The Post-Thanksgiving Cleanse

Happy Thanksgiving friends! Now that you are all full of turkey, cranberries, french beans, stuffing, gravy, cakes, mac 'n cheese, pies, wine, rolls, ham, potatoes and whatever else you could stuff into your stomachs (a 12 inch long and 6 inch wide sac that can hold about 1 qt. of food at a time in most adults) I would like to share this SUPER CUTE animated video on digestion. Its a story about Bill, Ted, Jack, Peggy Sue, and their friend the lemur, who get shrunken and eaten by a hoboman...


I hope you enjoyed that, now lets talk about giving our tummies a rest and cleansing! Many of you have asked for suggestions on detoxification, there are a couple routes you can go down:

• For those of you that are die hard and willing to go all the way, try a 3-7 day juice fast (drinking only fresh fruit and vegetable juices and water).
  

• If you are new at this and would like to ease your way in, here is a 7-day cleanse I put together, you can extend it to 14 days for maximum results.
  

Eliminate all processed foods, including soy (most is processed), caffeine ( if you MUST have green tea instead of soda/coffee), no nightshade vegetables (potatoes, eggplant, peppers), sugar and dairy.


Upon Rising: Glass of room temperature lemon water & a probiotic ( wait 30 minutes after taking to eat) *Both lemon and water help flush out toxins in your system. Although lemons are acidic, they are alkalizing in your body.

Breakfast: (Choose one)

1. Blueberry (use any fruit that is in season) & Almond Smoothie:
1 scoop of a complete nutritional, whey protein fortified powder (not soy protein) 1/2 cup of blueberries
1 1/2 cup of almond, rice or coconut milk
1 scoop of green powder ( you can find at the health food store)

2. Oatmeal w fruit, flax seeds & almond, rice or coconut milk

3. Fresh juice of your choice from your favorite juice bar or your personal juicer

4. Organic apple with almond butter spread

Lunch & Dinner: (Choose one for each meal)

1. Brown rice and organically grown fresh fruits and vegetables. Pile a few, or all of the following detoxifying veggies on top: Beets, radishes, artichokes, cabbage, broccoli, and seaweed

2. A home-made soup made with vegetable stock and your choice of vegetables

3. Quinoa, amaranth, millet or buckwheat served with split yellow and green peas or lentils These are the easiest to prepare & require the least amount of soaking time. Add a side salad or steamed leafy greens

4. Organic steamed salmon, grains and leafy greens

Snacks:

• Unsalted nuts or seeds include; flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, cashews and walnuts
  
• Carrots and celery sticks
  
• Avocado slices
• Fruit
  
• Miso soup
  

Oils:

Extra-virgin olive oil

Supplements:

• Vitamin C: Increases glutathione production, a liver compound that drives away toxins.
• Probiotics
• Fiber
• Herbs such as dandelion root, burdock and milk thistle help cleanse & protect the liver.
• Spirulina, wheat grass or blue/green algae

Other tips:

• Drink at least 2 quarts of water
• Take a few minutes a day to meditate & take deep breaths to allow oxygen to move completely through your system
• Sit in a sauna to help eliminate toxins
• Exercise!
• Take a couple of spoonfuls of extra virgin olive oil at night to help stimulate your liver to eliminate bile
• If bowel movements become sluggish, take a mild herbal laxative, drink aloe vera juice or detox tea
• Eat all organic whole foods if possible

Good luck, let me know if you have any questions. Also, feel free to post your progress in the comments section!