Spring Detox

[suzanne sanders]

We have had a lot of people asking us about "Liver Detox or Spring Detox"  Below is our thoughts and  our beliefs from our studies and experiences. Please also click on the links at the bottom of this blog for further research.   

You can see that spring is telling us what to eat.  But, Americans are clearly very disconnected to nature because they are not getting the message.  The only message humans seem to be getting is jump on the latest fad and start your spring detox and flush your system.  

Spring is not about the next new detox diet, the next fruit juice fast, etc..  Spring is the awakening of the new season to come.  It is the season to wake up from the sluggish winter and  eat bitter.  It is time to move your body more and get outside in nature.  

Feeling sluggish by spring, means you need to take better care of your body throughout the year and through winter season.  It does not mean do some radical detox and flush your body out.  

You feel sluggish because you gorged yourself with foods that were to heavy, toxic and sugary during the winter season.  

Spring brings us beauty and awakening.  If you were eating right through the winter and sleeping enough you would feel renewed.  Instead of focusing on a detox diet, focus on creating a better winter eating plan for next winter.   You need to be thinking about the long term damage to your body that your are creating , not short term quick fixes like detox/cleansing diets that really don't work and are damaging to your body.  

Spring brings us spring greens, spring edible weeds and spring herbs. Spring brings us beauty after a long dark winter.  Spring is a reminder to eat your greens , especially eat  your bitter greens, it is a reminder that you should always think about boosting your detoxifying process, not just once a year.  

Spring is not here to torture your internal organs with fad detox diets.  It is a reminder that if you feel sluggish because you made bad choices throughout the winter with heavy sugary holiday food, toxic food that maybe next winter you will make healthier choices for your body mind and spirit.  

What spring is telling you  is to wake up, take a walk out in nature, slow down your life because you refused to do it, breath more, and enjoy the beauty that the next few seasons will bring.  

Say NO to spring detox/cleansing diets, start making better choices/better life style habits and learn to eat your bitter greens.

 A life of eating to be healthy is truly about finding  balance, listening and seeing what nature  is bringing  to you.  

 Life Detox:

You are living a life that is too fast.  Slow it down.  Take deep breaths, learn to breath again.   A fast paced life gives you indigestion. Simply put, it is bad for your digestion to live a life that is fast.  Instead of a juice fast that will give you a blood sugar high, sit down under a tree with a cup of nettle tea.  

Drink nourishing bone broth made from animals that are treated beautifully and fed a non-gmo diet.

Practice being kind and learn to give instead of take

Get to bed by 10:00 PM

Cut out sugar

Find out your food allergies

Exercise is a must.  No excuses, humans need to move their bodies.  Find something you like.  It does not have to be something that is hard core.  Walking is a great way to exercise.  It is being consistent that is important.   You need to exercise at least 5 days a week.  

Eliminate chemical toxins out of your life.  Remember hair dyes and nail polish are toxic.  Eliminate products that are made from petroleum, synthetics and GMO's 

 All screens, cell phones, computer, gaming, video games, TV, I pads, kindles,  etc All of them put your body in Fight or Flight mode.  So, instead of reaching for the newest cleansing diet, turn of your screens and limit your use of them.   If you have a cell phone then only use it for emergency's or if it is job related and If you have to use it for your job then set limits right away.    Turn the ringer off.  

Stop texting and start making time to see each other.  Texting turns you off from this world and keeps you overly connected, it is stressing your digestive tract out.   You need to set limits.  

Gaming/Video games, this is one of the worst things you can do to your body.  Total fight or flight mode every time you log on.   Get gaming out of your life, it is a serious addiction to adrenaline and it turns you  off from the real world.   Set your bare feet onto the ground and drink a cup of burdock root tea.  

Be Here Now.  Simply put if you are waiting for someone or something, just be, look around, observe what is going on around you, start a conversation, smile at someone, bring a paper book to read,  just get off of your phone.  You are keeping your body in constant state of stress.  What does stress do to your digestion? 

Create community and get involved.  This gives your body happy emotions 

Smoothies are the new quick fix, and you are skipping one of the first steps to digestion by drinking your meals.   I truly feel people are having more digestion issues because of our liquid diet and the smoothie fad.   Chewing and saliva are the first steps to breaking down your food.  

Sit and eat.  Be still while you chill.  Breath while you eat.  Breakfast at the table.  No Screen time while you eat.  All of those routines are becoming extinct .  It is time to start the day by eating a balance breakfast  with cooked greens, a clean protein and a salad.   

Stop eating raw food in the winter. 

Eat more green vegetables.   To this day I have yet to meet someone who eats enough vegetables.  

