 0 to 100. Real quick.

Brain Food | 4 LITTLE NIBBLES TO BOOST BRAIN POWER AND UP YOUR CONFIDENCE

By Dominick H.

Hannah Bronfman / Huffington Post

A beautiful body. A healthy body. A beautiful brain. A healthy brain. Yes, it's all connected. Our brain is the essential component and centralized control system that governs all the other organs of our body. So, to put it in perspective, what your heart experiences your brain experiences. What your lungs experience, your brain experiences. What your senses experience, your brain experiences. What your entire digestive system experiences, your brain and the rest of your nervous system experiences. What your skin experiences, your brain experiences. See the connections we are making? Everything that we do and experience in this world is a direct result of our brain's functions, actions, and re-actions. So naturally if our brain is out of whack, our lives will be out of whack. On the other hand, if our brains are functioning beautifully and strongly, so will our lives: our internal and external world's are totally linked. But the bigger question: can we control our brain?

Resisting The Urge | ENDING LATE-NIGHT MEALS AND MISCELLANEOUS SNACKING

By Dominick H.

Let's think about your typical day. Quite possibly you've worked all day – running around from appointment to appointment. In between work and home, maybe you've stopped at the gym or your favorite workout class (hopefully). And on the way to working out, all you had to nibble on was a smoothie, a juice, or a granola bar because the last meal you ate was around 1-ish in the afternoon since you were so busy. By the time you get out of the gym or class, it's after 8pm or maybe even 9pm. And now you're trying to figure out what to eat so you don't get a stomachache. And naturally you default to something easy: a takeout salad, another smoothie or juice, a pizza, a burrito, some leftovers at home, or some other miscellaneous junk to quench your hunger. Sounds like you? I know it sounds like me and many of my friends at times.

But maybe that's not you. Maybe you actually do eat at decent times and always try to make time for your meals (and healthy ones) in an orderly fashion; but you still find that after 9 or 10 pm you have that urge to dig into the fridge or to step out on the town for some late-night rummaging on the fast food scene. Or if you're like me, you stalk Yelp to seek out the closest place selling warm chocolate chip cookies or ice cream. 

What is wrong with us? Why do we have these cravings? These urges? Are they natural? Or is our body trying to tell us something?