De-Mystifying Detox Diets
Information on detox diets, detoxing the body, and all the lingo and hoop-la around this issue tends to be confusing as well as misconstrued; depending on who is sharing the information. But seriously, is that not the case with anything? Everything?
The biggest confusion, in my eyes, lies in the modern medicine vs. traditional - holistic healing's views around detoxing.
Teaching people the power of supporting their body's detox process is teaching them to take their healing into their own hands; creating an independence from the health care industry. Which please, do not be misled. Our country predominantly has a disease care system. It is a system that flourishes if your disease symptoms are only suppressed not healed. This means you are a patient, a customer, in this system for life; dependent on the health care professionals and their prescription drugs.
Understanding detox efforts in healing requires a quick look at human biology. Our bodies are built for detoxing. We are detoxing every minute of every day. Your liver is the main organ of detox; constantly filtering your blood and eliminating the "toxins" via the colon. Your colon, obviously, is an organ of detox as it eliminates solid wastes and the products of metabolic breakdown (liver) from the body. Your kidneys keep themselves busy filtering the blood and eliminating waste products down through the ureters, into your bladder, and out through the urethra.
Your lungs eliminate waste, toxins, through your breath. Your skin eliminates waste through the process of sweating. Your lymphatic system moves fluids around your body and helps to eliminate waste, toxins, as well.
Gratefully borrowed from: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/273241902367567074/
So what does "detox dieting" do for all these bodily processes?
The medical profession, our health care system, debunks detox diets from many angles and for many reasons. For example: Detox is a term used by medical personnel to label the process of cleansing drugs or alcohol from a person's system that has been imbibing in excess and/or for long periods of time. For western medicine trained professional to think about detox in different terms means stepping into a realm they were not trained in, natural healing, and thinking from a space that most western medical training scoffs at and actually teaches practitioners is quackery. This is not the important thing here; so let us not focus on it any longer. (For a little history lesson, scroll down to "suppression and decline:" http://www.mygenerationsclinic.com/about-naturopathic-medicine.htm. Another history lesson: http://www.healingmountainpublishing.com/articles/NPmedicine.html )
Instead, lets us focus on what natural, holistic detox is! It is simply assisting and supporting your body in what it does every minute of everyday: detoxes itself and heals itself. When a natural healer (Naturopathic Physician, Herbalist, Holistic Nutrition Professional, etc.) prescribes a detox plan, the detox foods and herbs are simply to nourish and support the organs that do the detox work in the body.
The misconception lies in that people think these herbs and foods are doing something detox special... like scrubbing dirt from the body. These foods and herbs are not a dust buster, vacuum cleaner, or scrubbing bubbles of any type. They are simply foods (herbs are whole foods too!) that are high in nutrients that build cellular health and support healthy body organs. If your body organs are well nourished from whole food eating; they do their jobs better. This is truly simple nutritional physiology. The body is beautiful; poetry in motion in every way.
Now, I will admit, any opportunity some people and corporations have to market and profit from an idea, they will. If there are profits to be made, someone(s) will create scams to go along with it. This happens with everything around health. Let me give you several examples of the recent over marketing of reasonably healthy concepts but the concepts get taken to an extreme or used out of context for someone's profit:
- kale being made into every marketable food possible. I am not against kale chips but seriously... they are now the national health food?
- coconut in everything... we need to eat it, drink it in milk and water form, slather it on our bodies, etc.
- blueberries as the amazing superfood... do NOT go a day without eating them or your health will be in jeopardy.
- quinoa... we just cannot survive, nutritionally speaking without it. What did we do for 100s of years without this powerhouse of food from the Andes Mountains?
- any food, spice, or herb that is shown to up the metabolic rate and it is quickly slapped into capsule forms and sold as the latest "get skinny quickly" scheme.
My point? Plenty of health claims out there for all sorts of supposed healing products.
The wise thing to do is use your common sense in these situations. Products, especially expensive and exclusive products, are not needed!
Human beings have been supporting and assisting their organs of detox from time beginning. The natural cycles of life support this detox action: wild leeks and dandelion greens in the spring open our winter congested digestive tract and get things moving. The liver is stimulated more than it has been all winter, from these traditional spring foods, and aids in moving shit out of the body, literally and figuratively! Traditionally what did people do in the spring? Why they reveled in the wild leeks and dandelion greens, waiting anxiously and happily for their arrival in the spring. Time to dig wild leeks, time to gather dandelion greens and guess what... you are naturally, with the cycles of life, supporting your organs of detox.
