Fall is here and before we know it, winter will be peeping through. I know the latest weather forecast gives a contrasting indication; but hang in there. Miss Fall is actually here, even if it’s still close to 90 degrees. That’s why we have to be prepared by getting a mind of renewal and rejuvenation. When I was a child, fall was when mom would take a second look at things around the house to see what needed to be “fixed.” Let’s bring back that tradition and take into consideration that Fall may be a good time to cleanse your internal system with a healthy detox diet so that you bring in mother winter at your very best. The main focus of a detox diet is to help us focus on regaining or maintaining physical and mental well-being.
When our body is young, it’s very resilient and can keep up with the excess “junk” that we expose to it. It’s not uncommon for health problems to often take 10, 20, even 30 years to show up. So, don’t be fooled into thinking that what you did “yesterday” won’t show up “today” in your life. Physical problems that we have in our 40s, 50s, or 60s are a result of unhealthy habits that we developed 20 or 30 years ago.
Joint pain, constipation, and weak hair tend to clear up with detox diets. Irritable bowel syndrome and acid reflux disease, as well as skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis, are also relieved. “People with chronic diseases — for instance, arthritis, osteoporosis, heart disease, and even Type 2 diabetes — will find that a detox diet is the least invasive and the most inexpensive way to correct these maladies,” says Stephen Harrod Buhner, master herbalist, psychotherapist, and author of The Fasting Path.
Below is a great cleansing diet:
1. Drink 4-6 glasses of water every day.
2. No dairy products or eggs.
3. Eat only whole grains (brown rice, oats, quinoa, and so on), organic beans, lightly steamed organic vegetables and fruits, and minimal wild or free-range meats. Tofu is excellent. Do not cook any grains with oil.
4. Use only olive oil for cooking. Use no more than 2 tablespoons of oil per day. Do not use butter or margarine of any kind.
5. Drink all the fresh vegetable and fruit juices you like (great recipes for smoothies can be found online)
6. Do not use salt. Any other spices you wish are okay, as are small amounts of tamari and soy.
7. Do not use any caffeinated drinks (except green tea), alcohol, or recreational drugs during the diet. If you are a heavy caffeine drinker, instead of stopping cold turkey, go from coffee to black tea to green tea over a one- to two-week period of time.
8. Eat fruits first and alone. They digest rapidly and, when eaten with other foods, are held in the stomach, where they can cause gas and intestinal upset.
9. Do not eat any fried foods.
10. Consider consuming a green drink each morning. Many of these can be purchased in powder form or once again, you can find several recipes online.
As with any changes in your diet, consult your health professional before making the decision to detox.