Deciding on the right detox program can be a challenge. In my thirty years of experience in natural health, I have found that most people are not prepared physically, emotionally or mentally to handle the stress of many of the popular, extended detox programs that are on the market today.
My own hard won early experience with detoxification taught me without question that there are right and wrong ways to cleanse the body (To learn more about my dangerous “detox” experience, please see page 13 ). A healthy detox will rejuvenate your body’s systems, and clear wastes that are preventing you from achieving your best health. A poorly designed detox program could make you sicker than you were before you started.
My goal as a natural healer is to help you to stay healthy naturally and safely. I have spent years creating Healthy Healing detox programs that are livable for today’s men and women. My detox programs infuse your body with essential nutrients and help you cleanse, thrive and heal naturally and safely.
After a detox, the body starts rebalancing. Energy levels often rise physically, mentally and sexually. Creativity may even begin to expand. You will look and feel like a new person, because you are. Your outlook and attitude change because through cleansing and improved diet, your actual cell make-up has changed.
A yes answer to two or more of these questions should alert you that your body could benefit from a detox.
Do you have frequent body odor, bad breath or a coated tongue?
If you’re a woman, are you experiencing frequent vaginal yeast infections or UTIs (Urinary Tract Infections)?
If you’re a man, are you experiencing frequent jock itch (a sign of candida) or prostatitis?
Is your immune response low? Are you catching frequent colds, flus or intestinal bugs?
Have you gained weight even though your diet hasn’t changed?
Do you have unexplained headaches, back or joint pain, or arthritis?
Do you suffer from chronic respiratory problems or sinus problems?
Do you have food sensitivities, poor digestion or chronic constipation with intestinal bloating or gas?
Do you have chronic fatigue or environmental sensitivities, especially to odors?
Are you unusually tired? Are you relying on stimulant pick-me-ups like sugar and caffeine to get through the day?
Do you have brittle, breaking nails or dull, dry, damaged hair?
Do you have a hard to treat skin problem like psoriasis or adult acne?
Do you have an unusually poor memory or insomnia?
Cleanses come in all shapes and sizes. You can easily tailor a cleanse to your individual needs. Unless you require a specific detox for a serious illness, or recovery from a long course of drugs or chemical therapy, I recommend a short cleanse twice a year, especially in the spring, summer or early autumn when sunshine and natural vitamin D can help the process along.
A mild spring cleanse is an important, yearly vitality technique no matter how healthy you are. Even though you may exercise during the winter to keep trim, most people still feel at an energy low during the cold seasons. Our bodies still reflect the ancient seasonal need to harbor more fat for warmth and survival. In the days when people were closer to nature than we are today, the great majority farmed the land from spring to fall, and lived lives of demanding physical labor. Winter was a time of inactivity, with a natural tendency towards rest. Harvested food supplies stored in the autumn lost much of their nutrition value through the winter, so people had to eat denser foods and more of them to receive the same nutrients. Even in modern times, many days without sunshine and vitamin D mean that our bodies are less able to utilize nutrients properly.
Cold weather prompts people to consume heavier, fattier, comfort foods. Old winter “hibernation” patterns also mean that metabolism slows, sometimes by as much as 10%. So, much to the dismay of many of us, fall and winter are the most difficult times of the year to control body weight.
Winter weather illnesses like colds and flu leave us with accumulated toxins, too. Heavy winter clothing, especially thick waterproof coats, hinders normal breathing and perspiration of the skin, and, in this way, contributes to impaired body functions. When spring finally arrives, our metabolism livens up. New green foods, with their metabolism-stimulating effects, abound from the first tender leafy vegetable shoots. Cleansing, antioxidant-rich herbs promote a feeling of new life and restored well-being. Warmer weather tends to lower our appetite needs; it prompts more activity and movement, and stimulates cleansing processes. Nature has designed the perfect time for a spring cleanse.
A “spring cleaning” is actually a very light diet, focusing on digestion and the intestines to help eliminate accumulated wastes, and improve body functions. A good length for a spring or summer cleanse is 2 or 3 days or a long weekend. A weekend is enough time to fit comfortably into most people’s lives, and it doesn’t become too stressful on the body. The best way is to start on Friday night with a pre-cleansing salad, then follow with a cleansing diet like the one in this book, and end with a light Monday morning fruit bowl. Amplify the purifying effect with a stimulating, circulation bath or sauna and steam baths.
Do you feel bloated, constipated and congested? (a sign that your diet has been heavier and richer than usual)
Have you gained some unwanted pounds even though you aren’t eating more food? (a sign of winter fat storage)
Do you feel slow and low energy most of the time? (a sign of cold weather body slowdown)
Has your digestion worsened? (a sign your body isn’t using nutrients well)
Do your chest and lungs feel clogged and swollen? (a sign of slower, shallower breathing, and perhaps a resident colony of low-grade infective microbes)
Your digestive tract will be “washed and brushed” of accumulated waste and putrefactive bacteria.
Your liver, kidney and blood can be purified, impossible under ordinary eating patterns and habits.
Your mental clarity will receive a boost, not possible under the constant overload of chemicals and food additives.
Possible dependency on habit-forming refined sugars, caffeine, nicotine, alcohol or drugs is relieved as body chemistry normalizes.
Bad eating habits get a break… with a new chance for you to reform better diet patterns.
Your stomach has a chance to reduce to normal size for weight loss and better weight control.
Start with this 3 to 5 day nutritional plan
Your nutrition should focus on fresh plant foods:
High chlorophyll plants for enzymes
Fruits and vegetables for fiber
Cultured foods for probiotics
Eight glasses of water a day.
Take your choice of gentle herbal laxatives.
Have a light salad with plenty of greens.
On rising: take a cleansing and flushing booster product, or 1 heaping teaspoon of a fiber drink in juice or water. Add 1000mg vitamin C with bioflavonoids 3x a day to raise body glutathione levels, an important detox compound.
Breakfast: take your choice of fruit juices.
Mid-morning: take a small glass of potassium broth (pg. 101) , or 2 tbsp. aloe juice concentrate in juice or water, or a superfood green drink (see next column); or a cup of green tea.
Lunch: a fresh carrot juice; or raw sauerkraut or a seaweed salad (in natural or asian food stores)
Mid-afternoon: take a glass of fresh apple juice; or an herbal cleansing tea.
About 5pm: take another small potassium broth, a fresh carrot or vegetable juice (pg. 106) , or a superfood green drink (see next column).
Supper: take miso soup with 2 tbsp. dried sea vegetables (dulse, nori, etc.) chopped over the top.
Before Bed: repeat the herbal cleansers that you took on rising, and take a cup of mint tea.
Finish your cleanse with a small green salad with fresh sprouts on the last night.
Choose two to three cleansing boosters
Gentle herbal laxatives: Crystal Star Herbal Laxa Caps, AloeLife Aloe Gold . After your initial juice detox, Zand Herbals Quick Cleanse Kit for the intestinal tract and the liver.
Cleansing boosters: Crystal Star Blood Detox caps; Planetary Formulas River Of Life, clears accumulations of a long inactive winter.
