Spring Cleaning - Whole Food Body Detox

Spring CleaningnWhole Food Body DetoxnnSpring is a time of renewal - for the earth, our homes, and our health. The sun is now present for more than 12 hours a day, signalling the reawakening of the crops and animals. With Spring, the sun can now nourish and warm us and we can begin to release our storage as the days become brighter and warmer.nnOn a cellular level, our body has been hanging on to toxins all winter long, and now it is time to release them. It may come about in increased activity, lighter eating, a brief cold or flu, or even a detoxification program. Just like ‘Spring Cleaning’, it is time to reorganize ourselves, consolidate our wastes, and take them out to the curb!nnHow to DetoxifynnOur body is always naturally detoxifying, but does so most in the morning and in the Spring. Not eating before bed ensures that the body can effectively detoxify all night, leaving us feeling refreshed in the morning. If you don’t feel refreshed in the morning, you may want to consider doing a planned detoxification to help your body along!nSome tips to help our ‘daily detox’:nGo to bed slightly hungry (unless you suffer from hypoglycemia, treat that first!)nMake your breakfast your healthiest meal, lunch your biggest, and dinner your lightestnConsume plenty of water all day, but especially first thing in the morningnDrink some lemon juice in your morning water - this will “squeeze” out your wastesnConsume plenty of dark coloured vegetables, as the chlorophyll is a great detoxifiernnSeasonal DetoxificationnnNow is the time to experiment with detoxification as it is naturally occurs in the Spring. Let the sun nourish you. Our needs for nourishment from food decline as we are nourished by the sun’s greater presence and our new activities. Here are some tips to help you get started with your own gentle detoxification:nBe aware of what you are eating - anything that is not food doesn’t belong. This includes trace amounts of additives and pesticides, as they greatly interfere with our detox systemsnEat lightly, it is a time to release and clear out all that we stored through winternEat seasonally, the young greens and sprouts of the season are highly cleansingnEat foods that are high in fiber, which promote our elimination systems. This comprises of all plant-based foods, but especially beans, seeds, grains, fruits and vegetables, which are highly cleansingnConsume plenty of water, which helps flush out toxins at a cellular level. 8 cups of water is usually enough for the average adultnMove! Exercise, walk, clean the house, as long there is motion, there is detoxifying!nEat whole foods! Refined foods deplete our body of nutrients and cause wastesnnSpecial ProgramsnnIf you suffer from a specific health condition, detoxification can greatly help the state of the condition, as healing occurs when our cells are unobstructed and clear of wastes. A nutritionist or naturopathic doctor is able to set up a specific healing regime using a detoxification that is individual to you!nnSubmitted by Michael Fisher, RNCP