It\’s almost that time of year…Spring! A time for renewal…when plants break through the ground and bloom in the warming weather. It\’s also a great time for us to \”renew\” our bodies with a spring cleaning of sorts, a detox.
Why do we want to do a detox diet? To clean out the system so that it can effectively and efficiently absorb all of the nutrients from the raw fruits and vegetables you\’ll be eating. Overeating over works the GI tract and stresses the liver which means that we can\’t fully metabolize fat which leads to vitamin deficiencies and poor digestion. The colon can become strained over time if it doesn\’t get enough fiber too.
As a certified TLS weight management consultant, I recommend a seasonal detox, especially in the spring: a full 7 days of fruits and vegetables. Cleanse the taste buds, liver and GI tract!
Keep it simple: vegetables in unlimited amounts – go for green veggies especially, but keep the starchy ones to a minimum – raw, sautée, steam, grill or boil, just NO FATS for the detox. But use spices to keep things tasty, plus vinegar, mustard, soy sauce too. You can include fruits, but keep them to 3 fruit servings per day.
No coffee, alcohol, sugar, caffeine, fat, oils, etc. Plan ahead and always carry a stash of veggies with you. You will almost constantly eat this week…and that\’s ok! You can\’t go wrong with veggies and fruit!
Start each morning with warm water and juice of ½ lemon – a natural detoxifier for liver, and gall bladder and to help with GI discomfort. Expect that your body will \”talk back\” a little this week – you may have a headache as your body misses its typical doses of caffeine and sugar. But also expect that after a few days of the detox that you\’ll feel powerfully energized! Really! Make the effort to get through 3 full days. Then if you can maintain it, try a few more, aiming for 7 total. The long-term effects are excellent. You\’ll notice especially a clean slate with your palate – much more sensitivity to tastes and therefore more appreciation for all that the springtime has to offer you and your body!