Cleansing and flushing boosters: Crystal Star Cleansing & Purifying tea; Nature’s Secret Supercleanse tabs; Crystal Star Herbal Laxa Caps.
Chlorophyll-rich plants—spring’s great gift to us: Sun Wellness Sun Chlorella; Futurebiotics Colon Green caps; Green Foods Green Essence; Crystal Star Energy Green Drink Mix; Barleans Greens; Nature’s Secret Ultimate Green.
Enzyme support: Crystal Star Dr. Enzyme; Full spectrum enzymes: Herbal Products Development Power-Plus Enzymes; Transformation Digestzyme.
Electrolyte boosters help detoxify cells: Nature’s Path Trace-Lyte Minerals; Arise & Shine Alkalizer; Trace Mineral Research Concentrace .
Probiotics replenish healthy bacteria: American Health Acidophilus liquid; UAS DDS- Plus with Fos; Wakunaga Kyo-Dophilus .
Antioxidants defeat pollutants: Crystal Star Green Tea Cleanser; Country Life Super 10 Antioxidant; NutriCology Antiox Formula II; Biotec Food Cell Guard; Source Naturals Astaxanthin; Now Super Antioxidant .
Fiber: All One Whole Fiber Complex; AloeLife FiberMate.
High-potency multiple support: Pure Essence Labs One-n-Only multi; vitamin C 1,000mg daily.
Pick bodywork and relaxation therapies to accelerate and round out your cleanse.
Irrigate: Take an enema the first, second and the last day of your spring cleansing program to help release toxins out of the body.
Exercise: take a walk for ten minutes the first day of your cleanse. Each day increase your exercise by five minutes.
Sauna: Take a hot sauna or a long warm bath with a rubdown, to stimulate circulation. Dry brush your body before your sauna to help release toxins coming out through the skin.
Massage therapy: get one good lower back massage during your cleanse
Aromatherapy supports detoxification. Stress-reducing flower remedies: Aromaland Relaxing blend; Nelson Bach Rescue Remedy; or try lemon, grapefruit or juniper essential oils to speed up your detox.
Aromatherapy bath: add 8 to 10 drops of essential oil to a bath. Stir water briskly to disperse. Lavender and chamomile are good choices. Or try Masada Dead Sea Salts Detox blend with essential oils, herbs and ancient sea minerals.
Deep Breathing Exercise: Do this deep, relaxed breathing exercise often during your cleanse to remove stress, compose your mind, improve your mood and increase your energy: Take a deep, full breath. Exhale it slowly… slowly. Take another deep, full breath. Release slowly. And again. Maintain a quiet rhythm, try to exhale more slowly than you inhale. Close your eyes. As you exhale, visualize toxins dislodging and leaving your body. As you inhale, visualize pure nutrients rebuilding your vibrancy.
After the initial cleanse above, the second part of a general health system is rebuilding healthy tissue and body energy. This stage takes 1 to 2 months for best results. It emphasizes high fiber from fresh vegetables and fruits, cultured foods to replenish healthy intestinal flora, and green foods for enzyme production, and alkalizing foods to prevent irritation while healing. Avoid refined foods, saturated fats, fried foods, red meats, caffeine and pasteurized dairy foods.
This cleanse is a special little jewel. It’s an invaluable healing tool to put into action as soon as you realize that you are not feeling well. It can swiftly be “pulled out of your pocket” at the first signs of unexplained low energy, poor skin or congestion. It’s one of the best ways I know to turn around (and get quick recovery) from a cold or flu. It’s also an easy first step before making a significant diet improvement or change. A twenty-four hour cleanse can be a good answer if you need a cleanse, but your busy life won’t allow you to set aside even a few days. People always tell me how busy their lives are. Sometimes, even a short cleanse seems like too much time.
“Beginning” is usually the hardest part of a cleanse. You have to set aside a block of time, gather all the ingredients for a detox diet, alter your eating times and patterns; in essence change your lifestyle and that of those you live with for a while. This is very difficult to do for many people, and can delay a needed program.
A twenty-four hour detox is a juice and herbal tea cleanse that lets you go on with your normal activities, and “jump start” a healing program. Even though it’s quick, without the depth of vegetable juices needed for a major or chronic problem, it’s often enough, is definitely better than no cleanse at all, and it will make a difference in the speed of healing. Even if your program is only going to consist of lifestyle changes aimed at better health, a twenty-four hour cleanse can point you in the right direction.
Do you feel “toxic”? Are you getting unusual allergy reactions?
Are you tired a lot for no reason?
Are you starting to feel congested? Do you have the first signs of a cold or flu? (Go right into this cleanse.)
Is your skin dry or flaky? Is your skin tone sallow? Is your hair dull, dry and brittle?
Are the soles of your feet or your palms often peeling?
Do you frequently get mouth herpes?
Do you get frequent yeast infections?
Do you get frequent urinary tract infections?
Pointers for best results from your twenty-four hour cleanse:
Drink 8 to 10 glasses of water a day to hydrate and flush wastes and toxins from all cells.
Focus on chlorophyll-rich foods (leafy greens, sea vegetables) and juices (super green foods like chlorella, barley grass or spirulina) during this cleanse. Chlorophyll is the most powerful cleansing agent found in nature. It also has a rapid tonic effect.
The evening before you begin: have a green leafy salad to give your bowels a good sweeping. Dry brush your skin before you go to bed to open your pores for the night’s cleansing eliminations.
The next day: the next 24 hours take fresh juices, herbal drinks, water, and a long walk.
On rising: take 2 tbsp. fresh lemon or lime juice, 1 tbsp. maple syrup and 1 pinch cayenne in water.
Breakfast: make a fresh fruit juice with 1 pear, 2 apples, 4 oranges and 1 grapefruit; or a glass of cranberry juice.
Mid-morning: have a Zippy Juice: 1 handful dandelion greens, 3 fresh pineapple rings and 3 radishes; or a cleansing, energizing tea with antioxidants like Crystal Star Green Tea Cleanser .
Lunch: juice 4 parsley sprigs (or a handful of dandelion greens), 3 tomatoes, ½ green bell pepper, ½ cucumber, 1 scallion, 1 lemon wedge; or have a glass of fresh apple juice with 1 packet chlorella or Green Foods Green Magma granules dissolved.
Mid-afternoon: take a cup of Crystal Star Cleansing & Purifying Tea.
Dinner: take a glass of papaya/pineapple juice to enhance enzyme production; or try this high mineral broth: 7 carrots with tops, 7 celery stalks with tops, beet tops from 1 bunch, 2 potatoes, 1 onion, 4 cloves of garlic, 3 zucchini, 1 handful of parsley. Place in a large soup pot, cover with water, bring to a boil and simmer for thirty minutes. Remove and discard veggies.
Before Bed: have a cup of mint tea, or 1 tsp. Red Star Nutritional Yeast Broth or miso soup.
Choose two to three cleansing boosters.
Gentle herbal laxatives: The night before your cleanse take an herbal laxative such as Crystal Star Herbal Laxa Caps; M. D. Labs Daily Detox Tea or Traditional Medicinals Smooth Move .
