If you are already living a clean and healthy lifestyle, then prepar-ing for a cleanse will be much easier for you. If you’re not, that’s okay! We all have to start somewhere, and this will be an excel-lent opportunity for you to begin your clean eating regimen.
You want to start the cleansing process days before you begin the detox. Beginning about three days before, start eating light.
Choose easily digested, highly nutritious foods such as soups, leafy greens, steamed veggies, raw veggies, and clear liquids. By doing this, you are allowing your body to ease into the cleanse.
You don’t have to go cold turkey on processed foods, but it’s a good idea to begin to ease out of them. Start by ingesting more whole grains, fresh veggies, and fresh fruits. Replace one meal a day to start, then two, until you no longer crave those highly pro-cessed chemical-laden foods. You can start doing this long before your detox if you believe it will help the process go smoother.
Here are some specific tips to help you prepare your body for your cleanse:
- Begin every day with a glass of lukewarm water. You can even squeeze a little lime or lemon juice in it to help boost your metab-olism. This room temperature water will help kick your digestive track into gear and prepare you for the day.
- Drink water, lots of water. Replace the sodas and sugary drinks with big glasses of water. If you want something a little different, you can incorporate natural or cleansing teas into your routine.
- Hungry? Try drinking light soups or broths. These carry an in-credible amount of nutritional value and help keep your body stay hydrated. They also help to fill you up between meals.
¬ - Avoid table salt. Table salt has absolutely no nutritional value and is toxic to your body. Instead, use sea salt, pink salt, or even kelp for seasoning.
- Have a healthy breakfast. After you have sipped down that room temperature lemon water, make a shake. Include leafy green veggies, and all-natural juices.
- Reduce the amount of red meat you are intaking. Processed meats are also bad for your body, so attempt to avoid sausages or anything cured.
- Cut down on bread and pasta, but increase your whole grains and gluten-free grains like quinoa!
- Avoid those fried foods and baked goods. I know…it sounds so hard! But there are plenty of healthy and delicious alternatives.
Most importantly, listen to your body. You will be amazed how, after your body detoxes from all of those refined chemicals, you will feel so much better.
Your body will be healthier, less tired, and the fog will begin to lift from your brain. If you start out eating this way before your de-tox, you may just continue after.
Patience is Key
Don’t be fooled, detoxes and cleanses don’t immediately make you feel fantastic. You will go through the initial period of detox and possibly feel even worse than before you began.
This is a natural thing.
Doctor Mark Hyman with EcoWatch puts it perfectly:
“You might not want to hear this, but initially feeling bad is a good thing. When you eliminate inflammatory, processed foods and stop feeding your body garbage and chemicals, your body goes through withdrawal just like with drugs or alcohol. It is good because it means you are on your way to getting clean!”
Sounds great, until you are knee-deep in it. One of the biggest reasons people quit their detox before they even start to heal their bodies, is due to the sluggish, draining feeling during the be-ginning of a detox. But there are things you can do to combat this.
- As mentioned in the previous chapter, utilize those prep days leading up to your cleanse. Ease your body into accepting those healthy foods, and allow it to begin cleansing you of the built-up toxins.
- Don’t give in to cravings. Detoxing from refined sugars and carbs can quickly bring on incredibly intense cravings. Instead of giving up and indulging, try eating healthy fats to satiate your body.
Things like nuts, seeds, fatty fish, and avocados are great fill-ins. Your mind still might tell you differently, but you’ll be better able to fight that off if your body is full of healthy foods.
- Again, drink lots of water. Water helps the body get rid of those toxins.
- Easy exercise and stretching, which we will cover later in this report, will also help with toxin release and soothing of achy mus-cles and joints.
- If you experience constipation, and you are meeting your water intake goals, try a bit of flaxseed. Put it on your salad, in your smoothie, or cook with it.
- Magnesium Citrate helps with toxin release, stress, pain, and can help you sleep. Doctors recommend around 400 mg, but you can take more to help with constipation. Always check with your doctor if you are taking other medications.
- Sleep is critical. Our body’s natural detoxification occurs during sleep. Not getting enough sleep stops that process in its tracks. If you struggle to sleep 8 hours, try adding in naps throughout the day or evening.
- Watch your blood sugar. You don’t want to wait until you are so hungry you have little control over your cravings. Try eating a high protein-based snack every three or four hours. Fish, legumes, and almonds are great fillers.
Just remember that whether its exhaustion, mood shifts, or with-drawals, these symptoms will pass and usually after two to three days. So, hang in there, because you will soon begin to feel so much better.