Spring Cleansing

Hooray, spring is officially here! Spring is a time of renewal, growth, and starting over. Our bodies start to adjust to the warming weather, and we shift our diets from hearty warming foods to lighter spring foods such as arugula, asparagus, artichokes, and peas. 

With the season of regrowth and renewal upon us, I also believe it’s a great time of year to cleanse and detoxify. Your body has its own built-in cleansing system in your liver, so consider these food/beverage-based cleanses to be health boosters. There are many different ways to approach a cleanse, so let’s dig in.

First, it’s important to determine your goals for your cleanse before starting. Realistic goals for a cleanse/detox diet include helping to fast track a transition to a healthier lifestyle by reducing inflammation, taking on new, healthier habits, discovering food sensitivities, and exposing yourself to new foods, tastes, and textures. 

Please note that a short-term cleanse is not a healthy and realistic approach to long-term weight loss. The weight that may be lost during a cleanse is mostly water weight rather than losing body fat. But a cleanse can serve as a great way to transition to longer-term, more sustainable healthier eating and lifestyle habits.

After you have determined your goals for your cleanse, it’s time to choose the type of cleanse you want. There are many choices out there, and it can be overwhelming to figure out what will work best for you. Factors to consider include how long you want the cleanse to last, if you want to include foods or strictly consume liquids during your cleanse, how much cooking is required and if you have the budget/time/desire to prepare the necessary foods.

Once you have honed in on these different aspects, it is then time to decide which cleanse best fits your needs. Some types of cleanses I recommend include:

Cleansing can have not only physical benefits, but mental health benefits as well, like the psychological impact of knowing you are putting in the work to shed excess toxins, expediting the clarity you can get from a healthy gut-brain connection, as well as the positive and productive feelings following a regimented and structured plan, like you are taking control of your health. I encourage you to try a cleanse this spring. As always, please reach out if you have any questions or want to talk through your options.