Cleansing boosters: Crystal Star Cleansing & Purifying Tea helps cleanse and detoxify the system while providing strength and nourishment or Crystal Star Liver Renew —a cleansing formula to re-establish an alkaline environment, which is very useful at the beginning of a cleansing program.
Enzyme/nutrient support: Crystal Star Dr. Enzyme with proteolytic enzymes and blend of immune enhancing herbs.
Electrolyte boosters: These aid in efficient removal of toxic body acids & boost energy: Nature’s Path Trace-Lyte Minerals; Alacer Emergen-C; Trace Mineral Research Concentrace; Arise & Shine Alkalizer .
Probiotics: Have detoxifying properties, and maintain the body’s vital chemical and hormone balance. Wakunaga of America Kyo-Dophilus; Jarrow Jarro-Dophilus; American Health Acidophilus liquid.
Chlorella: Green algae are the highest sources of chlorophyll in the plant world; and of all the green algae, chlorella is the highest. Sun Wellness Sun Chlorella or Pure Planet Chlorella .
Vitamin C: Take 1,000mg of vitamin C 3x per day. (complex with bioflavonoids) vitamin C raises the body’s glutathione levels (an important detox compound).
Pick bodywork and relaxation therapies to accelerate and round out your cleanse
Dry brush: The night before your cleanse, dry brush your skin before you go to bed to open your pores for the night’s cleansing eliminations.
Enema: Take an enema the night before or the morning of your cleanse. After an enema there may be a heightened sense of physical well-being.
Exercise: Take a long, brisk walk during the day.
Bathe: Take a seaweed or mineral bath in the morning and one before you go to bed. (See seaweed bath, page 148) Mineral bath: add 1 cup Dead Sea salts, 1 cup Epsom salts, ½ cup regular sea salt and ¼ cup baking soda to a tub; swish in 3 drops lavender oil, 2 drops chamomile oil, 2 drops marjoram oil and 1 drop ylang-ylang oil.
Pamper yourself: Add some favorite beauty and skin cleansing treatments like a facial, a pedicure, or deep hair conditioning during your bath.
Rest: Get a full eight hours of rest the night before your cleanse. Add a nap during the day to allow your body’s energies to focus on healing.
Essential oils: Aromatherapy can support detoxification and healing, Bach Flower Crab Apple.
Visualize your detox: Close your eyes and inhale and exhale long and slowly. As you exhale, visualize toxins dislodging and leaving your body. As you inhale, visualize oxygen and nutrients renewing each cell.
The next morning: have a cup of green tea or mint tea, or Crystal Star Green Tea Cleanser . Then break your fast with a bowl of fresh fruits. Eat fresh foods during the day—have a mixed vegetable salad for lunch with a little lemon/flax oil dressing. Have another salad for dinner with a little brown rice and tamari sauce. Before bed, have a warming Miso Broth (pg. 119) .
You change the oil in your car because you believe it will make it run smoother and last longer. You plunge into spring cleaning, determined to make your living environment free of dirt and germs that might threaten your health. You buy air and water filters which promise to rid your environment of toxins. You sink into a hot bath, convinced that cleansing your body’s exterior will keep you healthy.
How disconcerting to realize that you’ve left an important part of the cleansing job unattended. Cleansing on the inside improves everything on the outside. A whole body stress detox is the key to revitalizing your body, mind and spirit. A stress cleanse focuses on your entire body… eliminating toxins and rebuilding your tissues with cleansing juices and stress-relieving foods. Rather than targeting a specific body system or problem, this cleanse reflects broad spectrum, mild body refreshment. It clears the “junk” out of body pathways so that wholesome nutrients can get in quickly to rebuild energy and strength.
You may have been struggling with the low nutrition of a Standard American Diet (SAD) for decades. Many people do not recognize that much of the “food” in America’s supermarkets doesn’t really have much nutrition that the body can translate into usable nutrients. Some of the “foods” like designer fake fats may even ultimately contribute to ill health. One of the best ways to keep excess fat and sugar out of your life is to keep in mind what a really healthy diet is.
It’s fresh fruit and vegetable juices several times a week.
It’s fresh fruits and vegetables every day. At least once a day, have a fresh salad. Have steamed, stir-fried or baked veggies for at least one other meal.
It’s adding sea vegetables to a meal at least once a week for their packed, superior nutrition. (Six pieces of sushi are just fine.)
It’s cultured foods for friendly digestive flora (like raw sauerkraut, yogurt, kefir, kefir cheese). Raw sauerkraut, rich in acidophilus, is especially good at deterring harmful bacteria.
It’s plenty of water—at least eight 8 oz. glasses a day.
It’s whole grains, nuts, seeds and beans for protein and essential fatty acids.
It’s healthy fats, like omega-3 oils and EFAs from cold water fish, flax, perilla oil and seafood that enhance thyroid and metabolic balance; and EFAs from sea vegetables, spinach and herbs like evening primrose oil. It’s just as important to include healthy fats as it is to eliminate unhealthy fats, like hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats.
It’s superfoods like bee pollen, royal jelly and aloe vera; or green superfoods like chlorella, spirulina or barley grass with concentrated nutrition, and they’re becoming more and more popular as anti-aging factors, energy boosters, and highly supportive when dealing with a health problem, weight problem and of course detoxification.
A healthy diet is also less meat and dairy foods. You’ll feel better if you eat them in moderation. You’ll feel a lot better if you avoid fried foods and chemically processed foods altogether.
Is your immune response low? Are you catching every bug that comes down the pike?
Are you unusually tired? Do you feel like you need a pick-me-up?
Have you had unusual body odor or bad breath lately?
Do you feel mentally dull?
Have you gained weight even though your diet hasn’t changed? (A cleanse is a healthy way to lose weight.)
Drink eight 8 oz. glasses of bottled water each day of your cleanse (herbal teas can be part of this).
Add 1 tbsp. of a superfood or green superfood mix to at least one of the juices you take per day. For the best results in energy and nourishment I like to add 1 tbsp. of a green superfood to all the veggie or fruit drinks.
Alkalize the whole body. Foods which are alkalizing should be used in a ratio of at least 4:1 to foods which are acidifying. Plenty of pure water and fresh fruit or vegetable juices are especially useful. Acidifying foods tend to aggravate any health problems.
Your digestion will noticeably improve as your digestive tract is cleansed of accumulated waste and fermenting bacteria.
You’ll feel lighter (most people lose about 5 pounds on this cleanse) and more energized.
You’ll feel less dependent on habit-forming substances like sugar, caffeine, nicotine, alcohol and drugs as your bloodstream purifies.
You’ll feel healthier. Most people have noticeably better resistance to common colds and flu.
You’ll feel more mentally alert, less space-y, more emotionally balanced. Creativity begins to expand.
You’ll feel more energized as your body starts rebalancing. Energy levels rise physically, psychologically and sexually.
Start with this 3 to 7 day nutrition plan. Begin with this 3 day juice/liquid diet and follow with 1 to 4 days of a diet of all fresh foods.
On rising: take a glass of 2 fresh squeezed lemons, 1 tbsp. maple syrup and 8 oz. of pure water.
