A cleansing diet can help fortify your body, giving you more energy, a radiant complexion, healthier hair and nails, and improving your overall health.
How the Detox Plan Works
The easy-to-follow fall eating plan outlined here is tailored to cleansing the liver, the organ responsible for removing toxins from the body. It also helps to regenerate cells and tissue, supports blood purification, and energizes and soothes the nervous system.
You can begin the season with a minimum three-day detoxification program and then choose from a wide variety of seasonal foods. You may want to continue the program for up to two weeks once you see how your skin clears up, your hair shines, and your energy takes off.
The three-day detox is composed of organic seasonal foods, herbal teas, and a super green food supplement, which provides key nutrients that are important to the cleansing process.
Start Fall Strong with a Detox
First thing every morning and the last thing at night, blend and drink eight ounces of unsweetened cranberry juice with two teaspoons of a green superfood that's rich in chlorophyll, detoxifying antioxidants, and other nutrients. Because cranberry contains enzymes not found in other foods, it's a marvelous cleanser for the lymphatic system, which transports nutrients to cells and removes wastes via the connective tissue.
Cleansing the lymphatic system is the missing link in both health and beauty routines.
Fiber: A Natural Cleanser
Your detox plan should also include a high-fiber supplement to make sure your body is sweeping away the debris that's clogging your intestinal tract. Look for both soluble and insoluble fiber from psyllium, oat bran, and powdered flaxseed. A fiber-rich supplement aids in enhanced nutrient absorption and increases energy levels.
Many additional cleansing components can be found in high-fiber supplements: Irish moss, buckthorn, butternut, and peppermint are a few to look for. They help the liver and intestinal tract to eliminate a wide variety of wastes and environmental toxins.
Healing Tea, Herbs, and Spices for Fall
Dandelion root tea is the premier herbal tea because it has a long history of gentle, effective liver cleansing and decongesting. Every day, drink a cup of this liver tonic, which offers more nutritional value than most vegetables. Other liver-protecting herbs include the following:
- gentian root, which stimulates the gallbladder to increase secretion and flush out bacteria.
- milk thistle, which protects and regenerates the liver by preventing free-radical damage through its potent antioxidant properties
- yellow dock, which acts as a liver purifier and toner through cleansing the bloodstream
- Oregon grape root, which is helpful against liver-connected skin conditions such as acne and psoriasis.
- Chlorophyll-rich spices like dill, mint, tarragon, and thyme are time-honored detoxifiers that nourish and purify the bloodstream while assisting the body in the digestive process.
- Juices of fresh lemons and limes are included in the fall detox plan because of their antiseptic, germicidal, and mucus-eliminating properties. Also natural diuretics, they have been used for centuries as liver toners.
Following the Plan
The emphasis of a fall cleansing diet is on fresh vegetables, especially dark leafy greens like kale and parsley, which are high in chlorophyll.
The foods you eat should come from the following food groups: lean protein (eight ounces per day); unlimited low-glycemic vegetables; fruits (two servings).
Season your food with the delicious and cleansing fall spices, dill, mint, parsley, rosemary, tarragon, and thyme, not with salt, vinegar, soy sauce, mustard, or other herbs and spices. Fresh-squeezed lemon and lime juice also may be used to tempt your palate.
After Detox
When the first phase of cleansing (whether for three days or up to two weeks) is finished, you'll be ready to enjoy all of fall's fresh offerings and to add additional high-fiber and purifying foods back into your eating plan.
Continue with the dandelion root tea and the cranberry-superfood drink as you begin to include one serving at a time from the fiber-rich, low-glycemic vegetables (beans and fall vegetables like asparagus). If you normally eat dairy foods, this is also the time to include one to two servings a day of yogurt or cottage cheese.