Next in the seasonal flow of plants comes stinging nettles; another fine green plant that supports the body's natural detox systems and contributes amazing nutritional support to each and every body cell.
We can follow the seasonal appearance and growth of plants all growing season to discover the very plants people have traditionally used for supporting their organs of detox. In the winter, non-growing seasons, people prepared for this. Roots, barks, leaves, and berries of medicinal plants were gathered and dried for the long winter months. These foods were used when needed to support detox: when ill health symptoms arise or true microbial sicknesses.
Have you ever been constipated for 3 or 4 days in a row? How about a week or more? Remember how you felt? The colon is an organ of detox. Supporting detox (in just one example) is supporting colon health. Who wouldn't want this? Sure beats chronic constipation and the yucky, whole body feelings of ill health that result. Use this "constipated" thought process for all your pathways of detox: sweating, urinating, exhaling respiratory waste, lymphatic movement, and bile production and release into the small intestine. All of these detox mechanisms work more smoothly and efficiently when we support whole body detox.
Detox is not a hoax. Your body is doing it in every second of your life! How it is presented, promoted, and sold for profit may be what can get a bit shaky. Your body has always detoxed and will continue to do so until your life force energy is finished in your physical body. That is life and death here on this planet.
I am, right now whipping up a pot of nettle, peppermint, and rosemary tea. All of these herbs support circulation, cell nourishment, and ultimately detoxification. Simple 'lil pot 'O tea!
Cream of Spinach Soup:
This was an easy pot of soup to whip up last eve. Then I let it sit in the refrigerator for the next day's dinner; all the flavors meld together better this way. All veggies came from the Kent Family Farm and the milk is from local, loved, and well cared for goats.
- Saute' a medium purple onion.
- Add a medium potato and carrot or two to this saute'. Cook them just long enough to slightly soften but still have some crispness. They will cook a bit more when you re-heat the soup the next day so you do not want to create mushy veggies.
- Clean up spinach and steam in a tiny bit of water. I had about a pound of fresh, local spinach and it only takes a few minutes to steam it gently.
- Put spinach and 2 1/2 to 3 cups milk into your blender.
- Add a clove or two of garlic.
- Blend well and pour back into the steam pot. Add the saute' veggies.
- Add any herbs you like the taste of (rosemary, parsley, oregano, basil, thyme, curry mix, etc.) or not!
- Voila' a pot of soup that is loaded with whole foods for detoxing!
A 100% whole food diet IS a detox diet.
You are always supporting your organs of detox, your each and every body cell, when you eat 100% nourishing whole foods.
It really is that easy!
BUT...If you have lived less than a whole food diet...
Join me for my Liver-Colon Detox Nourishment online class
We start our liver healing journey with all new class materials June 1st, 2016.
Class materials are yours for life.
REGISTER HERE:
Nourishing the Liver
Simple Liver Nourishment “Cleanse”
Liver Nourishment is important. We hear much about doing liver cleanses but is the liver really dirty? I am certain I would prefer to think of my liver in a more positive and health giving way. This amazing, large organ does much to filter my blood, digest my food, and contributes to way too many bodily processes to write them all here.
Liver cleansing / nourishing has benefits for your health and longevity. A healthy liver helps to maintain balance in the female reproductive tract and helps to keep female hormones balanced (All body hormones!). Think of it as nourishing your liver, fortifying it with the nutrients it needs to do its blood filtering, digestive, and many other jobs well.
I will share with you a very simple way to nourish the liver as it goes about its non-stop job of filtering your blood. Spending a few days focusing on nourishing this important organ is a good way to prevent disease and heal your body. Love your liver with whole foods, liver specific herbs, and relaxation. While relaxing, visualize your liver as being healthy, clean, vibrant tissue!
Raw food fast for 3 days: Eat local, seasonal berries and fruit in the AM. Add raw nuts and seeds to this fruit to up the fat and protein content of your diet and keep your appetite satiated.
At lunch and your PM meal: eat raw vegetable salads and raw nuts and seeds.
