Spring is a great time to detox. Here are my top tips on how to do so easily…

• Start your day with a glass of warm water and a big squeeze of lemon to help flush out unwanted toxins. Or you can try lemon essential oil in hot water if that’s easier. Citrus essential oils are great detoxifying agents and help to rid the body of Xenoestrogens (substances that function like ostrogen but are not, and can throw both male and female hormones out of whack). This will also help keep your bowels moving along nicely ????

• Choose lighter foods. The warmer weather usually brings about a change in appetite. Moving away from rich and hearty winter foods try including more smoothies, salads, lightly steamed veggies (especially from the cruciferous vegetable family- broccoli, collards, kale, cabbage, brussels sprouts), fruit, chicken and fish! Eat organic where possible to reduce toxin load.

• Reduce stimulants and drugs, such as caffeine, nicotine, and try to reduce alcohol intake. Reduce caffeine intake by switching your regular large coffee for a green, chai or herbal tea. Reduce alcohol intake by sitting on that one comforting glass of red all night long, rather than downing the whole bottle!

• And on the topic of sugar… cut down your intake, or even better, eliminate it altogether for a few weeks! Stick to a few pieces of high fibre fruit per day to get your hit of sweetness or if you’re really craving something sweet, try a square or two of raw dark chocolate or a medjool date.

• Add a cleansing juice to your daily routine. Rather than reaching for diet soft drink or coffee when the afternoon slump hits, head to your local juice bar and pick up a liver-loving juice of beetroot, carrot, celery, ginger and lemon. Or try a green cleansing combo of celery, cucumber, spinach, green apple and mint.

• Make easy switches. Swap white potato for sweet potato, white rice for quinoa, white bread for low-gluten spelt or fermented sourdough, avoid sweetened yoghurts and opt for plain, organic varieties. Choose raw cacao drinks over a block of chocolate. There are plenty of great swaps you can make to optimise your diet without feeling deprived.

• Drink a greens powder. Not only are they super cleansing and detoxifying, they’re also great for increasing your energy levels.

• Drink plenty of clean filtered water. Aim for 6-8 glasses a day.

• Sweat at least three times a week. Try high intensity exercise, using a sauna, steam or a detox bath. Try an Epsom salt bath once a week. Epsom salts are high in magnesium- perfect for muscle relaxation and detoxification.

• Get rid of any old toxic beauty products and replace them with natural alternatives. Try making your own skin and hair care or replace your products with better alternatives from here.

• While you’re cleansing your body you might as well try a detox from technology as well. Take a break from your iPhone/laptop/TV every Sunday. Get out in the good weather and do something active instead.

 

Article by Kavisha, Food & Wellness Coach

Holding a Masters degree in Wellness, Kavisha combines her knowledge of whole food cooking with her passion for wellness to present educational workshops that make healthy eating easy and attainable. Driven to improve the health and wellbeing of corporate workers, Kavisha presents cooking classes and wellness workshops to teach health conscious, time-poor professionals how to move away from processed foods and start incorporating more health boosting whole foods into their diets.

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