Breakfast : have a nutrient-dense Kick-Off Cleansing Cocktail: juice 1 handful fresh wheat grass or parsley—extremely rich in chlorophyll and antioxidants, 4 carrots, 1 apple, 2 celery stalks with leaves, ½ beet with top.
Mid-morning: have a glass of fresh carrot juice or fresh apple juice. Add 1 tbsp. of a green superfood like Crystal Star Energy Green drink mix; Green Kamut Green Kamut; Vibrant Health Green Vibrance.
Lunch: have a Salad-In-A-Glass: juice 4 parsley sprigs, 3 quartered tomatoes, ½ green or red pepper, ½ cucumber, 1 scallion, 1 lemon wedge.
Mid-afternoon: have a cup of Crystal Star Cleansing & Purifying Tea , green tea or mint tea.
Dinner: have a warm Potassium Essence Broth (pg. 101) , for mineral electrolytes. Or try Super Soup, with antioxidants, antibiotic properties and immune boosters: 1 cup broccoli florets, 1 leek (white parts, a little green), 2 cups fresh peas, ½ cup sliced scallions, 4 cups chard leaves, ½ cup diced fennel bulb, ½ cup fresh parsley, 6 garlic minced cloves, 2 tsp. astragalus extract (or ¼ cup broken pieces astragalus bark), 6 cups vegetable stock, a pinch of cayenne, 1 cup diced green cabbage, ¼ cup chopped sea vegetables. Bring all ingredients bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 min. Let sit for 20 minutes. Strain and use broth only for a cleanse. (Use unstrained as a soup recipe when not on a liquid diet.)
Choose two to three cleansing boosters.
Use alongside the liquid juice cleanse: Crystal Star Blood Detox caps stimulate the body to eliminate wastes rapidly; or Planetary River of Life formula; or Crystal Star Cleansing & Purifying tea.
Deep cleansing: When solid food is again introduced, use Nature’s Secret Ultimate Cleanse .
Cleansing support formulas: New Chapter Life Shield; Pure Essence Labs Antioxidant caps for protection against free radicals.
Enzyme support: Crystal Star Dr. Enzyme; Enzyme Essentials Excellzyme .
Antioxidants help remove toxins: Biotec Food Cell Guard; Alpha Lipoic Acid; Jarrow Coenzyme Q10 .
Probiotics support detoxification in numerous ways: UAS DDS-Plus with FOS; Wakunaga Kyo-Dophilus; Nutricology Symbiotics .
Electrolytes dramatically boosts energy levels: Alacer Emergen-C; Arise & Shine Alkalizer; Nature’s Path, Trace-Lyte Liquid Minerals .
Green Superfoods: Crystal Star Energy Green drink mix; Green Kamut Green Kamut; Wakunaga Harvest Blend .
Detoxing gentle flower remedies: Nelson Bach Rescue Remedy .
Pick bodywork and relaxation therapies to accelerate and round out your cleanse.
Enema: Enemas can be a best friend to your cleansing program. Flushing your colon on the first, the second and the last day of your stress detox program gives your body a giant step forward in releasing toxins from your body.
Exercise: Do this body stretch daily during your cleanse. Repeat this at least 5 times.
Stand tall—raise your hands above your head.
Stretch your arms and fingers to reach for the sky—move your hands and fingers as if you are trying to climb up into the sky.
As you reach, inhale deeply through your nostrils while rising on your toes.
Exhale slowly; gradually return to your starting position, arms hanging loosely at your sides.
Follow your stretch with a brisk walk.
Deep Breathing Exercise: Deep, relaxed breathing takes away stress, induces relaxation, composes the mind, improves mood & increases energy levels. 1. Take a deep, full breath. Exhale it, slowly. Slowly. 2. Take another deep, full breath. Release slowly. 3. And again. 4. Maintain a quiet rhythm, exhaling more slowly than you inhale.
Sauna or bath: Take a hot sauna or a long warm bath, with a rubdown to stimulate circulation. In your bath try: Masada Dead Sea Salts ; or use a relaxing essential oil like lavender (10 drops in your bath water).
Massage: Have a massage therapy treatment to further remove toxins and stimulate circulation.
Eat plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits for the rest of the month. Choose foods high in fiber like whole grains and beans. Especially avoid unhealthy fats, like partially hydrogenated oils. But make a point to get plenty of EFAs from sea vegetables, herbs like evening primrose oil. Avoid refined sugars, sodas and caffeine-containing foods for the rest of the month. Don’t forget to drink plenty of daily water.
Your body needs some mucous. We tend to think of body mucous as a bad thing because it obstructs our breathing during a sinus infection, asthma or a cold. But that same mucous is also a needed body lubricant, and an important body safeguard. Human beings take about 22,000 breaths a day, and along with the oxygen, we take in dirt, pollen, disease germs, smoke and other pollutants. Mucous gathers up these irritants as they enter the nose and throat, protecting the mucous membranes that line the upper respiratory system. Mucous build-up may be a sign that your body is trying to bring itself to health. The problems start when your body holds on to too much. Some of us carry around as much as 10 to 15 pounds of excess mucous!
Your body systems work together, of course. It only seems, as we address its different parts and processes, that everything isn’t wholly related. But, extra pressure of disease or heavy elimination on one body part puts extra stress on another. Support for the kidneys, for example, takes part of the waste elimination load off the lungs so they can recover faster. Similarly, promoting respiratory health also helps digestive and skin cleansing problems. The lungs, though, are on the front line of toxic intake from viruses, allergies, pollutants, and mucous-forming congestives. (The world’s rainforests are also a critical part of the Earth’s front lines for detoxification. It’s easy to see through our own need to keep our lungs healthy, that we must care for the vital lungs of the earth through rainforest preservation.)
A program to overcome any chronic respiratory problem is usually more successful when begun with a short mucous elimination diet. A cleanse allows your body to rid itself first of toxins and accumulations that cause congestion before an attempt is made to change eating habits.
Foods that putrefy quickly inside your body are the same foods that spoil easily outside in the air—like meat, fish, eggs and dairy products. These same foods are the ones most likely to produce excess mucous, too, which in turn slows down transit time through your gastrointestinal tract and colon. Mucous also tends to form extra heavy protection pockets around foreign dietary substances that it deems harmful… like preservatives, additives, and especially food colorants. Excess mucus is especially harmful to respiratory system, digestive ability, and colon activities. This is the time to do a mucous cleanse.
Any signs of respiratory system congestion may be thought of as sure signs of excess mucous in the body, especially in the colon and intestinal tract. The common cold and flu are usually accompanied by congestion and phlegm. A mucous cleanse helps to release excess mucous in the respiratory system and in the colon.
Herbal supplements are a good choice during a mucous and congestion cleanse. They act as premier broncho-dilators and anti-spasmodics to open congested airspaces. They can soothe bronchial inflammation and cough. They have the ability to break up mucous. They are expectorants to remove mucous from the lungs and throat.
Drink eight to ten glasses of water daily to thin mucous.
Take 10,000mg ascorbate vitamin C crystals with bioflavonoids daily the first three days; just dissolve ¼ tsp. in water or juice throughout the day, until the stool turns soupy, and tissues are flushed. Take 5,000mg daily for the next four days.
Take a brisk, daily walk. Breathe deep to help lungs eliminate mucous.
