Each year we think about healthy resolutions and how we can better care for our bodies as we age. I thought it might be a good idea to put out some cleanse information, I’ve recently had a few people asking me about it, especially after the holidays and people are looking for ways to give their bodies a break from the rich foods of the holidays.  We do a lot of work to keep our kitchens, our cars and the outside of our bodies clean but we rarely put much thought regarding the insides. If you are like me and are working hard to feed yourself and your family nutritious and clean foods, you still have a toxic overload in your body due to environmental toxins.  Most importantly non-organic food sources play huge roles in our body’s natural abilities to detox from normal environmental dangers, heavy metals in particularly can wreak havoc on the cellular level with mitochondria under attack and endocrine system, including shikimate pathway (which regulates essential aromatic amino acids, phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan, essentially your gut to brain=mood functions o), immune system as well as the body’s ability to fight infection and inflammation. Consuming sugar, corn, soy, and wheat has huge damaging effects, such as food borne chemical residues and toxins in the environment that disrupt the body’s normal functions and induce disease. You might consider a detox program or cleanse to help your body eliminate these build-up of toxins and let your body heal and rid itself.  By taking a break from your normal daily habits your body will have time that it doesn’t’ normally have to work on these important processes that are usually consumed by processing the constant stream new food that is entering the body. A fast or cleanse can let your body focus on other functions and increase energy as well.  What’s the difference between a fast and a cleanse?  A fast is abstaining from some or all food for a period of time while a cleanse is a diet that is aimed at detoxing the body to restore health. I love Dr. Edward Group’s website and information on cleansing and hope you can take a look at his website. http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/cleansing/body-cleansing-diet.html

There are several kinds of fasts and cleanses and I thought laying out a few of the basics would be a great start to your health in the New Year, please be sure to speak with your primary care physician or local naturopath before any radical changes to diet.

First steps: Is to lighten your toxic load, eliminating alcohol, coffee, nicotine, refined sugars, saturated fats, processed foods which act as toxins.  Also minimizing your exposure to chemicals in the workplace and at home, such as personal health care products (lotions, shampoos, body wash and soaps, deodorants, laundry detergent, toothpaste, cosmetics) and home fragrance items and household and workplace cleaners. A few other things to toss… your microwave, dry-cleaned clothes, non-stick cooking pans, check out what your mattress and pillows are made of, rubber and plastic spatulas and other unnecessary plastics.

Fasting from stressors in life, emotional or otherwise stress hormones in large quantities create toxins and slow down detoxification enzymes in the liver.  Meditation, regular use of breathing exercises, chiropractic, acupuncture, massage therapy and also looking at your commute, social media habits, maybe a media fast is in order while completing a fast is a great way to reset the bodies systems.

Juice fasting or a juice cleanse, where you only consume fruit and vegetable juices for a shortened period of time (usually 1-3 days) without solids.  It is best to use fresh organic fruits and vegetables and a home juicer, hydraulic press combos are the Royals Royce of home juicers (Norwalk or Das Viking press and Champion grinders) as it is a two-step grind and press, and most home machines masticates the juice and grinds and presses in one step which leaves a lot of juice and nutrition behind.  These monster presses use 4-6 tons of pressure on stainless steel to extract all the plants goodness and traditionally about double the volume of a normal one step machine! Suggested fruits and veggies are apples, carrots, beets, ginger, spinach, pears, kale, cabbage, pineapple and cranberry. Of course the most important part is using cleanly grown organic vegetables and fruits to avoid excess toxins, pesticides, herbicides.

Master Cleanse also known as the lemonade diet made famous by Stanley Burroughs, consisting of a mineral rich sea salt water flush and drinking only a “lemonade” of distilled water, fresh lemon juice, cayenne pepper and maple syrup, and possibly a cup of peppermint or laxative tea at night. It has been around for a long time and probably the cleanse most of you are familiar with, it has low nutritional value and you are encouraged to drink your lemonade as soon as you feel hungry.   If you like toting around large jugs of funky liquid to explain to your co-workers and taking extra naps this one’s for you.

Mono Fasting is when you only consume one type of fruit for an extended period of time, although you are still eating food you are giving your digestive system a break by eating simply and avoiding food combining.  Whether you pick one food for a meal, or time of day or the same food every day it’s gives your body a chance to catch up and spend more time on the body than processing complicated dishes, as a chef this would be my purgatory.   Some of the benefits are it forces you to eat a higher quality of foods, since you wouldn’t pick the overripe banana if you were only eating bananas on Tuesdays, you would also know when it’s time to stop eating, you can only eat so many avocados, even though I’m sure I’ve pushed this boundary more than once, but avoiding the guacamole additives and well I eat far less.  It’s the only way to know for sure how your body reacts to certain foods. With so many allergies and sensitivities out there, if you think something you are eating is too much, the only way to know is to reduce your options and find out which one is to blame.  (The most common allergenic foods are Dairy, Yeast, Wheat, Gluten, Soy, Eggs, Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Shellfish, and Fish) You have a much greater appreciation for the foods that you do eat, growing up commercial fishing this is by far the best.

