Commentary by Sally Brown Bassett
As the state of Indiana was being closed down due to frigid weather this month, I began a passive health cleanse. When stocking up for the three-day shut-in, I was amazed that the grocery stores were completely out of milk, and “junk food” was being devoured off the shelves. Cartons of unsweetened almond milk were my substitute … easier to store in case of an outage, and so much better for you, than regular dairy milk. Snow started falling and the cleanse began.
The basic idea of a cleanse is to give your digestive system a break and detox by simple practices. You eliminate certain things for a week such as dairy, meat, sugar, coffee, wheat, alcohol and acidic foods. You eat more alkaline foods, chew thoroughly and drink enough water (calculated by half your body weight in ounces). Adding lemon to your water will help boost your immune system, aid in digestion and weight loss, and help stimulate the liver.
Margie Setterlof and Mary Pempek from Abundant Life Nutrition and Health recommend making minor changes in your shopping strategies: buy fresh versus canned, boxed or frozen; organic when possible; exchange dairy for non-dairy; and try new or unfamiliar food items such as coconut oil, chia seeds, rice crackers and kombucha tea. They also suggest you write down everything you eat during the day to gain awareness of what you are eating.
Other suggestions during the seven days would be to take colon cleanse supplements, add protein powder to your juices, enjoy warm baths with Epsom salt and/or apple cider vinegar to draw out toxins, get at least 8 hours of sleep, and exercise. Without a doubt, yoga is one of the best ways to wring out and massage your internal organs to eliminate toxins. I am just sayin’.
Maybe a cleanse fits with your New Year’s resolutions to eat better, or maybe it is just time to give your body a boost for more energy and better health. Until next time …
Namaste!