Detox Diet

Benefits of Fasting

The benefits of fasting are well-documented in both ancient wisdom traditions and in modern medicine research. Benefits include:

• Reduces Inflammation
• Lower Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
• Boosts Metabolism
• Improves Heart Health
• Regulates Blood Sugar Levels
• Boosts Hormone Production
• Neurological Enhancements
• Supports Weight Loss
• Anti-Aging 

Children under the age of 12, pregnant women, and underweight people should not fast. Those with medical conditions, such as diabetes, low blood sugar, cancer, and drug or alcohol abuse, need supervision.

If breast-feeding, make sure you add protein powder in your smoothies, and during your eating window, eat as much as you want – staying within the guidelines of the fast.

Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting refers to an eating cycle that includes periods of fasting of around 12–16 hours. For example, you can postpone your first meal of the day, and finish your last meal of the day earlier to accomplish a minimum of 12 hours without eating.

Many proponents of intermittent fasting report improved more energy, greater clarity, emotional lightness, and improved weight management. Scientists are conducting many intermittent fasting studies showing benefits including:

• improved markers of health 
• decreased inflammation
• a reduced risk of chronic health conditions
• improved brain health
• weight loss

For more information about intermittent fasting, you can read the informative work of Doctor David Sinclair from Harvard Medical School. He also has many podcasts on YouTube.

Detox Diet 

Time frame: 3-10 days

All the fruits and vegetables needed to stimulate the body to cleanse and eliminate in spring are contained in this simple fast based on the Chinese Five Element theory. Choose the foods that are readily available in your area from the list below.

A three-day fast helps the body get rid of toxins. A five-day fast starts the healing process. A ten-day fast completely cleanses and renews your bloodstream and should take care of many problems before they arise. A ten-day fast is beneficial to do twice a year, particularly in the spring and the autumn.

8 a.m. to 12 noon (or shift the timeframes according to your choice of when to eat) Kiwis, oranges, limes, grapefruit, lemons, apples, applesauce (no sugar), apple juice, filtered water, herbal teas (such as nettles, red clover, dandelion leaf, and peppermint). The above foods can be taken in solid or liquid form. Choose one or more and eat and drink as much as you like until noon. To strengthen the optic nerves, combine freshly squeezed lemons with grapefruit and limes with an orange.

12 noon to 8 p.m. Asparagus, beets, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, leafy greens and dark green vegetables, carrots, dandelion leaves, parsnip, potatoes with skins, garlic, olive oil, parsley, sprouts, apple juice, pure water, and herbal teas. The above foods can be taken in solid or liquid form. The vegetables can be raw, steamed, baked, or roasted, and a simple dressing can be made from the garlic, lemon, peppermint, olive oil, and parsley. It is best to have a combination of cooked and raw foods at each meal to supply the live enzymes needed for proper digestion.

Detox Tea

If you can’t find the ingredients below, you can use nettles and dandelion leaf, which grow wild in the area. Use 50/50.

1 cup nettles

6 cups filtered water.

2 tablespoons red clover

2 tablespoons milk thistle

2 tablespoons dandelion leaf

2 tablespoons peppermint leaf

On the first day of your fast, make this tea and drink one cup in the morning and one cup before bedtime to maintain regularity. The tea will keep refrigerated for three days and may be gently warmed; boiling the tea will destroy the medicinal properties of the herbs.

Bring the water to a boil. Remove from heat and add all herbs. Cover and allow to steep for 30 minutes to one hour. Strain before using.

Liver Cleansing Drink (Spring version)

2 pieces fresh ginger, sliced (each about the size of a euro)

1 orange, peeled and divided into sections.

1 cup organic apple juice

1 kiwi  chopped.

1 tablespoon organic flax seed oil

½ lemon, juiced

3 or 4 strawberries 

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Place first three ingredients in a blender; blend on high until ginger is pulverized. Add rest of ingredients and blend again. 

Cook’s notes:

o This drink can be altered to taste; however, the lemon, ginger, orange, pepper, and flax seed oil are constants.

o It is helpful to drink two glasses of water with lemon upon rising, and then have this drink for breakfast.

o When it is not spring-cleaning time, you can add 1/3 to ½ banana (or more) for a little more staying power as well as a bit of protein powder. 

Note: If you are breast feeding, add the protein powder.

 Super skin

The skin is the body’s largest organ of elimination. Dry skin brushing benefits the lymphatic system and stimulates your whole body. Scrub brush, stroke the skin gently in the direction of your heart, much like you would use a brush to stroke your hair. 

Use the dry skin brush everywhere except for your face, which requires a smaller, softer brush. You may enjoy dry skin brushing enough to make it part of your daily routine.

Rest

Time, peace, and privacy enhance a fast. This is a good time to reflect, meditate, and be in nature, as you become aware of what does and does not nourish you. If you find it difficult to retreat altogether, be creative. Plan carefully. Ask yourself what you want to achieve in this fast, then begin in full acceptance of yourself.

Menu to break the fast

Build on the detox diet by adding spring grains such as barley, quinoa, wheat, millet, and rye. Eat plain goat’s milk yogurt flavored with apple juice and spices. Goat’s milk cheeses, fish or free-range poultry can be eaten once a week. 

Natural Detox Bath Recipes

You may have heard of an Epsom bath (and that is our base recipe here), but what about a clay bath, vinegar bath, or even a mustard bath?!

These are all natural ingredients, available in most of our kitchens or pantries, that can boost the circulatory and olfactory senses, stimulating relaxation and building up magnesium stores.

You only need a few simple ingredients to make some or all these detox bath recipes:

• Epsom salt
• Apple cider vinegar
• Baking soda
• Bentonite clay 
• Mustard powder or ginger powder
• Essential oils (mix with powder or salt rather than directly to the bath)

These recipes are also safe and soothing for kids too! 

Here is a simple Recipe:

2 cups water

¼ cup sea salt

¼ cup Epsom salt

¼ cup baking soda

⅓ cup apple cider vinegar

10 drops essential oils (optional, I use peppermint or lavender)

Instructions:

In a small pan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil.

Pour the water into a quart-size mason jar.

Stir in the sea salt, Epsom salt, and baking soda.

Fill the bathtub with warm/hot water.

Add the apple cider vinegar.

Pour the salt mixture in and add essential oils if using.

Soak in the bath for 30 minutes or as long as desired.

 Note:

With any detox bath, you may feel tired or lightheaded when you get out, so be careful when getting out of the bath.