Water Fasting is where one only consumes water for an extended period of time, this is the most powerful form of fasting, and must be under the supervision of a qualified fasting expert and medical attention, not for the faint of heart by any means. While this was the ancient philosophers’ favorites of the likes of Plato, Da Vinci and Aristotle, and has been done for thousands of years it carries serious implications compared to our modern toxic soup of life.  It is recommended only if you have a serious health condition and need 110% impact and can commit to medical supervision.  There are also modifications of using bone broths as well.

Oxygen Colon Cleanse, this is one of the best natural detox methods, a six or seven day cleanse using distilled water, organic raw apple cider vinegar (ACV), aloe vera juice, Oxy-powder and probiotics.  Basically it’s a week-long cleanse where you eat small frequent healthy meals during the day (mostly raw and fresh) and drink half your body’s weight in water ounces adding in a Tablespoon of Organic (with the mother) Apple Cider Vinegar, abstaining from coffee, dairy, alcohol, and all other beverages.  Recommended Fruits are Apples, Avocados, Bananas, Blackberries, Grapefruit, Oranges, Pineapples, Raspberries, Strawberries, Tomatoes, Watermelon and White Grapes, organic raw nuts and seeds and deep rich green leafy salads. The Oxy-Powder works with your body’s stomach acid to help cleanse the colon by using oxygenating action to remove impacted waste and toxic matter.   http://www.oxypowder.com/research, it is best to avoid fiber capsules (usually psyllium husk) anthraquiones and two herbal supplements Sascara sagrada and Senna, they are far too powerful for the human body and much better at creating hydrogen peroxide or making paper.  Sticking to herbal teas, fennel seed, licorice root, milk thistle and dandelion are much better remedy.

How do I know it’s working?

What happens during a cleanse if you have spent any time in your life consuming a lot of unhealthy foods, drinks, drugs, chemicals and have a high body burden of toxins? There is a very good chance you will have a healing crisis while your body dumps such a massive load and while your body is consumed with eliminating these harmful substances that have been building it will have to work a lot harder.  Your EIGHT organs (Colon, Liver, Kidneys, Lungs, Blood, Lymphatic System, Skin and Microbiome (Gut Bacteria) can go thru some pretty crazy detox effects.

• Really bad breath, body odor

• Skin eruptions, rashes, pimples, itching

• Intense mood swings, behavior changes

• Old injury flare ups that you may haven’t felt for a long time

• Memory suppressions will arise to the surface

• Feeling tired and week (here’s the extra napping)

• Losing weight

• Cold hands and feet

• Flu like symptoms, runny nose, fever, nausea, gas, diarrhea, gas, cold sweats

• White coloring on your tongue

• Vertigo or dizzy spells

• Increased urination, a good time overall to read up on healthy bowel functions and stool guides

• Painful joints

• Cravings for unhealthy foods

These will totally freak you out and like the side effects of any prescription or over the counter drug, this is your warning.  In most cases this is actually a sign that the fast is working and your body is hard at work, once it has cleaned house the symptoms will dissipate.  Everyone’s experience is unique, some mild and some not.  So please make sure you and your household are prepared for these events to occur.  Take time for yourself and for your body to work its magic.  The end result you will have more energy, a clearer mindset, and better sense of your body’s abilities and how to care for it.

After a cleanse or detox program it’s important to ease back gently into life, start regular foods slowly and with a food journal, keep in tune with how your body is reacting to the food you are feeding it.  Don’t lose sight of it!

• Eat light, “breakfast” is the “break the fast” and your stomach will shrink while fasting, start small and simple and hopefully healthier from here on out

• Chew your food slowly and savor the moment.

• Embrace yourself, love yourself unconditionally, say it out loud, write it, whatever you need daily.

• Take bitters and herbs to protect the liver such as dandelion root, burdock, milk thistle, Bush flower essence, spirulina, chlorella, seaweeds/greens and green tea

• Take your vitamins, Vitamin C (which helps produce glutathione) and vitamin B’s and Omega oils are incredibly important and make sure they are also organic, most are not.

• Drink half your body weight in ounces of water daily, more if you consume foods known to dehydrate

• Breathe deeply to allow oxygen to circulate more completely through your body.

• Transform stress into positive emotions and actions

• Hydrotherapy, the practice of taking very hot showers, followed by cold water, back and forth

• Infrared Saunas and saunas in general can help your body eliminate wastes through perspiration is one of the most natural ways to eliminate toxins from the body.

• Dry brush your skin before bathing with a firm stiff dry brush in circular motions towards the heart and detoxifying foot baths to further help remove toxins

• Exercise, that’s right you need regular exercise, daily walks, cardio, sports, yoga, whatever you can do get out there and start soon!

Resources

Global Healing Center http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/

How to Create a Toxic Free Community https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe9Qp7TiOzs

NYR Organic supplements https://us.nyrorganic.com/shop/amberking/area/shop-online/category/supplements/

A Healthy Child Website http://www.healthychild.org/

Moms Across America http://www.momsacrossamerica.com/

A family’s journey to non-toxic life http://www.littlegreenmoments.com/eat/non-toxic-guide-part-i-diet.html

Damaging Health effects of Glyphosates and GMO crops on the body, soil and more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVolljHmqEs

Gluten Related Disorders Additional Information https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVo51yLnohY