Hello Everyone,

I hope you all had a fantastic Holiday and are ready for an even better Winter Season! So it is a good time to do a gentle cleanse and get ready for all the fabulous Winter seasonal vegetables.

You can do a 3 day, 5 Day or 14 day cleanse. It is up to you. I am going to try for 14 Days.

Information to gain optimal health.

Try to eliminate or limit the following:

1. Alcohol~ Yes that means wine, beer and any other alcoholic drink you may like.
2. Coffee (Caffeine) If you must have that cup of coffee limit to one small cup in the morning. But really try to eliminate the coffee for a week or two..
3. Give up Gluten and No bread, cheese, cookies, chips (no not chips my weakness), candy, sugar and pop (aka soda) and especially No Diet Soda!!!
4. Limit all animal products. That is a personal choice for myself but it is totally up to you on this one. *Look under recipe section for some options on complete protein.
5. Abstain from sugar and choose low-glycemic fruits. I would limit all fruit. Go with the berries like blueberries and raspberries. Try to limit strawberries and bananas because there is a lot of extra sugar in these two fruits.
6. Try dry brushing before you take a shower. I know this might be difficult to fit in the morning routine before work so try to do this before a weekend shower. Dry brushing is easy to do. Can buy a soft brush and then gently brush in the direction of your heart. Start at your feet work up to the heart. Do arms and reach for the back area. Really work on the bottom area helps get rid of any cellulite 🙂 Also, helps stimulate your lymph system.
7. Clean your sinuses with a neti pot. This is very useful tool to help with allergies and whenever flying or traveling it is a good thing to do.
8. Exercise for 30 minutes everyday or five times a week. Find what exercise you Love and Do It!!
9. Meditate for 15 to 20 minutes everyday if possible. Best time to do this is before you go to bed. Helps relax you and also helps with sleep. This has really helped me to calm myself and my body when going through difficult times.
10. Big One… Chew your food thoroughly and mindfully. Think about what you are eating. Enjoy what you are eating and eat in peace and gratitude!! Also, try to only put food in your body that is “good for you” Yes again GOOD FOR YOU!!!
11. Laugh, Love, and Love again as much and as often as possible.
12. Get eight hours of sleep a night, try to get to sleep around the same time every night and wake up around the same time. Get in a routine. Sleep is so so important in obtaining optimal health.
13. What did you eat today? I suggest writing down what you eat in a day on your gentle cleanse journey. See how you feel when you give up the gluten the dairy and the wine. Yikes, not the Wine.. Track your good choices and the not so good choices. Hopefully the good wins over the bad. Do not beat yourself up if you have a bad day. It will make you look forward to the good days. Aim for organic vegetables, vegetables and did I say vegetables. Local and Organic if possible. Farmers markets are a great source of local and organic vegetables. Plus a lot cheaper then the grocery stores. Make it a weekly routine to go to your local farmers market and shop for the weeks vegetables. Also, can try different farmers market and find a friend to go with.
14. Drink purified Water.. Drink purified water all day and add fresh organic lemon to your morning water. If you are feeling adventurous also add a little cheyenne pepper to the water with the lemon. You will not need that coffee. Change your water filter every month. When you pay rent remember to also change your water filter. You are going to be drinking so much water you will need to change it. Aim for 60 ounces in a day. Also, drink decaf green tea and herbal teas.  Add fresh juices (Not the ones in store with sugar added) Read your labels!! Remember you are putting all this stuff into your amazing Body..
15. De-stress~ If something or someone is not making you happy change it. Deal with it and move on. Life is worth living and living happily is an extra bonus and also great for your health.
16. I believe doing for others makes us better and stronger people. That being said do not neglect yourself and your own health. Take care of yourself so that you can also help others take care of themselves.
17. Listen to your body!! Our bodies are amazing and they can usually tell us when something is not working. Like your digestive system. If you are not having regular bowl movements everyday there is something wrong.  Really watch this one. Adding a good probiotic is key for good digestion. Your digestive system is a huge part of your immunity. I will go into more detail on your digestive system in another post. I am sure you will tune in for that one haha
18. Finding a buddy that you do the gentle cleanse with is a good idea. It will help you stay on track and you can do a  daily check in to see how you are both doing. You can aim for Sunday through Thursday. But remember that alcoholic beverages can interfere with efficient detoxification and puts additional strain on the digestive tract. We want a healthy detoxification system and also good digestive system going forward. Right??
19. Adding herbs to your diet is helpful. Chamomile, yarrow, kudzu, slippery elm, and marshmallow root. Also, the amino acid L-glutamine to help normalize and help the gut mucosa.
20. Use spices such as curry (add organic black pepper with curry), cayenne, and fresh ginger.
21. Limit or eliminate anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDS i.e. Advil & Aleve!) that can erode your delicate gut lining.
22. Add Booster foods: Try Spirulina, sea vegetables, flax and chia seeds, nutritional yeast, herbs and spices. Eat organic celery everyday. Add fiber to your diet. I have a whole section on fiber in blog for suggestions. Also can go to recipe section for some meal ideas. More to come on the recipes.

Breakfast suggestions: Smoothies are always an easy way to get your nutrients first thing in the morning. Add any greens, fresh ginger, cinnamon, freshly ground flaxseed, hempseed and protein powder. Watch your protein powders for extra sugar added!

Cooked Quinoa- can make the night before or have leftover from dinner. Add some freshly ground flaxseed, small handful of almonds and blueberries.

Lunch Items: Bowl of vegetables can be raw, steamed or lightly sauteed (in organic unrefined coconut oil). Can use cauliflower, broccoli, beets, asparagus, kale, chard, cabbage and green beans. Use your spices with your veggies. Add 3 oz of lean protein.

Dinner: Baked organic free range chicken or wild atlantic Salmon, steamed vegetables and a big salad. Make extra for dinner so you can have for your lunch item to take to work the next day. Try to limit the amount you eat out this is also key in eating for health. Making your own meals is satisfying and limits the amount of exposure to extra toxins.

At night take an Epsom salt bath to help in detoxification process.

Okay that is it for the gentle cleanse information. There is much more we could do on a cleanse but this is a good start to get ready for the winter season and clear out  some of the toxins from those fun holiday nights we had. I wish you all luck on your gentle cleanse journey if you choose to accept this mission.

With Peace, love and gratitude,

CAS