Take an enema the first and last day of your fasting diet to thoroughly clean out excess mucous.
Apply wet ginger/cayenne compresses to the chest to increase circulation and loosen mucous.
Take a hot sauna or a long warm bath with a rubdown, to stimulate circulation.
The cleansing diet with supportive supplements will begin to clear any congestion in the body.
If there is bronchial inflammation and/or cough, it will calm as the cleanse progresses.
Mucous from the lungs and throat will break up and be eliminated from the body.
Mucous from the colon may also be expelled from the body.
Start with this 3 to 7 day nutrition plan.
Mash 4 garlic cloves and a large slice of onion in a bowl. Stir in 3 tbsp. honey. Cover, let macerate for 24 hours; remove garlic and onion and take only the honey/syrup infusion—1 tsp. 3x daily.
On rising: take 2 squeezed lemons in water with 1 tbsp. maple syrup.
Breakfast: take a glass of grapefruit, pineapple, or cranberry-apple juice.
Mid-morning: have a glass of fresh carrot juice with 1 tsp. Bragg’s Liquid Aminos added; or a cup of congestion clearing extract, like Crystal Star D-Congest , an expectorant to aid mucous release, or Jiaogulan tea, an aid in oxygen uptake.
Lunch: have a vegetable juice like V-8, or a potassium broth (pg. 101) ; or make this Mucous Cleansing Tonic by juicing: 4 carrots, 2 celery stalks, 2 – 3 sprigs parsley, 1 radish and 1 garlic clove.
Mid-afternoon: have a veggie drink (pg. 106) , or chlorella or spirulina granules in water; or a greens and sea vegetable drink like Crystal Star Energy Green drink.
Dinner: apple or papaya/pineapple juice.
Before Bed: take a hot vegetable broth (pg. 120) , add in 1 tbsp. nutritional yeast. Have a small fresh salad on the last night of the cleanse.
To break the fast… begin with small simple meals. Have toasted muesli or whole grain granola for your first morning of solid food, with a little yogurt or apple juice; a small fresh salad for lunch with lemon/oil dressing; a fresh fruit smoothie during the day; a baked potato with butter and a light soup or salad for dinner.
Choose two to three cleansing boosters.
Deep body cleanser for intestinal tract and lungs: Use Nature’s Way Thisilyn Cleanse caps after juice fasting—along with the cleansing diet. Helps pull intestinal mucous and clear mucous congestion from the respiratory system.
Mucous cleansers: Use Crystal Star D-Congest as an expectorant to aid mucous release; Herbs Etc. Lung Tonic —A mullein and horehound expectorant to loosen and remove mucous; Herbs Etc. Respiratonic is an all-purpose complex which loosens mucous, clears lung congestion, and dilates the bronchioles.
Herbs to relieve mucous: mullein loosens and expels mucous; slippery elm removes excess mucous, soothes and strengthens mucous membranes; sage helps excessive mucous discharge; white pine, an antioxidant expectorant, reduces mucous.
Better oxygen uptake: Rhodiola rosea; NutriCology Germanium ; Herbs Etc. Chlorenergy.
Enzyme support: Crystal Star Dr. Enzyme between meals or Transformation Gastrozyme relieves bouts of mucous congestion. After congestion is relieved, use Enzyme Essentials Digestzyme to assist complete digestion. Improperly digested foods putrefy and cause mucous.
Electrolyte boosters help digestive efficiency up to 80%: Alacer Emergen-C; Nature’s Path Trace-Lyte Liquid Minerals; Arise & Shine Alkalizer .
Probiotics help maintain proper mucous levels: UAS DDS-Plus; Jarrow Formulas Jarro-Dophilus+Fos; Nutricology Symbiotics with FOS .
Enema: Take an enema the first, second and last day of your juice fasting to help thoroughly clean out excess mucous. Irrigate: Or, have a colonic for a more thorough colon cleanse.
Exercise: Take a brisk, walk on each day of your cleanse. Breathe deep to help the lungs eliminate mucous.
Massage therapy with percussion: a rubdown stimulates circulation and loosens mucous. Most people have several congestion-releasing bowel movements and expectoration incidences within 24 hours after a massage therapy treatment.
Compress: Apply wet ginger/cayenne chest compresses to increase circulation and loosen mucous.
Essential oil support: aromatherapy oils help clear mucous congestion in the lungs:
Eucalyptus (inhale) - antiviral action works on respiratory tract to loosen mucous - treats asthma, bronchitis and sinusitis.
Tea tree oil (inhale) - antiviral and antibacterial decongestant.
Oregano oil (inhale) - antiviral and antibacterial properties help eradicate lung infection.
Flower remedies: Nelson Bach Rescue Remedy to calm difficult breathing.
Visualize your detox: Close your eyes—inhale and exhale long and slowly. As you exhale, visualize mucous dislodging and leaving your lungs and also from your colon. As you inhale, visualize oxygen and nutrients renewing all your cells.
Bathe & Sauna: long warm baths and saunas help loosen mucous congestion. Add to your bath 5 drops of eucalyptus, tea tree oil or oregano oil.
Eliminate junk foods and fried foods. Avoid pasteurized dairy foods, heavy starches and refined foods that are a breeding ground for continued congestion. Drinking eight glasses daily helps flush body toxins and prevent the build up of excess mucous. Eat plenty of enzyme-rich foods like fresh vegetables (salads) and fruits. They form the least amount of mucous and they are the easiest to digest, passing through the body in less transit time.
A brown rice cleanse is a 7-day cleansing diet. I’ve found it’s an effective option to a juice cleanse. It’s especially useful for dropping a few quick pounds and a great way to transition from an unhealthy diet into a better diet. It’s amazingly easy to fit into your lifestyle. A brown rice cleanse is based on macrobiotic principles for body balance. Brown rice adds a building, warming factor to a cleanse, making your meals more satisfying, and ensuring that you get plenty of fiber and minerals.
A brown rice cleansing diet encourages an approach to eating that provides complex carbohydrates, quality protein, and energy fats by using rice as a nutrient building food, and using vegetables and vegetable juices as concentrated cleansing supplements.
Is your immune response low?
Do you feel like you need to clear cobwebs from your brain?
Do you need to lose about 10 pounds? A brown rice diet is a healthy way to lose weight!
Are you feeling log-y and out-of-sorts?
Are you looking for a gentle, easy transition to an improved diet? A brown rice diet is cleansing, yet filling. You don’t feel like you’re on a cleanse at all, yet it does the trick. It’s the best cleansing diet for colder times of the year.
Drink 8 to 10 glasses of water (or herbal teas) a day to hydrate and flush wastes and toxins from all cells.
Add 1 tbsp. of a green drink mix or superfood powder to each juice you take during the day.
Use non-fat seasonings to your own taste. Use only 1 tbsp. of a healthy oil dressing on salads (like flax, olive or perilla oil). Better yet, I like to use only sea greens or herbal seasoning salts on both my salads, soups and rice during this diet.
Follow this diet for at least seven days. You need one week to set up an ongoing body balance, Then, ease yourself into a good, ongoing diet. Include other wholesome grains like millet, amaranth, quinoa and buckwheat after you complete the brown rice cleanse.
