How to Cleanse Effectively without Starving Yourself!

When I talk to people about cleansing, one of their biggest fears is that they are going to be hungry all the time and won't be able to eat. While there are cleanses that have very restricted diets, or involve only liquids or intense fasts, I find that this approach is often too extreme for most people who want to continue working and living their daily lives (as opposed to being sequestered at a healing spa somewhere). More importantly, this approach may not be conducive to actually getting the toxins out of the body in a safe and effective manner. It is a common myth that you must suffer to detoxify.

The reality is that the body, specifically the liver, needs specific vitamin, amino acid and mineral co-factors in order to package up the toxins and get them out of the body. When we decrease caloric intake, the body will start to breakdown fat, and release toxins into the system. If we don't have all the systems that eliminate toxins well supported, then the toxins can actually recirculate around the body and cause more damage. Not good. So we need good nutrients in order to effectively detox.

Secondly, for most of us, our systems are under chronic stress. Emotional stress, finances, poor food choices and eating while at our desks or driving, the endless to-do list- all of these contribute to our body's total stress load. To restore health and balance in the system, we need to decrease our stressors. Drastically cutting calories, or eating infrequently can increase stress on the body's blood sugar regulation systems- often resulting in uncomfortable symptoms like irritability, headaches, and feeling spacey and tired. Again, not good. So you need to make sure that your body has regular intake of calories during a cleanse to decrease stress on our already-stressed-out systems.

So eating specific, cleanse friendly foods regularly throughout a cleanse or detox program is not only ok to do, but can help facilitate the the detox process.

When looking at a cleanse-friendly diet, there are a few key features:

1) Anti-inflammatory Diet. This means that most common food allergens and irritants-like wheat, dairy, sugar, eggs, soy and caffeine- have been eliminated. The result is decreased inflammation in the body. I have an example of an anti-inflammatory diet on my website. In the initial stages, this may include some animal protein, but eventually it should become vegan during cleanse.

2) Foods that specifically support the body's healing and detox processes. Examples are:Cruciferous veggies like broccoli and kale, radishes, beets, ginger, garlic, turmeric, seaweeds and algae, like spirulina, sprouts, cilantro, wheat grass, green juices and soups, and high anti-oxidant superfoods like goji and acai berries, and fermented foods like sauerkraut.

3) Protein- it is important to have some form of protein during a cleanse. Many veggie based foods contain good amounts of protein- like hemp seeds and other nuts and seeds, sea veggies and beans and grains like quinoa. As I mentioned, certain amino acids are required for the liver to detoxify properly. If you embark on a cleanse that does not include protein for more than a few days, your body will start to breakdown muscle to liberate amino acids for the liver to use.

4) Fiber-you will automatically be getting fiber rich foods if you increase veggies and legumes, but other high fiber foods like chia seeds can be great additions. Fiber is essential in a cleanse, because it not only helps you feel more full and keep the bowels moving, but helps to bind up toxins in the colon so they can be eliminated, rather than recirculated in the body.

So if your cleanse diet excludes common food allergens and inflammatory foods and includes detox supporting foods, protein and fiber, you will not only get all of the great benefits of a cleanse- like weight loss, increased energy, improved digestion and sleep, better mood, clear thinking and decreased allergy symptoms to name a few- but you will also minimize the potential cleanse reactions.

Hope this helps eliminate some of your fears around cleansing and encourages you to get out there and take the next big step to move you forward in becoming the super healthy human that you deserve to be! Please comment below and let me know about your experiences with cleanse diets.

If you want more support, recipes and specific cleanse guidance- my virtual Essential Cleanse happens about every 6 weeks and the next one is starting on July 12th. You can register and find out more info here.

If you have specific cleanse questions or concerns and want to know if a cleanse is right for you, you can sign up for a free brief Cleanse Strategy session with me and I'll give you the best info I have to help you!