Essentials for a Spring Detox

It´s that time of the year that we start to have the need of doing some spring cleaning in our homes as the natural movement of Spring is to rise, cleanse and expand, we can see it in Nature and we can see it in ourselves as well. If we expand that feeling into the body we can also engage in an internal spring cleanse.

I find it more useful to give the body a break from any kind of complex and heavy foods, that demand so much from our bodies to break down.

Winter is the time to eat more heavy foods, oily and perhaps more in quantity. It is normal to put a little extra weight, as this season asks us to stay inside, stay warm and seat still. When Spring arrives, we need to process all what we have taken in during the Winter season and an effective way to do it, is to give ourselves a 21-day (feel free to also do less) challenge where we take most of the common “comfort” foods and substances from our diet and introduce the best of what Spring has to offer.

Clear the cupboards and fridge from:

• Fried foods
• Fat greasy foods
• Alcohol
• Caffeine
• White flour products
• White sugar
• Ionized Salt
• Meat, especially red meat
• Tropical fruits
• Dairy
• Nuts
• Barbecued and smoked foods

Taking these foods out of your system for a period of 21 days will:

• Boost your immune system.
• Improve your digestive strength and abilities.
• Alkalise your body and create a fertile ground for reversing any health conditions, by improving your blood quality.
• Help you to feel how your body and mind is affected by social accepted habits like alcohol and sugar.
• Develop a clear mind with clear thoughts

What to eat then?

Fresh green vegetables: Kale, cabbage, watercress, spring onions, different types of lettuce, bok choi, ruculla and occasionally spinach.

Sea vegetables: dulse, arame, hijiki and kombu

Other vegetables: beetroots, daikon radishes, shitake mushrooms and turnips.

Cereals: Millet, quinoa, couscous, brown rice and barley.

Protein foods: Adzuki beans, mung beans, tempeh and green lentils.

Condiments: Rice vinegar, plum (umeboshi) vinegar or lime and lemon juice.

Pickles and sauerkraut is also advisable, mainly sour condiments to breakdown fats and move the stagnation from the liver. Olive, flax seed or coconut oils for the occasional stir-fry.

Fruits: Apples, green grapes and plums are the best. Also look for what is seasonal, berries are also ideal in this time of the year.

Drinks: Ginger lemon tea, barley tea, bancha green tea and miso soup.

Cooking herbs and spices: parsley, basil, mint, ginger, turmeric

Liver cleansing teas: dandelion root, milk thistle seed, burdock root, fennel, chamomile, peppermint and licorice root.

How to cook these foods?

In Spring there isn´t much to cook, foods should have a crunchy texture when you chew them. Try fast cooking methods, which will help enzymes to remain in the food. These are:

• Blanching
• Steaming
• Quick stir-fry with little oil
• Raw

Alternative Detox Practices

• Start your day with a glass of warm water and 10 drops of lemon, especially helpful for the “coffee headaches”.
• Drink water always in between meals, unless you are thirsty before eating.  Each person has a different need of water intake but an average of 1.5 to 2lt a day is fundamental when you´re engaged in a cleansing process.
• Eat 3 to 4 hours before you go to sleep, so your last meal should between 6 and 7 pm. If you need to eat later, choose to have a bowl of miso soup with seaweed and grated beetroot and carrot.
• Chew your food well
• Do a yoga practice that emphasises twists and side stretches as a way of affecting the Liver and Gall Bladder Meridians and help to release any tension in this parts of you.
• Go for long walk especially in Nature.
• Take 10 minutes in the morning and in the evening to contemplate the changes you are going through each day. Simply seat and breath while you watch how energy is flowing through.
• Visit street markets, try to buy your food from your local farmers market and enjoy the beauty of Spring in these places, where all the greens are fresh and available.
• This 3-week period is an ideal time to take also some time to receive, book yourself a massage, shiatsu treatment, reiki or foot reflexology.
• Find a way to express what you feel with the changes you´re doing. Either to yourself, to your partner or a friend. Open your voice and express yourself.
• Breath work