Cleansing your body is a great way to get rid of unwanted toxins that can get stored in the intestines and in certain organs.  The body needs a break from the onslaught of *stuff* that gets put into it everyday.

There are hundreds (if not thousands) of ways to approach a cleanse, but the most important thing you want to remember is that you need to keep up your water intake and make sure that you cut sugar and hard-to-digest foods out.  If you have never done a cleanse before, you might not want to take on a 30 day intensive fast!  Start slow and work up to the program that will take some serious mind and body dedication.

At Healthworks, we have done our fair share of cleanses — we have tried many and have figured out what to use and what to toss in the bin.  What we have figured out over the years, is that the digestive system really IS where you should begin.  If your main line is clogged up, you cannot drain anything else in the body and things start to get backed up.

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The following cleanse is a quick way to get your body and digestive system functioning better — do it one day a week, or for 3 days in a row every month.  Heck, do it as often as you like!  We have found that a raw diet is a great way to give your body the nourishment it needs, while building up your enzyme stores for quicker healing and better digestion. Think of it as your regular tune-up.

Wake-up

Drink a glass of lukewarm or room temp water with fresh-squeezed lemon juice.  This will help to wake up your digestive system and give your liver & lymph system a little ‘good morning’ flush.  This is a very easy routine to add to your everyday, not just during a cleanse.  Just be sure to rinse your mouth with some regular water afterwards so that the acid does not sit on your teeth.

Breakfast

Grant’s Green Smoothie

Ingredients:

• Power Greens (kale, chard, spinach)
• Fresh Pineapple
• 1 Fresh Juiced Lime
• Raw Ginger (approx. thumb-sized)
• Cucumber
• *Add a few berries for more sweetness.

Directions: Blend with purified water until smooth.

**Other smoothie ideas, as well as a link to a great raw breakfast parfait can be found in our Healthy Breakfast Solutions blog post.

Mid Morning

Veggie sticks or raw, soaked Almonds (you can soak them in purified water over night — just drain and rinse in the morning!)

Lunch

Yup, you guessed it – SALAD

But salads need not be boring, my friend.  Here are the steps to getting your garden glow on:

1. Fill up your bowl with green leafs (the darker the better, but really, whatever floats your boat is fine).
2. The rest of the ingredients are whatever you would like: peppers, carrots, radishes, cucumbers, tomatoes, jicama, etc.
3. Top with sprouts and/or raw seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, hemp, etc.).
4. Make whatever salad dressing you like.  The simplest is extra virgin olive oil with lemon juice —  but if you like a bit more flavour, this one is my favourite:

Cinnamon-Cumin Vinaigrette (from sheknows.com)

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp raw honey
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• sea salt/pepper to taste

Mid-Afternoon

Veggie sticks, or more raw almonds.  Add a fresh juice to your day — the greener the better!

Supper

Rock-My-Belly Bowl

Ingredients:

• Cauliflower rice (which means chopping your cauliflower until it is rice-like… I like to use my food processor for this one)
• Chopped lettuce or kale (or both)
• Shredded Cabbage
• Diced Avocado
• Sliced Carrots
• Diced Cucumber

Top with:

Green Goddess Dressing (found at detoxinista.com)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup raw tahini
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons green onions, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 cloves garlic (or 1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder)
• 1 teaspoon Nama Shoyu or Tamari
• 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 Tablespoons raw Apple Cider Vinegar

Directions: Combine all of the ingredients into a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth and creamy.

Before Bed

Evening Turmeric Tea

Blend the following ingredients until smooth:

• 3 cups non-dairy milk (almond, hemp, sprouted rice, or coconut)
• 1 tsp ground Turmeric (a knob of fresh, peeled turmeric is ok too)
• 1 tsp ground Cinnamon
• 1 tsp raw honey
• pinch of black pepper
• small, peeled piece of fresh Ginger
• Instructions:

Directions: Once ingredients are smoothly blended, pour into a saucepan and warm over medium heat.  Do not boil.

Sweet dreams!

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To help continue the benefits of your cleanse, consider these supplements:

Probiotics – We like Innate Flora 50-14, a clinical strength high-quality product.

Fibre – NutraCleanse is non-laxative and organic,

Greens (powder or capsule) — Simply Spirulina by New Roots Herbal is an organic deep-green algae, rich in nutrients.

**Please speak to your physician before starting a cleanse if you have any medical issues or are on any medications.**