Benefits that you may notice as your body responds to a brown rice cleanse
Most people notice an improvement in vitality and energy levels right away.
Almost everybody loses some weight during this cleanse. Most people experience about a 2 to 5 pound weight drop.
People who have heart problems regularly notice a more stable heartbeat and better circulation. A fiber-rich cleansing diet with sea vegetables, that eliminates animal (meat and dairy) protein, almost invariably lowers the risk of heart problems, high blood pressure and diabetes risk. The diet is stimulating to the heart and circulatory system.
A brown rice cleanse is high in potassium, natural iodine, other minerals and trace elements. Most people notice improvement in their hair, skin texture and nail growth.
Start with this 7 day nutrition plan.
A green leafy salad for dinner sweeps your bowels.
The next 7 days…
On rising: take a glass of 2 fresh squeezed lemons, 1 tbsp. maple syrup and 8 oz. of pure water.
Breakfast: have a drink like Pulsating Parsley Juice: 6 carrots, 1 beet, 8 spinach leaves and ¼ cup fresh parsley leaves.
Mid-morning: take a cup of Crystal Star Cleansing & Purifying Tea or Daily Detox by M.D.
Lunch: have a veggie juice like Super V-7: juice 2 carrots, 2 tomatoes, handful of spinach leaves and a handful of parsley, 2 celery ribs, ½ cucumber, ½ green bell pepper. Add 1 tsp. green superfood: Crystal Star Energy Green; Fit For Life Miracle Greens; Barleans Greens or Aloe Life Daily Greens .
Mid-afternoon: have a glass of carrot juice.
Dinner: have steamed brown rice and mixed steamed vegetables. Sprinkle with sea vegetables (like dulse or kelp, easily purchased in flakes or granules). Use 1 tbsp. flax or olive oil, if desired, and 1 tbsp. Bragg’s Liquid Aminos . Add flavor and nutrition by sprinkling with nutritional yeast.
Before Bed: have a cup of herbal tea such as peppermint, spearmint or chamomile.
The next 6 days: have 2 to 3 glasses of mixed vegetable juices throughout the day. Any blend of your favorite vegetables is fine. Don’t eat any solid food during the day. Have steamed brown rice and mixed vegetables for an early dinner each evening. Either steamed or raw vegetable salads can be used. The enzymes in raw vegetables provide a greater cleansing quality.
Choose two to three cleansing boosters.
Cleansing boosters: Crystal Star Herbal Laxa Caps stimulate the body to eliminate wastes rapidly; Nature’s Secret Ultimate Cleanse helps detoxify all five channels of elimination and is taken along with a cleansing diet.
Cleansing teas: Crystal Star Cleansing & Purifying Tea helps cleanse and detoxify the system while providing strength and nourishment; Daily Detox by M.D. is a mild cleanser, gentle enough to take on a daily basis, yet stimulates all the major elimination organs.
Enzyme support: Enzyme Essentials Digestzyme .
Cleansing support formulas: Crystal Star Toxin Detox caps; or Pure Essence Antioxidant protect against oxidative damage and environmental assault.
Electrolyte boosters: electrolytes play a major role in detoxifying cells, and enhance uptake of essential nutrients, macro minerals and proteins from food sources and other supplements. Trace Mineral Research Concentrace; Arise & Shine Alkalizer .
Probiotics: the number one factor in creating and maintaining health and well-being of the intestines. UAS DDS-Plus; Wakunaga KYO-Dophilus; Jarrow Formulas Jarro-Dophilus EPS .
Essential Fatty Acids: Evening primrose oil 1000mg.
Chlorella: Chlorophyll is the most powerful cleansing agent found in nature. Green algae are the highest sources of chlorophyll in the plant world—Sun Wellness Sun Chlorella or Pure Planet Chlorella .
Pick bodywork and relaxation therapies to accelerate your cleanse.
Enema: Take an enema the night before or the morning of your cleanse. Flushing the colon is one of the best ways to jump-start any cleanse. Cleansing the colon allows more expedient release of toxins from all other body cells.
Exercise: Take a brisk walk, or workout on an exercise bicycle or a treadmill. Exercise increases oxygen uptake, and boosts blood transport to carry nutrients to cells and waste products and toxins away from the cells.
Massage therapy: It’s one of my cardinal cleansing points. Get a massage once a week for the month of your cleanse. Health experts agree that a regular massage promotes the movement of body fluids. There’s also noticeable improvement in overall health because most of the body’s processes rely on movement of fluids, including getting nutrients to cells, oxygenating tissues and removing wastes from all body parts.
Flower remedies: Nelson Bach Rescue Remedy or Crab Apple .
Essential oils: Aromatherapy supports relaxation, detoxification and healing. Wyndmere Stress Relief or Meditative Mood are good choices for this cleanse.
Visualize your detox: Close your eyes and inhale and exhale long and slowly. Visualize a free movement of body fluids. As you exhale, visualize toxins dislodging from cells, being carried by the bodies fluids, and leaving your body. As you inhale, visualize oxygen and nutrients flowing to and renewing all your cells.
Eating whole foods is the first principle to remember as you choose the foods for your continuing diet. Eating from the sea is the second important principle. Include fish or shellfish, or sea vegetables at least three times a week. Work at eliminating (completely if possible) fried and fast foods. Reduce your consumption of meats and dairy foods. Consciously add more grains and vegetables. Eat your fruits and fruit juices in the morning or late at night.
Chemical pollutants and toxic by-products affect every facet of our lives, from our water and food supply to the workplace and our homes. Heavy metal poisoning and pollutant toxicity are now major health problems of the American culture. We have moved from fetid air to undrinkable water to severe allergy reactions to serious diseases caused by pollution. There seems to be no way to avoid toxic exposure. The main effect of an unhealthy environment is reduced immune response, especially in the way that our filtering organs, the liver and kidneys, are impacted. Periodic detoxification needs to be a part of life to keep our bodies able to defend us… against yet more pollutants. (An astounding 25,000 NEW chemicals enter our society every year.) A hair analysis can help you determine which heavy metals are lodged in your body, and also what nutrient deficiencies you may have that result from toxin overload.
Your immune response will improve quickly as heavy metals and chemicals leave your body. Provide a highly nutritious diet for yourself right away after your cleanse to build up resistance. Your cells and tissues will benefit from nourishing nutrients and more easily release toxins that would otherwise lodge in them.
Are you far more sensitive to odors like perfumes and strong cleansers than most people? Do you feel worse in certain stores?
Do you have an unusually small tolerance for alcohol?
Are there medications you can’t take? Even some vitamins and supplements that make you feel worse?
Do you have small black spots along your gum line? Unusually bad breath or body odor?
Is your reaction time when driving noticeably poorer in city traffic?
Do you have unexplained seizures, memory failure or psychotic behavior?
Have you become infertile or impotent?
Drink 8 – 10 glasses of bottled water each day of your cleanse.