Get motivated and sprout some raw nuts and seeds or whole grains to add to your liver nourishing diet.
Try raw, fermented veggies as a fun, “extra” food while nourishing the liver.
Enjoy raw avocado as healthy fat and satiating food.
Life Stage Consideration: when we move into older years, feel your body out. Are you feeling dry frequently? A harsh “liver cleanse” is not recommended in older years, think menopausal years including the years of transitioning from having periods to not. In these years, our bodies are drying out. We need to nourish and keep things juicy, no harsh detoxes, but learn to sweetly nourish your liver and whole body health. With Love 💕, of course.
Holistic Love Caution for Your Blood Sugar & Beta Cells: If you are pre-diabetic, diabetic, or have any metabolic syndrome – blood sugar issue, keep your intake of fruit at a conservative level and eat more vegetables, nuts, and seeds.
If you have diabetic tendencies, do not do a “juice or herbal tea only” liver cleanse.
Raw root veggie and cabbage slaws are great in fall and winter for the raw, seasonal veggies. Want a recipe? Email me: pyoumell@gmail.com
AM or PM nourishing liver flush: Drink this tasty little beverage before eating any food; just mix together and drink it up! Or you can drink it just before going to bed.
juice of 1 whole lemon, (I know, lemons are not local… work with me here!)
1-2 tsp olive oil
pinch of unrefined sea salt
You can use this simple liver flush in the PM and/or the AM. I have clients who drink it in the AM because they drink their Essiac detox tea at night.
Detox Liver Nourishing Infusion: Purchase an ounce of each of these herbs: cut burdock root, cut dandelion root, nettle leaf, dandelion leaf, red clover blossom.
Every evening heat 1 quart of water. When the water is simmering, turn to very low heat and simmer 1 Tbsp. each of the burdock and dandelion roots for 10 minutes. Be gentle, not a rolling boil, but a very gentle simmer to preserve the nutrients. Always simmer and steep with the cover on the pot.
Have 1 Tbsp. each of the dandelion, nettle, and red clover ready to use. After the ten minutes, shut off the heat and add the herbs to the pot, stir to get the herbs wet, and then cover the pot. Let it sit over night to steep and create a medicinal infusion. In the AM, strain the herbal infusion into a quart canning jar. Press the wet herb mash very well to get all liquid out of the herbs. Drink 3-4 cups over the course of the day. Sip slowly while relaxing and meditating on your liver and vibrant cellular health. (As opposed to standing at the kitchen counter and guzzling down 8 ounces of this medicinal tea infusion.)
Relaxing habits when doing a liver nourishing cleanse: Drink plenty of fluids throughout your day; get much good, restful sleep; always eat in a calm environment (without screens) and chew very slowly and thoroughly; yoga; massage; relaxing by the fire or under a favorite tree (this is a seasonally dependent behavior!) while reading a good book…the point is for you to nurture the whole you and make your liver feel at peace and loved. Get outside and move your body. This increases circulation to your liver and every body cell for better delivery of nutrition and oxygen and better removal of waste products. You get a good dose of fresh air and natural light while outside! And remember, as my son Eli said when he was only 8 years old: “Just lift the corner of the clouds and the sun is always shining." You do get natural light, for better mood and sleep, even on cloudy days!
When to nourish the liver: Ideally, nourish your liver 4 times a year: at or around the spring and fall equinoxes and the summer and winter solstices. I recommend doing the winter liver nourishment after the December holidays, for obvious reasons! (Spring is a good time to start to get a step ahead of seasonal allergies.)
Milk thistle is a good herb to take for liver nourishing and rebuilding. It can be added to the above liver nourishment herb infusion. Using milk thistle in capsules, tinctures, and infusion form are also good options as a single herb or as a combination herbal formula with turmeric and perhaps ginger…
Taking milk thistle for a couple of weeks after a three day nourishing cleanse can help to nourish and rebuild the liver. You can make milk thistle into a medicinal infusion mixing with stinging nettles. Again, simmer the milk thistle seeds, very gently for 10 minutes, shut off heat and add the nettle leaves. Let the infusion “tea” sit over night to brew and steep.
Love your liver; nourish your liver.
Nettles and Red Clover
Dandelion root, flowers, and leaves
Burdock root and plant