Spring is Almost Here - Time for a Cleanse!

After a long Maine winter I am so ready for spring. I long for the beautiful colors and my body craves the warmth of spring and summer. Maybe it is my Vata nature but winters are extremely hard for me. I will celebrate the changing of the season in my normal "Spring Equinox Feast" sort of way, but afterwards I will be doing a cleanse. I often like to a cleanse or fast with the changing of the seasons or whenever I feel the need. Sometimes you just feel a little sluggish and out of sorts and, for me at least, a 36 hour or longer fast can can be healing and rejuvenating.

7 Day Spring Cleanse -

This is not a fast. You will eat healthy foods and eliminate foods that can build up toxins in your body. I will list sample meals for a 7 day cleanse but feel free to continue for as long as you feel is necessary.

If you are cleansing for a particular reason, such a heavy metals or liver detox, I will add more information at the bottom of the post.

Basics -
eat organic
8 - 10 glasses of pure water every day
30 or more grams of fiber everyday
onions, garlic and cruciferous veggies are your friends- eat lots
drink fresh juices
no alcohol
avoid the microwave oven
avoid white flour, sugar, processed anything, food additives and preservatives, caffeine, and obviously animal products
avoid chemicals (cleaning products, paint, pesticides, hair spray, etc. )
no drugs unless they are prescribed by your physician


Remember, these are sample meals. You don't have to follow exactly. But they do give you an idea of what you should and shouldn't be eating. With that being said, the morning lemon water and breakfast are the same everyday so try to stay true to that part of the menu. The 7th day is more restrictive, if that doesn't work for you just pick your meals from the previous days. You may stop after seven days or continue on. If you are hungry at any point during the day, you may drink more green juice, eat crudites or a salad with fresh veggies. Fresh raw vegetables are wonderful.
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Day One -

Morning Lemon Water - Glass of warm water with the juice of one organic lemon

Breakfast - Fresh Green Juice or Green Smoothie

Lunch - Large Salad

Snack - Veggie (carrots, peppers, broccoli, celery, etc) with Unsweetened Raw Almond Butter

Dinner - Noodles with Peanut Sauce , Asian Slaw


Day Two -

Morning Lemon Water - Glass of warm water with the juice of one organic lemon

Breakfast - Fresh Green Juice or Green Smoothie

Lunch - Hummus with Collard Leaf Wrap and tons of Veggies

Snack - Fresh Green Juice

Dinner - Stuffed Pepper with Sauteed Kale


Day 3 -

Morning Lemon Water - Glass of warm water with the juice of one organic lemon

Breakfast - Fresh Green Juice or Green Smoothie
Lunch - Veggie Sushi with Miso soup

Snack - Rice cakes with Unsweetened Almond Butter

Dinner - Large Salad with Carrot Pate


Day 4 -

Morning Lemon Water - Glass of warm water with the juice of one organic lemon

Breakfast - Fresh Green Juice or Green Smoothie

Lunch - Tofu Salad Wrap with Collard Leaf and tons of veggies

Snack - Veggies with Hummus

Dinner - Fried Brown Rice and Tofu with Steamed Veggies


Day 5 -

Morning Lemon Water - Glass of warm water with the juice of one organic lemon

Breakfast - Fresh Green Juice or Green Smoothie

Lunch - Large Salad

Snack - Cup of Miso Soup

Dinner - Tempeh Stroganoff with Brown Rice or Sweet Potato Fries


Day 6 -

Morning Lemon Water - Glass of warm water with the juice of one organic lemon

Breakfast - Fresh Green Juice or Green Smoothie

Lunch - Large Kale Salad

Snack - Rice cakes with Unsweetened Almond Butter

Dinner - Kung Pao Tofu with Brown Rice


Day 7 -

Morning Lemon Water - Glass of warm water with the juice of one organic lemon

Breakfast - Fresh Green Juice or Green Smoothie

Lunch - Fresh Green Juice or Green Smoothie

Snack - Fresh Green Juice

Dinner - Large Salad or Fresh Green Juice or Green Smoothie


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Recommendations for particular types of Detoxes -


Heavy Metal -

A cup of miso soup everyday is beneficial as miso helps clean radioactive substances from the body.

2 teaspoons of Cilantro pesto everyday. Cilantro is one of natures best natural chelators.

Cilantro Pesto
1 clove garlic
½ cup raw almonds, cashews, or other nuts
1 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
6 tablespoons olive or flaxseed oil
sea salt to taste

Put the cilantro and oil in blender and process until the cilantro is chopped. Add the rest of the ingredients and process to a lumpy paste. (You may need to add a touch of hot water and scrape the sides of the blender.) You can change the consistency by altering the amount of olive oil and lemon juice, but keep the 3:1 ratio of oil to juice. (It freezes well, so you can make several batches at once.)

Blood and Lymphatic -
Lemon water every morning (don't skip this), also beet juice, carrot juice and dandelion tea, lots of raw veggies as often as possible, and small portions of sea vegetables every day. Adding a cup of miso soup everyday is very beneficial as miso alkalanizes the blood. Burdock Root also is a good blood cleanser. It is alkalanizing and highly mineralized. You can add cook it like carrots in soups or stews or make a tea ( 1-3 times a week)

Liver and Kidney -

Some of the herbs that are beneficial for the liver and kidneys are - Milk Thistle, Burdock Root, Dandelion Root, Turmeric, Parsley. There are companies that make teas with these particular herbal blends to aid in detoxing the liver and kidneys.
umeboshi plums also help to detoxify the liver. Use it as a condiment or add a bit of umeboshi paste to warm water and drink as a tea.

Fat Disolving -
Eat plenty of radishes, daikon radishes, turnips, onions, green onions, leeks and shitake mushrooms.
Daikon Condiment

Grate 1 T fresh raw daikon, sprinkle with a bit of tamari or braggs liquid aminos. Serve as condiment with meals.

Anti-Cancer -
Dietary fat should be less than 15% (shouldn't be an issue in this cleanse but good to know as a general rule)
50 to 85% percent raw foods
Juices made from fresh pineapple, papaya, beets, carrots, cabbage, grapes, asparagus, black cherry, apples, and black currants should be consumed every day.
Do not take an iron supplement. Your body naturally withholds iron from cancer cells to inhibit growth.

Remember -
During this cleanse try and focus on yourself. Be kind and compassionate with yourself every step of the way. If you slip up or don't last as long as you planned, just begin again or end the cleanse...do not beat yourself up. Your body will tell you how long is long enough. Meditation or prayer is very helpful during this time and so is yoga. They all allow you to be totally present and that is where you want to be during any type of cleanse or fast. Focus on how you feel physically, emotionally and spiritually. I always feel much more spiritual during a cleanse or fast. It seems to allow me to be so open and free. Be in nature everyday. Try to spend at least a small amount of time outside. Go for walks, meditate or practice yoga in the fresh air. You will be amazed at how much this can improve your mood. Write in a journal about your cleanse experience. It is very interesting to look back on and gives you great insight as to where you've been and how far you've come. You will learn about yourself in an entirely new way. Most importantly, listen to your body and enjoy yourself. Really.