Your Spring Detox Guide
“Detox” is a word that’s used a lot these days – but what does it really mean?
Some would have you believe that “detoxing” means sticking to a single food group like protein, restricting “hard” foods, or pumping yourself full of “liver supportive” spices – NO, thank you!
At Beyond Nutrition, we advocate for a safe “daily detox” practice that keeps your body clean, clear and better prepared to handle those unavoidable daily toxins we all encounter from time to time, like…
-Toxic Foods
-Poor Sleep
-Immune Burdens
-Allergens
-Environmental Toxins
-Negative Thoughts & Energy
Our Spring Detox Guide will help you address all of these and more! Here our our sustainable tips for a better day, a better season, and a better year:
Get A Better Night’s Sleep:
If your sleep cycle is out of joint, your body’s detoxification pathways will be too! Try supplementing with magnesium glycinate half an hour before bed. This calming mineral can soothe the nervous system, relieve anxiety, reduce muscle tension and even support a more relaxed heartbeat. This is a great tool to have in your arsenal when you’re struggling to get those 7-8 hours.
A hot, relaxing bath can help us all unwind – but traditional Epsom bath salts may not! If you have a sulfur sensitivity, Epsom salts may trigger some uncomfortable side effects – like dizziness and muscle weakness – as your body struggles to metabolize the sulfur content of the salts. Try magnesium chloride flakes instead! I like Ancient Minerals Magnesium Salts, which help relax your muscles and calm the nervous system – a perfect pre-bed ritual.
Candlelight: Try lighting a few candles an hour before bed and enjoy a natural glow in place of harsh lamps. While blue light from screens can actually decrease magnesium levels, making you feel more wired and anxious, soothing candle light helps the body wind down and transition to a sleep state.
Clear Your Mind:
Take A Sound bath: Have you ever heard of sound bathing? This meditative technique uses sonic healing to relax and soothe the nervous system and prepare the body for sleep. Sound baths usually consist of using a tuning fork to draw resonant notes from quartz or copper sound bowls – but they can also be a little more DIY and au-natural.
If you’re in an urban area, try watching a Youtube video of a sound bath (Goop has a great one by sound bath artist Jasmin Harsono). If you live in a suburban or rural area, try spending 15 minute outdoors, breathing in night air and listening to the sounds of the wind, animals and insects around you. This small act of communion with nature can help us disconnect from the frenzy of our everyday lives and enter a state of calm – and get those yummy alpha brain waves flowing.
Embrace the morning light: Did you know that we absorb Vitamin D from sunlight not only through our skin, but primarily through our eyes? Using a SAD lamp (I prefer to call them “happy lamps”) or getting out early and catching a few morning rays can increase our vitamin D metabolites and boost serotonin, resulting in improved energy and mood. Remember: never look directly into the sun and always wear (toxin-free) sunscreen!
Detox Daily:
One of my rules of thumb is to avoid all-or-nothing detoxes and opt for a gentle “daily detox” instead, like a juicing routine, a weekly dose of alkalizing and toxin-binding chlorella, immune boosting supplements, and daily exercise that helps lymphatic fluid circulate in the body. Gently reducing toxins in your daily life can help keep your energy levels steady without taking drastic measures.
New to juicing? My easy green juice recipe is the perfect place to start.
Juicing has become one of the most popular ways to detox, especially for those with on the go lifestyles.
As the food we eat becomes more nutrient depleted, juicing is a great way to give yourself a phytonutrient infusion – a concentrated shot of vitamins, minerals and antioxidant plant compounds – quickly and on a budget.
The problem with standard green juices is that they’re usually heavy on oxalate and sulfur-rich vegetables like collards, spinach and celery. To make a Wildatarian version, I’ve opted for a powerhouse combo designed to work with your body, not against it!
Sulfur-Free Detoxifying Green Juice:
You will need:
1 large organic cucumber, peeled
1 bunch organic cilantro
To make:
Wash, peel and juice cucumber. Wash cilantro and cut off hard stalks. Juice cilantro. Store in a glass container (I like Mason jars!) for up to three days.
Servings: A serving is 4 oz juice mixed with 4 oz of water for an 8 oz drink. If this is your first time juicing, start with a 50/50 water and juice combination. Pure juice has intensive detoxifying properties that can sometimes make you feel unwell if you’re just starting out, so it’s always best to work your way up.
I drink this juice every morning before breakfast and find it is the perfect way to wake my system up and alkalize the gut before a long day of work, exercise and digestion.
Flavorful alternatives:
Add the juice from ½ lemon to completed juice.
Add 1 tbsp chopped ginger to recipe and juice!
Even better….. Do what I do and add one scoop of my Wild-Lytes!
Here’s To The Tru Of You,
Teri Cochrane