3 DAY SPRING CLEANSE PROGRAM

Thanks for stopping in. This information on seasonal cleansing is actually over 5 years old, so we wrote a fresh post on boosting your metabolism and losing weight without going hungry.

Check out Intermittent fasting: the safe way to detox and eat healthy.

A “SPRING CLEANSE” IS A BREATH OF FRESH AIR FOR YOUR BODY AFTER A LONG WINTER.

A mild spring cleanse is an important, vitality technique even if you are healthy. Even if you exercise during the winter to keep trim, most people still feel at an energy low during the cold, dark months. That’s because our bodies still reflect the ancient seasonal need to harbor more fat for warmth and survival. In a time when people were closer to Nature than we are today, the great majority farmed the land from spring to fall, and lived lives of demanding physical labor. Winter was a time of inactivity, with a natural tendency towards rest. Foods harvested and stored in the autumn lost much of their nutrition value through the winter, so people had to eat denser foods, and more of them, to receive the same nutrition. Even in modern times, winter’s shorter days, often without any sunshine and vitamin D mean that our bodies are less able to use nutrients efficiently.

Cold weather prompts people to eat heavier, fattier, comfort foods, too. Mankind’s ancient winter “hibernation” patterns also mean that our metabolism slows, sometimes by as much as 10%. So, much to the dismay of many of us, fall and winter are the most difficult times of the year to control body weight.

Nature has designed the perfect time for a spring cleanse. Winter weather illnesses like colds, bronchitis and flu leave our bodies with accumulated toxins. Heavy winter clothing, especially thick waterproof coats, hinders normal breathing and perspiration of our skin. When spring finally arrives, new green, leafy, high-chlorophyll vegetables boost our blood and liven up our metabolism. Cleansing, antioxidant-rich herbs promote a feeling of new life and restoration of well-being. Nature starts chuckling in the spring. (Laughter is a good cleanser for people, too. It boosts our beta endorphins for a sense of well-being.) Warmer weather lowers our appetite needs (we tend to shed pounds along with congestion), prompts more activity and movement, and stimulates cleansing.

A “spring cleanse” is actually a very light diet. It focuses on digestion, elimination of accumulated wastes, and improving body functions. Try a spring or summer cleanse over a long weekend. That’s enough time to fit comfortably into most people’s lives, and it doesn’t become too stressful on the body. The best way is to start on Friday night with a pre-cleansing salad, then follow with a cleansing diet like the one in this book, and end with a light Monday morning fruit bowl. Amplify the purifying effects with a stimulating, circulation bath or sauna.

Is Your Body Showing Signs That You Need A Spring Cleanse?
—Do you feel bloated, constipated and congested? (a sign that your diet is heavier and richer than usual)
—Have you gained weight even though you aren’t eating more food? (a sign of winter fat storage)
—Do you feel slow and low energy most of the time? (a sign of cold weather body slowdown)
—Has your digestion worsened? (a sign your body isn’t using its nutrients well)
—Do your lungs feel clogged and swollen? (a sign of shallower breathing, perhaps a low-grade infection)

Benefits You Can Expect From A Spring Cleanse
—Your digestive tract gets a “wash and brush” of accumulated waste.
—Your liver, kidney and blood are purified, impossible under ordinary eating patterns.
—Your mental clarity receives a boost, impossible under an overload of food chemicals.
—You’ll relieve dependency on habit-forming sugars, caffeine, nicotine, alcohol or drugs.
—Bad eating habits get a break… with a new chance to improve your diet patterns.
—Your stomach has a chance to reduce its size for weight loss and better weight control.

Spring Cleanse Detox Plan
Start With The 3-Day Nutrition Plan Below
The focus is on fresh plant foods: 1) high chlorophyll plants for enzymes; 2) fruits and vegetables for fiber; 3) cultured foods for probiotics; 4) eight glasses of water a day.
The evening before your spring cleanse…
—Have a light salad with plenty of greens. Take your choice of gentle herbal laxatives.
The next 3 days…
—On rising: take a cleansing flushing tea like Green Tea Cleanser, or 1 heaping tsp. fiber mix in juice. Add 3000mg vitamin C with bioflavs daily to raise glutathione levels, an important detox nutrient.
—Breakfast: take your choice of fruit juices, 8 oz.
—Mid-morning: take a small glass of potassium broth, or 2 tbsp. aloe juice concentrate in juice or water, or a superfood green drink; or a cup of green tea or Green Tea Cleanser.
—Lunch: fresh carrot juice; raw sauerkraut, or seaweed salad (health food or Asian food stores)
—Mid-afternoon: take a glass of fresh apple juice; or an herbal cleansing tea.
—About 5 o’ clock: take another small potassium broth, a fresh carrot or vegetable juice like Knudsen’s Very Veggie, or a superfood green drink.
—Supper: take miso soup with 2 tbsp. dried sea vegetables (dulse, nori, etc.) chopped over the top.
(Note: Finish your cleanse with a small green salad with fresh sprouts on the last night.)
—Before Bed: repeat the herbal cleansers that you took on rising, and take a cup of mint tea.