Soooo, the holidays and end of 2009 hit you hard, eh? I've had more than a few requests for a cleanse. The easiest one would be: step away from the sweets and alcohol and resume an organic, whole foods diet. But, sometimes we need a little more, something that feels detoxifying; something that reduces bloat, clears the skin, and yes, sheds the Fab Five or Fifteen that we put on since the leaves turned.
Here in LA and NYC there are amazing options -- visit We Care Spa, get detox beverages delivered to your door, visit an ashram and fast. However, if these don't fit into your budget or schedule, I wanted to share my cleanse with you.
Supplies:
Align or other high quality probiotic
Nanogreens or Green Vibrance powders
Udo's Choice Wholesome Fast Food or Barleans Forti-Flax
Barleans Total Omega Vegan Swirl
Santa Cruz Organics applesauce or organic apples
Tons of frozen and fresh organic fruits and vegetables
Manitoba Harvest Hemp Pro Fiber or Hemp Pro 70 and Hempseeds
Fresh spices and herbs
Tao of Wellness Winter tea
Seaweed
Healing Movements Coconut Water kefir and Cultured Veggies
Coconut Secret raw vinegar and aminos
Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar and Ginger Sesame dressing
Barleans Olive Leaf complex
New Chapter Host Defense
Peter Gillhams Natural Calm
Traditional Medicinals Detox Tea and Smooth Move (NOT for longer than 1 week)
Complementrix or other Vitamin D3 2000iu
Manuka Honey
Pangea Matcha Mask
Here we go:
1) Read my other blog about entering and exiting a cleanse
2) DO plan to get regular exercise (yes you want to sweat), schedule massage and infrared sauna sessions, go to yoga, take long (hilly!) walks, and find time to sit in silence (or grab Osho Zen Tarot cards to do a guided meditation)
3) On waking, take a probiotic with a hot tea or hot water with lemon
4) Stretch, do some exercise, you may feel hungry or slightly lightheaded so adjust your pace / duration accordingly but even 15 minutes will get some fat burning effects
5) Make a protein - greens drink with water (hemp pro, omega swirl, and greens). Drink slowly and take your vitamin D3 here
6) Sip on hot beverages (herbal tea, water with lemon) throughout the morning. If starving, add almond or rice milk (organic, plain)
7) Mid-morning have a snack of 1 cup applesauce and 1 Tbsp Flaxseeds or Wholesome Junk Food
8) Midday - your best time for you "meal" - organic veggies or veggie soup (pureed, no dairy) with vinegars, aminos or hempseeds, herbs and spices (roasted and sauteed veggies are great too if done with a healthy organic oil
9) Mid-afternoon - perhaps a tea latte(self made unless you have a place that does organic almond or rice milk and NO sweetener) with some veggies OR cultured veggies with hempseeds, spices, and dressing OR small cup of soup OR real seaweed salad (not the neon green sweet one at the store)
10) Before 7pm - have another pro-greens drink. Note: if you have trouble sleeping you may want to switch mid-afternoon eating occasion with pro-greens drink
Note: all of these eating occasions can be interchangeable so if you go out
to dinner get an organic greens salad and soup (maybe bring your hempseeds or dressing or just opt for lemon juice) or if you have a morning meeting have your drink and get sauteed veggies at the meeting
11) About 1 hour before bed make Natural Calm (dosage should reflect your regularity - if you are having regular bowel movements go with 1-2 tsps, if you aren't (on cleanse need at least 1, ideally 2 BMs daily) start with 1 Tbsp and go up from there. If after the first night / morning you don't have an am bowel movement add Smooth Move to your nightly tea (ok to do with Natural Calm). With tea take Olive Leaf and Host Defense.
12) Consider dry brushing the skin, a hot bath or shower, coconut oil on wet skin, the matcha mask for 20 min, using a roller to roll out your muscles, and manuka honey on any blemishes (liquid minerals work great for this too).
13) If you can during the cleanse wear minimal / no makeup or nail polish and let the body air itself out.