Birds chirping, flowers blooming, warmer weather…spring is in the air. This time of renewal and new life is a great time for a gentle detox, which is why this month I’ll be sharing my naturopathic cleanse and recommendations for detoxification.
For many of us, a cleanse is something that we consider doing once or twice a year, and typically it involves several days of drinking green juices and watered down nut milks.
Psst…there’s a better way!
Detoxing is the process of removing toxins from your body. These toxins are damaging and contribute to symptoms like early aging, fatigue, headaches, chronic pain and infections, weight gain, and acne.
Your body detoxes naturally on a daily basis, but I recommend supporting this process and taking it to the next level four times each year – the change of the seasons offers a perfect opportunity to reset and start anew.
The naturopathic approach to seasonal detoxification is a week-long process that involves preparing and eating whole foods.
Here’s the breakdown:
For one week, remove all inflammatory foods from your diet. Including…
- Refined sugar
- Processed Foods
- Alcohol
- Grains
- Eggs
- Dairy
- Nightshades (like eggplant, tomatoes, and potatoes)
- Beans, except garbanzo beans
During this time, consume foods that are less inflammatory, like:
- Green leafy vegetables sourced from non-fracking locations (spinach, kale, chard, etc.)
- Healthy fats (avocado and olive oil only, no nuts or seeds)
- Sweet Potatoes
- Garbanzo Beans
It’s best to cook your own meals at this time, so you know what ingredients are going into your food.
For best results, you’ll want to eat veggies at least 3 times each day and drink lots of water with lemon or cranberry extract – this will help support the kidneys in detoxification. You can incorporate the other anti-inflammatory food into these meals as well.
It’s also a good idea to incorporate tea into your diet at this time. My favorites for detoxification are burdock, dandelion, and milk thistle. You can consume these in unlimited amounts.
Here’s a breakdown of how each day of the cleanse will look (using all of the recommendations above as a starting point)…
Days 1 + 2 of your naturopathic cleanse
For the first two days, remove animal protein from your diet. You can substitute with garbanzo beans or Bio-Transform smoothies twice a day to ensure proper protein intake.
Day 3 of your naturopathic cleanse
Have 4oz of organic turkey for lunch, in addition to green veggies, healthy fat, and lemon or cranberry water. You can also incorporate 1 Tablespoon of quinoa or buckwheat in a salad if your body can digest these without issue.
Day 4 of your naturopathic cleanse
Reintroduce organic chicken. You can also begin using avocado and/or coconut oil at this time.
Day 5 of your naturopathic cleanse
Reintroduce nightshades, like eggplant, white potatoes, tomatoes, and bell peppers.
In addition to shifting your diet for the week, you’ll also want to incorporate the following into your routine:
- Warm bath or Sauna for 20 minutes daily
- Skin Brushing (before your bath or sauna)
- Detox Plus, an antioxidant supplement that supports detoxification
- Gentle Fiber or another clean fiber supplement
- Colon Hydrotherapy to support the clearing of toxins from the body
- Sleep, 8-9 hours each night
- Meditation and journaling to clear and cleanse your thoughts
- Spending less time on your digital devices to avoid radiation and EMF exposure
Avoid intense exercise at this time. Instead, opt for walk-in nature, gentle yoga or pilates for no more than 20 minutes a day.
I know this naturopathic cleanse may feel like a challenge, but consider it a week dedicated to optimizing your health – an opportunity to enter into spring feeling as refreshed and renewed as nature.
It may also be helpful for you to know that I cleanse in this way and my patients have seen incredible results using this naturopathic cleanse – it doesn’t have harmful side effects, but can significantly improve overall functioning.
xo,