Eat seasonally. It does not make sense to your body for you to go on a juice fast in the spring if you live in an area that fruit is not ripe or even growing at this time.  

 Shop local farmers markets.  They are growing the foods that you can eat seasonally.   Buy organic as much as possible.   It is important for your health to eliminate eating foods that have  chemical toxins in them.  

Drink filtered water or spring water.  Most people are not drinking enough water 

 

Eat Spring Greens

Wild Spring Greens, head out and harvest some spring energy

Nettle, Urtica dioica - Nutrient, diuretic, detoxifying, astringent, glactagogue, decongestant and hypoglycemic.  Highly nutritious, high in vitamins and minerals.   Great for a nourishing tonic.  They stimulate the action of the kidneys and bladder.  Nettles help cleanse the body of toxins and wastes.  In the respiratory system nettles help clear catarrhal congestion and relieve allergies such as hayfever and asthma (with a balanced, healthy, diet) 

Cleavers, Galium aparine - Diuretic, alterative, antiinflammatory, astringent, antineoplastic, tonic and refrigerant.  Cleavers cleanse and clear toxins from the system and reduce inflammation.  They are a diuretic aiding elimination of wastes and also act ot enhance the lymphatic system, promoting lymphatic drainage of toxins ans wastes.   These actions ( with a healthy balanced diet) make them excellent for fluid retention, skin problems , urinary infections, and more.  

Sheep Sorrel - click on link below: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivx-B9iRcCo

Horsetail, Equisetum arvense - click on link below

http://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-horsetail.html

Chickweed, Stellaria media - Alterative, demulcent, refrigerant, mucilaginous, pectoral, resolvent and discutient. It is a mild diuretic and is used for water retention.  Has many nutrients, including calcium, potassium and iron.  Use as a food, it heals and soothes.  

Violet Flower and Leaf, click on links below: 

http://www.herbalistlisewolff.com/violets.html

http://www.susunweed.com/An_Article_wisewoman3e.htm

Lemon Balm, Melissa officinalis - Antiviral, decongestant, antihistamine, antiseptic, carminative, antispasmodic, antidepressant, nervine diaphoretic, hypotensive and bitter tonic.   Lemon balm is an excellent remedy for soothing the nerves and lifting the spirits ( a rainy spring would be a great time to make a wonderful cup of tea with this beautiful herb) It has a particular affinity with the digestive system, it calms and soothes nausea, vomiting poor appetite, colic, dysentery, colitis and any stress related digestive problems.   Make a bitters and it will gently stimulate the liver and gallbladder and enhance digestion and absorption.   It is useful for nervousness or depression.    It makes a great remedy for headaches and migraines.  A hot infusion causes sweating reducing fevers and making a good remedy for childhood infections.    This is one plant I would make sure I had growing in my garden!  

Dandelion Greens, Taraxacum officinale - Cholagogue, diuretic,antirheumatic, laxative, tonic, nutrient and detoxifying.  The whole plant ca be used medicine and is highly nutritious.   Pick the leaves in the spring and early summer.   Eat them as a bitter tonic to cleanse the body of wastes from the heavy clogging food and more sedentary habits of winter.  Dandelion eliminates toxins, wastes and pollutants through the liver and kidneys, cleansing the blood and tissues.  The bitters in both root and leaf activate the digestive tract and the liver, increasing the flow of digestive juices, enhancing the appetite, easing digestion and cleansing the liver.    So instead of reaching for the latest detox/cleansing diet, take a hike and eat some Dandelion Leaves (in a no spray area) 

Plantain, Plantago major - Leaves: demulcent, refrigerant, detoxifying, astringent, vulnerary, decongestant, expectorant, antiseptic and diuretic. 

My recommendations are this:

I won't recommended a Liver Detox tea to flush out toxins. I would never recommend a juice fast.   I will recommend that you increase your intake of green raw and cooked veggies,  I will recommend Susan Weeds Nourishing  infusions, I will recommend nutritive teas that nourish and tonify your body. There are many more recommendations that I would make.  But the most important thing I will tell you is that you need to take care of your body all the time, think about detoxifying it all the time through nourishing your body with healthy habits.   

Wild Weed Pesto: 

http://mcminnvillehealthdefense.ning.com/profiles/blogs/let-food-be...

Trying implementing Nourishing Infusions in your daily wellness plan: 

http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/September08/anti-cancer.htm

More information on Winter Detox Diet: 

http://www.herbalremediesadvice.org/winter-detox-diet.html

Herbs for your liver: 

http://www.herbalremediesadvice.org/natural-liver-cleanse.html