Whole Foods Cleanse for an Easy Spring Detox

Whole Foods Cleanse can be a powerful way to detox your body, lose weight, and boost your overall health. However, it’s not necessary to do the typical cleanses of liquid-only diets or green smoothies to achieve results.

Typical cleanses drastically reduce calories and can leave you hungry and nutritionally lacking. They can also lower your blood sugar and make you feel dizzy, tired, and irritated. An all-liquid diet or green smoothies can leave you without enough protein or fat. They may also lack essential vitamins or minerals.

Even if they do detox your body, it’s not easy for you to stick to cleanses while you work, take care of your family or juggle a busy schedule.

Have You Gained a Few Pounds?

It's that time of year again in the Northeast. The weather is warming up and clothes are coming off. You may be trying on your summer clothes and find they're a bit snug. I'm right there with you. Make a few daily adjustments to your diet to start shedding pounds and reawaken your innate body intelligence.

I've been health conscious since my twenties. I lived in the Bronx at that time. Little old ladies struggled to carry their grocery bags in our building. I helped of course. I made a decision back then that I would take care of myself.

Sometimes I've been a bit extreme in practice. I've done seasonal water fasts with Master Ho, a Qigong Master in Philadelphia. I also did the Master Cleanse every Fall and Spring through my forties. I've even done a raw food cleanse where I lost 16 pounds in one month. Let's say the extreme approach used to be my approach. That's changed!

Though I've been health conscious for over 40 years that doesn't mean I don't fall into unhealthy habits from time to time. Life problems and stresses can take a toll on your daily routine. It's easy to spiral into comfort foods and old habits. Read on and I'll share what I'm implementing in my daily menu. You can always begin again!

Detox Without Extreme Cleanses

A Whole Foods Cleanse is a lot easier than you think. You can detox without consuming liquid diets or green smoothies exclusively.

Here's a tip that has helped many of my clients on their whole foods cleanse: Try adding healthier options first with the foods on the Do List. It will reawaken your body's natural intelligence and satisfy some of your body's needs thereby reducing your cravings for the unhealthy stuff.

Eliminate or reduce foods on the Don't List. Don't go crazy. It's best to ease into a Whole Foods Cleanse. Let your body's innate intelligence guide you. Eventually you'll find you barely partake of foods that aren't good for you.

Whole Foods Cleanse: Do List

1. Eat more raw food than cooked food. You can have a green smoothie for breakfast or as a snack. Have a salad with all the trimmings for lunch and include one with your dinner too.
2. Eat leafy greens every day. Include a variety of leafy greens in your daily diet. Make a salad and add in baby spinach, arugula, watercress,  red lettuce and butter lettuce. They are rich in chlorophyll, which alkalizes the blood, and fiber, which keeps the colon healthy.
3. Use dark leafy greens in your cooking. We're talking collard greens, kale, dandelion greens, and swiss chard. Dark leafy greens contain high levels of fiber, iron, magnesium, potassium, and calcium. They have very little carbohydrates, sodium, and cholesterol. The dark greens supply a significant amount of folate, a B vitamin that promotes heart health. (Some of these are also great in green smoothies.)
4. Eat foods with a high water content. This helps hydrate your body and provides many vitamins and minerals. Melons and citrus fruits have a high water content. Cucumbers and celery are great too. 
5. Drink more water. Water can remove toxins naturally. Start off your day with a glass of water and a squeeze from a fresh lemon. It's a good source of vitamin C, aids digestion and supports weight loss.
6. Do partake of healthy fats. They'll keep you feeling full and satisfied. Use Coconut Oil, Flax Seeds, and Avocados in moderation.
7.  Replace one meal with a green smoothie. You can avoid extra sugar and other unwanted ingredients by making your own drinks. You can add protein and good fats to your drinks, too, so your body stays balanced and healthy. Here's one of my favorites: Yummy Mango Banana Green Smoothie. You can also check out 3 Delicious 5-Minute Smoothie Recipes for more ideas. 

Whole Foods Cleanse: Don't List

The Whole Food Cleanse Don't List is short. That's intentional. It's best to focus on adding in the healthier foods. Your craving for unhealthier foods diminishes naturally as your body is supplied with healthy food.

Do try to avoid eating any processed food. If it comes in a box, a can or a wrapper it's a “No Go!” Pre-packaged foods are out while you're on a Whole Foods Cleanse, even the ones in the health food store.

1. Avoid sugar. Eliminating sugar is a key step in detoxing. Sugar can lurk in many foods and drinks. It can hide in bread, cereal, juice, soda, alcoholic drinks, flavored water, and many other items. Check your labels! You'll be amazed at what's contained in food.

2. Cut out animal products. This may feel extreme to some but it's not a bad idea to take a break from eating meat and meat products for a short time. No eggs or dairy products (i.e., yogurt, cottage cheese, sour cream). Try this for a week and see how you feel. Animal products tend to have high fats, the unhealthy kind, that contribute to increased cholesterol and impact your heart health.

3. Eliminate Grains. Grains are processed foods, even the healthy whole-grain variety. They also contain gluten which many people have a sensitivity to (and they don't even know it). Go without bread, cereal, muffins, bagels, oatmeal, etc. Try it out for a week and see how you feel. 

Cleanses aren’t the only option to detox your body. They are a quick way to reset your body's intelligence and boost your health and vitality. You might be surprised to discover the Whole Foods Cleanse becomes your new way of eating!

Photos by Francesca Hotchin,  Alexandra Gornbyon, and Mike Kenneally on Unsplash