Spring Detox

Spring Clean your Health with a Spring Detox

After a long winter, Spring is finally in the air. The buds are beginning to burst forth from the trees and flowers are starting to bloom. The Chinese Wood element is moving upwards and our liver is being stimulated.

With each Spring we have the opportunity to reassess our health and our lifestyle and do a Spring Detox to support our bodies. Winter usually sees most people indulging in a bit of warming comfort in the form of alcohol, sweets and way too much food. Even if you do have pretty strict or clean living lifestyle most of the year round, indulgences do happen during the clod dark months of winter.

Perhaps its a good idea to do a cleanse Spring Detox. Doing a detox is like hitting a reset button for your body. It will help to increase your energy levels, balance your hormones, improve digestion, give your adrenals a much needed break, help break cravings and make you feel joyous all over, not to mention give you beautiful glowing skin. Our body is constantly cleansing and detoxing so a detox is more of an opportunity to detox and improve our diets which in turn improves our health. Detoxes can be as simple as eliminating some excess foods or more complex under the guidance of your Naturopath.

During a detox you eliminate sugary foods, alcohol, caffeine and excess meat and diary and focus on increasing plant foods i.e. vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds and legumes as well as increase your water intake. By reducing animal based foods, sugar and stimulants you give your body a break and help it reduce its toxic load. If you can choose organic food it will also help reduce your chemical intake.

You can start your day simply with

• A glass or 2 of warm water with lemon juice followed by
• A green smoothie or
• Chia pudding or
• Buckwheat porridge or
• Whole grain bread or rice crackers with avocado, tomato, hummus, cucumber

For lunch

• A simple vegetable salad
• Soup

Snack on

• Nuts and Seeds
• Fruit
• Smoothies or juices

Dine on a variety of foods for dinner

• Roasted veggies
• Salads
• Stir fries and Curries
• Buckwheat, chick peas, beans and steamed veggies

Its also important to keep your water intake up. Ideally you want to drink 33mls of water per kg of weight. So if you weigh 65kgs your intake is 2.1 litres daily.Keep your Spring detox up for a week or two or longer if you choose (its really just a healthy diet less all the processed foods) and watch your body change. You will begin to feel more energetic, less bloated and uncomfortable, happier and proud of your effort.So what else can you expect from a week or two of detoxing?

Here are 5 BONUS benefits of doing a Spring Detox:

1. A Renewed ability to cope with stress 

Alcohol, sugar, refined food and caffeine all contribute to adrenal fatigue and inflammation. As we eliminate these stimulants from our diet, the adrenal glands and the immune system get a much needed break and reboot. Inflammation is reduced and the body relaxes. The abundance of nutrients from fresh organic juices and green smoothies, along with deep meditative breathing, has a nourishing and healing effect on the adrenal glands. Healthy adrenals help the body and mind cope and deal with everyday stress without getting overwhelmed.

2. Emotional release  

As your body releases toxins, it also begins to release layers of emotions. Cleansing is all about getting to those deep rooted toxins and flushing them out of your system. Some toxic feelings such as anxiety, anger and fear may surface, giving you a chance to deal with deep rooted pain. Emotions that are stored in the body can start to manifest into the physical body through aches and pains, creating a stagnant liver, depression, among other serious illnesses. Practicing gentle yoga asanas, especially camel, child pose and hip openers, allows the body to release these emotions. Connecting with nature, especially powerful water bodies like oceans and waterfalls, have amazing emotional healing qualities. Doing deep meditative breathing and writing in a journal can help begin the process of healing.

3. A realization or epiphany 

When we eat a diet that has healing properties and lessens the burden on our body, we make room in our mind and body for other things. Purification occurs, a clearing out, and this makes room for your mind to be more clear and focused. New ideas start to flow and a problem or situation can be understood from a new and deeper perspective. This may be the perfect time to create a vision board and do some deep reflective thinking.

4. Increase in your vibrational frequency  

You are what you eat, and when you load up on whole organic enzyme rich food, which has a  high vibration frequency, you also become more attuned with higher vibration. The shorter the time from garden, vine or tree to table- the higher the life force energy contained in the food. When our bodies receive high vibration energy from fresh natural plant based foods, it assimilates this energy throughout our bodies, which in turn raises our vibrational frequency. The more you connect with nature and food, the closer you become to your own true nature.

5. Expanded Consciousness 

The action of cleansing and purifying the body helps to release stagnation, making room for revitalized easily flowing energy. For many centuries, many people have detoxed, or more commonly fasted on water or juices, to feel more alive, awake, and aware. Doing gentle yoga, deep breathing, walking in nature and practicing stillness or meditating all contribute to helping the body release toxic energy, creating space to connect with yourself.A detox is a great way to start Spring and can be as simple or strict as you like. If you want assistance with your Spring detox its alway a good idea to visit a Naturopath who can help guide you on your journey. At Shine Health Wellbeing Centre our Naturopath Marta will support you through your detox and assist you in getting to the core of your health issue.