Ask Lori: About Cleansing

Dear Lori,

I’ve heard a lot of positive things about all-natural cleanse dieting.  Can you shed some light on the topic?  How long should you do it for?  What kinds of fruits and vegetables are best this time of year?

Signed,

Curious About Cleansing

Dear Curious,

Your interest in cleansing is warranted. 

It is definitely a good idea to clean your pipes annually or bi-annually.  And as you know I am not talking about your household plumbing.  I am referring to the scouring 5-25 pounds of mucoid plaque from your intestines.  Yes, most people have at least this much excess weight in their intestines.  YUK!

Sounds a bit revolting, but unless you have been raised since birth on nothing but home grown organic plant foods, drank purified water, breathed fresh air far removed from streets and highways, never drank alcohol, smoked cigarettes or taken drugs, you are most likely over due for a good spring or summer cleaning.

Cleansing is a way to assist your body in the removal of toxins, parasites and rotten food debris that wasn’t fully expelled due to low fiber diets.

Your body is really talking to you and asking you to change your ways if you experience regular belching, gas, indigestion, heart burn, halitosis, acne, diarrhea, constipation, digestive disorders among other symptoms.

You can choose a boxed herbal cleansing kit.  There are many on the market, so if you choose this route, do your research.  They usually instruct you to partake in the cleanse for one to three months.  Some often state that you don’t have to change your diet during the cleanse. 

I find this to be ridiculous. 

I don’t know about you, but if I am vacuuming the house and the kids keep walking through with dirt on their feet, I am feeling a bit aggravated. I want the rug clean, not status quo!  Same goes for an internal cleanse in my opinion.

The other option is to use God given tools to cleanse: your body and fresh, raw, preferably organic produce, and pure water.  Our bodies are equipped with five organs of elimination:  the skin, lymph system, liver, kidneys and colon.  They are masterfully effective at their jobs when we give them half a chance.  Our job is to put the correct food in and leave out the junk.

The foods that our earth provides (prior to interference from the processors: nutrient strippers, bleachers, chemical adders, boxers, canners, etc.), have all the ingredients that our body requires to sufficiently and efficiently keep our insides clean. 

Apples have close to 350 known elements and compounds in them.  They work in synergy and cannot be re-created in the lab.  PERIOD!  You cannot compete with Mother Nature. I don’t know what the heck the food industry thinks it is doing, but it is certainly not helping our health.

For instance, apples, pears, red grapefruit and other fruits and vegetables are rich in pectin, a type of fiber that not only helps scour our pipes, but also binds to cholesterol and heavy metals.

Glutathione, a compound found in avocado and asparagus blocks certain carcinogens and helps the liver detoxify synthetic chemicals.  Vitamin C is needed to make glutathione; lemons, oranges and strawberries are rich in vitamin C.

Celery has anti-cancer properties and is a blood cleanser.  Beets and tomatoes are also wonderful blood purifiers.

Cranberries are effective against bacteria and viruses in the urinary tract.

The liver is such an important organ in filtering toxins.  Many fresh plant foods contain properties that support or strengthen the liver including kale, beets, lemons, artichokes, avocadoes, and more.

Seaweed has properties that bind to radioactive waste and heavy metals.  It is also a powerhouse of minerals.

Raspberries are rich in iron along with beets.

Beans are fiber rich, as are all plant foods, helping to scour waste debris from the intestinal walls.

Pure water helps clean the inside of the body just as it does the outside.

This list could go on and on because all of the edible plants of nature have a list of compounds that work synergistically and exponentially in our body. 

With a proper night’s sleep, relaxation and other stress coping mechanisms, sunshine, moderate exercise, pure water and a bounty and variety of fresh, raw, preferably organic produce, your body will cleanse itself.

Get creative with produce! There are lots of books on juice and smoothie recipes.  And it doesn’t take a master culinary chef to start creating lovely and tasty raw food dishes.

With summer around the corner, farmer’s market stands are already opening up.  Utilize the available, local produce for your cleanse.  When you cannot, a good fresh market like a Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods or will suffice as well. 

You can certainly use the raw food and water diet as a temporary cleanse or you can use it as the building blocks for a new way of eating.  That doesn’t mean you can never enjoy a burger again.  But eating a diet heavily weighted in raw produce will allow your body to operate optimally, keeping you healthier than you have ever been.

Positive side-effects of a good cleanse are more energy, weight loss, better digestion and relief from digestive disorders, prettier, healthier skin and cleaner blood!

Best of Luck and Health,

Lori