A heavy metal, pollutant detox is one of the most likely cleanses for a “healing crisis” to occur. You may feel head-achy, a slight upset stomach or nausea as toxins are released into the bloodstream for elimination. The feelings should pass quickly, usually within 24 hours. But I don’t recommend an all-liquid diet if you’re trying to release heavy metals or chemicals. They may enter the bloodstream too fast and heavily for your body to handle safely. Eat solid cleansing foods instead to release the toxins more slowly and safely.
Chlorophyll is the most powerful cleansing agent found in nature. Green veggie drinks and green superfoods are a must.
Sea greens are potent environmental toxin, heavy metals and radiation releasers. They can be sprinkled on salads, steamed veggies, baked potatoes, into vegetable juices, etc.
Start with this 7 day nutrition plan.
On rising: take 2 – 3 tbsp. cranberry concentrate in 8 oz. water with ½ tsp. ascorbate vitamin C crystals; or Crystal Star Green Tea Cleanser ; or blend half a lemon with pit, 1 tsp. honey, 1 cup water and 1 tsp. acidophilus in 8 oz. aloe vera juice.
Breakfast: have a glass of fresh carrot juice, with 1 tbsp. of a green superfood like Crystal Star Energy Green or Green Foods Green Magma , and whole grain muffins or rice cakes w/ kefir cheese or yogurt; or a cup of rice milk or plain yogurt blended with a cup of fresh fruit, walnuts, and ½ tsp. Nutricology Symbiotics (or acidophilus powder) in 8 oz. aloe vera juice.
Mid-morning: take a cup of green tea, with ½ tsp. ascorbate vitamin C crystals; or a fresh vegetable juice with 1 tbsp. green superfood such as Fit for You Miracle Greens or Wakunaga Kyo-Green .
Lunch: have a leafy salad with lemon/flax oil dressing; or have an open-faced sandwich on rice cakes or a chapati, with rice cheese and fresh veggies; or a cup of miso soup with brown rice; or steamed vegetables with brown rice and tofu; and pau d’arco tea with ½ tsp. ascorbate vitamin C and ½ tsp. acidophilus powder.
Mid-afternoon: have a carrot juice with 1 tbsp. green superfood like Crystal Star Energy Green ; or a shot of wheatgrass juice.
Dinner: have a baked potato with Bragg’s Liquid Aminos and a fresh salad w/ lemon/flax dressing; or a black bean or lentil soup; or a Chinese steam/stir fry with vegetables, shiitake mushrooms and brown rice; or a tofu and veggie casserole.
Before Bed: take a 8 oz. glass of aloe vera juice with ½ tsp. ascorbate vitamin C with bioflavs; and another carrot juice, or papaya juice with 1 tsp. acidophilus powder.
Choose two to three cleansing boosters.
Deep Cleansing product: Along with the cleansing diet use a deep cleanser like Arise & Shine Cleanse Thyself Program .
Pollutant/Heavy Metal cleansers: Crystal Star Toxin Detox ; or Cleansing & Purifying tea ; or Nature’s Answer Seacentials Gold .
Herbal immune protection: astragalus extract; propolis extract; panax ginseng; Siberian ginseng; aloe vera and garlic.
Liver enhancers: Crystal Star Liver Renew caps or Liver Cleanse Flushing tea ; Milk Thistle Seed extract; dandelion extract.
Antioxidants defeat pollutants: Alpha Lipoic Acid is among the most powerful liver detoxifiers ever discovered. Jarrow Formulas Alpha Lipoic Acid or Alpha-Lipoic Acid by MRI; New Chapter Supercritical Antioxidants; Pure Essence Labs Antioxidant tabs .
Chelation: Oral chelation cleanses circulatory of heavy metals. Metabolic Response Modifiers Cardiochelate; Golden Pride Formula One , oral chelation with EDTA.
Enzyme support: Protease binds to heavy metals, sparing metabolic enzyme destruction: Crystal Star Dr. Enzyme.
Probiotics help deactivate drugs: UAS DDS-Plus with FOS; Jarrow JarroDophilus EPS.
Chlorella supplements: chlorella’s high chlorophyll content and powerful detox ability are available through its unique cell wall. Sun Wellness Sun Chlorella or Pure Planet Chlorella .
Sea Vegetables: Seaweeds bind with and neutralize many heavy metals and environmental toxins. Nature’s Path Trace-Min-Lyte; Crystal Star Ocean Minerals cap; New Chapter Ocean Herbs caps.
Pick bodywork and relaxation therapies to accelerate your cleanse
Enema: Enemas greatly assist removal of toxins and relieving stress on the body. Take an enema the first and second day of your cleansing program. Take additional enemas as you feel the need. See enemas in this book. Better yet—have at least one colonic irrigation during your cleanse.
Detox Bodywork: consider VIBE machine therapy with biophotonic light and EB footbath (you can see toxins being released in the water!).
Exercise: Exercise only moderately during this cleanse. Allow your body to use its energy for healing and repair. Take a walk every day, breathing deeply. Get plenty of tissue oxygen. Do deep breathing exercises on rising, and in the evening on retiring to clear the lungs and respiratory system.
Shower: Take a hot and cold hydrotherapy treatment at the end of your daily shower. Alternating hot for 1 minute, then cool for 1 minute to stimulate circulation. Use a dry skin brush before and after the shower to remove toxins coming out on the skin (quite common in a heavy metal cleanse).
Bathe: A detoxifying, relaxing mineral bath: Add 1 cup Dead Sea salts, 1 cup Epsom salts, ½ cup regular sea salt and ¼ baking soda to a tub. If you have access to seaweed (either dried or freshly gathered), add it to the bath to help draw out toxins. If you wish to add essential oils, swish in 4 drops lavender oil, and 4 drops chamomile oil or try my favorite: Crystal Star Hot Seaweed Bath.
Visualization Exercise: Close your eyes and inhale and exhale long and slowly. As you exhale, visualize toxins dislodging and leaving your body. As you inhale, visualize pure, nourishing nutrients building health and vibrancy.
Protection against pollutants begins with a healthful whole foods diet. Eat organically grown foods as much as possible to reduce the intake of toxins. Green drinks are a key against all kinds of contaminants. One of the easiest ways to do this is to add 1 – 2 tbsp. of a green superfood mix to juice or water at least once a day.
Cellulite is a combination of fat, water and trapped wastes beneath the skin—usually on otherwise thin women. When circulation and elimination processes become impaired, connective tissue loses its strength. Unmetabolized fats and wastes become trapped in pockets just beneath the skin instead of being expelled through normal means. Over time, the waste materials harden and form the puckering skin effect we know as cellulite. Because it is unattached material, dieting and exercise alone can’t dislodge cellulite.
Do you have cellulite? It looks like lumpy, rippled skin around thighs, hips and love handles. When regular fat is squeezed, the skin appears smooth—cellulitic skin will ripple like an orange peel, or have the texture of cottage cheese.
Cellulite is also characterized by heaviness in the legs, soreness and tenderness when tissue is massaged. Why do you get it? Sometimes its a family trait, more often it’s linked to poor nutrition resulting in liver exhaustion, excess estrogen build up, and poor fat metabolism. Inadequate exercise, poor elimination and insufficient water intake increase trapped wastes and toxins. Other causes? Crash dieting with rapid regain of weight increases cellulite formation. Smoking impedes both circulation and metabolism. Don’t get too much sun. UV rays contribute to cellulite.
