Spring Cleaning for Your Diet
By Jenna Henderson, ND
low energy, achiness, bad skin and hair, and digestive upsets. Mentally we know we need to detox when our memory fails us on important details of our lives, even though we may be able to recall a commercial jingle with perfect clarity. Emotionally we could certainly use a detox when a cloud of nega- tive emotion overcomes us, making us feel disempowered and as if we are victims of circumstance in our lives.
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Our spiritual lives seem to suffer most from neglect as any spiritual practice is easily crowded out by small concerns that often seem to have a sense of urgency in the moment. Starting the new day off right each morning with a moment of spiritual reflec- tion or inspirational reading helps us regain a proper focus.
Intellectually we can choose to clean
up our lives by getting rid of the intellectual equivalent of fast food. If there’s nothing of quality on the television, simply turn it off. Read books (actual books), something many adults stop doing after high school. Stop multi-tasking and give undivided attention to what is right in front of you. Go on a fast from texting and social media. Get to bed early so your mind can be fresh in the morn- ing. Eat good quality foods that nourish the brain like wild salmon, avocado, organic blueberries and leafy greens like kale, swiss chard and arugula.
Emotionally it is important to let go of
what drags us down. Sometimes it’s obvi- ous that we need to cut ties with a blatantly exploitive relationship. But observing our own patterns can shed light on more subtle patterns. Do we spend the better part of our days annoyed? Sometimes adjusting our ex-
ife brings us the message that we need to detoxify in many ways. Physically our body gives us wake up calls with
pectations is the best we can do. Yes, I will spend my lunch break on hold with custom- er service. Yes, I will spend 3 hours waiting at the department of motor vehicles, and I can still have a good day. Sometimes all we can do is choose the least toxic response to the circumstances of life.
Detoxing Our Physical Surroundings Unless we make a concerted effort to
pare down our belongings, most of us ac- cumulate stuff. Most of us have plenty of reasons of why we can’t part with our stuff. But being around clutter inevitably causes us to waste time looking for items we’ve misplaced, and it’s emotionally draining. When you walk into a room that’s clean, bright and full of open space, it feels good. That’s how we should feel every day.
One of the most important areas of the home to detox is the kitchen. Everything processed, everything with artificial colors, hydrogenated oils, artificial sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup belongs in the garbage. Sure, you spent money stocking your refrig- erator and pantry with these items, but they will either end up in your body or in the garbage and the garbage is clearly the better option.
Detoxing the body of course has a
myriad of health benefits. Mainstream medicine may contend that there is no need for any particular concerted effort, and that our innate detox mechanisms already do everything that’s necessary. But com- mon sense dictates that we cannot live in a polluted world and remain unaffected. This includes pharmaceutical chemicals, plastics, pesticides, industrial solvents, aluminum and heavy metals. We’re exposed to toxic chemicals on a scale unknown to previous generations. And these pollutants contribute to neurological issues, increased allergies,
inflammation, fatigue and make it harder to lose weight.
Guided Detox Program Maybe you can’t seem to lose weight.
Maybe you have chronic congestion and allergic responses that seem to grow worse every year. Maybe there’s an achiness in your joints and muscles that you’ve simply accepted as part of aging. Maybe your skin is itchy or breaks out well into your adult life. The first place to start is by cleaning.
A guided detox program can help set
your parameters and goals. Simple fast- ing can backfire, as the metabolism slows down, rather than speeds up. Often this involves working through more than one stage to achieve particular goals. The initial phase is the purge, involving cutting out the offending toxins and assisting elimination. The second phase involves more protein which normalizes the blood sugar and helps push the pathways of detox in the body that are protein dependent.
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)
identifies 5 channels of elimination in the human body. These include the colon, the liver, the kidneys, the skin and the lungs. All of these are important but the liver and colon are ones that often need special atten- tion. Working with a knowledgeable holistic healthcare practitioner can help us work effectively and target the areas that are most problematic for individual health concerns.
A clean colon is essential for good
health and everyone should move their bowels at least once a day. There is no exception. Some people are under the impression that once every two to three days is “normal for me”. If you grew up in a dysfunctional household certain behaviors may feel normal to you, but the objective
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