Recently, a friend asked me to write an article on a “spring cleaning for her gut.” After a long winter of hibernation, she felt the need for a cleansing or detox to help restart some healthier habits.
Many health experts recommend seasonal cleansing to help maintain a healthy body. I agree a cleansing or detox can be very helpful – and I personally like to try to do one at least twice per year, usually with the seasonal changes, as my friend noted.
There are so many different ways to cleanse and many different types of cleansing - a Google search provided 15,300,000 results! I highly recommend working with a health care professional if you choose to cleanse or detox because it should be monitored carefully.
However, if you want to try a simple one on your own, there are several ways you can do a “Spring Cleaning” very easily on your own. Here are a few you can consider to refresh your system:
- Eat a vegetable and fruit cleansing plan. For two to three days, make your meals only vegetables, with a few fruits thrown in. You want to have twice as many veggies as fruits, and eat them as plain as possible. If you have a salad, use olive oil and some apple cider vinegar as a dressing. When you do resume normal eating, do so carefully.
- Become a juicer! Again, for two to three days, consume only fruits and vegetables, and twice as many veggies again, but juice them and drink your nutrition. I prefer using a Vitamix type of blender, because I like the pulp, but you can use a juicer just as easily. Another option, but you must be careful to read labels, is to buy commercially prepared juices. This can be expensive, and you have to be certain the product you choose is a good one without unnecessary additives, but it is an option if you don’t want to make your own.
- One of my favorite nutritionists, Dr. Sara Gottfried, likes a spring refresher she calls “dinacharya,” from the ancient healing system of Ayurveda. It is a ritual done in the morning and evening, and is intended to support your energy and life force. Before you begin to think this is crazy talk, know this is a very simple cleansing procedure: simply sip a cup of warm water with lemon – squeezed from half a lemon in the morning – before you do anything else (don’t even brush your teeth first!). This simple drink will flush your kidneys and gastrointestinal tract, and will stoke your digestive fires. It also helps your elimination procedures….so you’ll clean your system in a very normal fashion. Or as one of my boys would say, it will help you poop…. Drink another soothing cup in the evening. And, eat a normal diet of good nutritious food.
There are many other elements that should accompany a cleansing, such as getting extra rest, practicing cleansing breathing, turning off technology, and spending time on yourself. And, of course, you should consult your health care professional before undertaking any type of change to your eating plan. I’d be happy to discuss any of these further with you. Enjoy the spring as you keep your vitality!