Stimulate elimination functions.
Increase circulation and metabolism.
Control excess fluid and waste retention.
Re-establish connective tissue elasticity.
Do you have bulging, dimply cellulitic skin on hips, buttocks, thighs and knees (women); torso and stomach (men)? Cellulite is a combination of fat, water and trapped wastes beneath the skin.
Are your upper arms flabby or your waistline noticeably thicker?
Does your face look jowl-y or puffy? Have your wrists and ankles thickened?
Do you have a thick waist that doesn’t go away even with exercise and diet improvements?
Add daily flushers to free trapped toxins: pineapple (bromelain), apples and berries (pectin fiber) and citrus (vitamin C). Carrot/beet/cucumber juice cleans the liver so it can metabolize fats better. Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water, juices and green tea every day. Graze—eat smaller, more frequent meals, instead of 2 to 3 large ones to keep fat burning.
Fruits and juices each morning. Two fresh or steamed vegetables at every other meal. A fresh salad and brown rice once a day.
The cellulite blacklist: all fried, fatty dairy foods; high caffeine, carbonated sodas, hard liquor; red meats; extra salty foods (use herbal seasoning instead).
Balance estrogen: add cruciferous veggies like broccoli to keep excess estrogen flushed. Have omega 3-rich fish and seafood twice a week. Have 2 tbsp. chopped dried sea greens 3 or 4 times a week in a soup, salad or rice; or 6 pcs. sushi daily.
Drink plenty of water! Eight glasses of bottled water each day of your cleanse (can include herbal teas).
Enzymes are a dieters best friend! Enzyme-rich juices and foods help you lose and maintain your ideal weight.
Include a superfood drink once or twice a day for energy and nutrient content.
Boost your fiber intake. Fiber is another key to weight and cellulite control.
Watch your fats like a hawk! Unhealthy fats make you gain weight… healthy fats assist weight loss.
Start with this 3 to 7 day nutrition plan. Begin with a 3 day juice/liquid diet and follow with 1 to 4 days of all fresh cleansing foods.
Note: Drink plenty of water during this cleanse. Water naturally suppresses appetite and helps maintain a high metabolic rate. In fact, water is the most important catalyst for increased fat burning. It enhances the liver’s main function of detoxification and metabolism, and allows it to process more fats. Don’t be concerned about fluid retention; high water intake actually decreases bloating, because it flushes out sodium and toxins. Expert dieters drink 8 glasses of water a day.
On rising: take a glass of lemon juice and water in the morning.
Breakfast: have a Fat Melt Down Juice: juice 2 apples, 2 pears, 1 slice of fresh ginger to help reduce fat from places where it is stored in cellulite. The ginger stimulates better blood circulation.
Mid-morning: have a carrot/beet/cucumber juice to flush the liver. Add 1 tbsp. green superfood into the juice: Crystal Star Energy Green; Pure Planet Spirulina; or Barleans Greens.
Lunch: have a liquid Salad Special: juice 3 broccoli flowerets, 1 garlic clove, 5 carrots or 2 tomatoes, 2 celery stalks, ½ red or green pepper.
Mid-afternoon: have a cup of Crystal Star Liver Cleanse Flushing tea or green tea.
Dinner: have an electrolyte broth: In 3 cups water, cook 2 cups fresh mixed vegetables (carrots, broccoli, dark leafy greens, celery and parsley), and 2 tsp. miso. Add in mixed sea vegetables. Seaweeds add minerals and improve sluggish metabolism.
Before Bed: have licorice or peppermint tea with a dash of honey.
Choose two to three cleansing boosters.
Deep liver cleanser: The liver is your body’s chemical plant responsible for fat metabolism. Weight gain and energy loss are often the result of a liver which has become enlarged through overwork, alcohol exhaustion or congestion. Try: Crystal Star Cellulite Release caps; Health from the Sun Sunpower CLA ; Milk thistle seed extract or Artichoke leaf extract for liver congestion.
Essential fatty acids: Without essential fatty acids (EFAs), poor fat metabolism is certain. Unhealthy excess fluid retention is also controlled by EFAs. EFA deficiency increases appetite and promotes obesity.
EFAs to consider:
Flax Oil - 1 or 2 tbsp. over a salad, or Barleans Total Omega.
Evening Primrose Oil - 1000mg daily.
CLA - an Omega-6 fatty acid with fat-burning properties, 1800mg daily.
Capillary strengthening: you must tighten capillary walls in order to keep extra fat and cellulite from returning. Bioflavonoids are important: Ethical Nutrients Turmeric Flavonoid Complex ; or Jarrow Gentle Fibers .
Herbal weight loss help: Crystal Star Will Power with hoodia helps keep you from overeating; Nature’s Secret Ultimate Weight Loss; Gaia Herbs Diet Slim; Source Naturals Diet-Phen .
Enzyme support: Crystal Star Dr. Enzyme; Bromelain 1500mg daily to break down proteins and help metabolize fats; Enzyme Essentials Balance-Zyme for weight loss.
Electrolytes dramatically boost energy levels: Trace Mineral Research Concentrace; Trimedica Alkamax; Nature’s Path Trace-Lyte Liquid Minerals.
Pick bodywork and relaxation therapies to accelerate your cleanse.
10-minute daily cellulite exercises work: They support a slim subcutaneous fat layer, increase circulation, maintain underlying tissue integrity. Do them all each day for 10 minutes.
Standing arm swings 50 count both arms.
100 tummy sucks.
100 torso twists.
Wall pushups with each arm and both arms.
Standing leg circles, 50 each leg.
Weight lifting that focuses on the lower body helps develop the muscles in the hips and thighs.
Deep breathing moves out lymph congestion that shows as cellulite (one reason why yoga and pilates are so effective).
Dry brushing: Fatty wastes can get trapped beneath the skin’s surface easily (especially in women) when the liver or lymphatic systems are sluggish. Use a natural bristle brush—brush vigorously in a rotary motion and massage every part of your body in this order: feet and legs, hands and arms, back and abdomen, chest and neck. Five to fifteen minutes is the average time.
Rub-on cellulite-fighting essential oils: Antioxidant oils rosemary and thyme. Peppermint oil increases metabolism. Juniper stimulates circulation.
Massage: Have a massage therapy treatment at the beginning and end of your cleanse to move excess fluid wastes and unattached fats into elimination systems, and to stimulate skin circulation.
Bathe away excess fats: Crystal Star Hot Seaweed Bath ; or a sea salt bath: add 1 cup Dead Sea salts, 1 cup Epsom salts, ½ cup regular sea salt and ¼ baking soda to a tub; swish in 3 drops lavender oil, 2 geranium drops oil, 2 drops sandalwood oil and 1 drop neroli oil.
Drink plenty of water for good weight maintenance. Water can help you move past weight loss plateaus; decreasing water intake causes increased fat deposits. Drink all liquids before eating, to suppress appetite and maintain a high metabolic rate. Make sure at least 50 percent of your diet is composed or fresh foods and juices. Fresh food calories are relatively non-stimulating to glands and tend to stabilize weight.