As every year, Juan and I are both doing 4-week spring cleanse and detox. Juan is choosing milder version (all of his 4 weeks will be the same) and I am choosing a more intense version (I will have about 5 days that include only raw vegan diet and a few days that include only fruit and vegetable juices).
If you ask why… check out my previous blog entries (back from 2012) or watch one of these documentaries: Hungry for Change and Fat Sick and Nearly Dead. If you ask where did I get the information from… check out my previous blog entries – it is based on few different cleanses and customized for my and my husband’s needs by years of trying and fine-tuning.
If you ask how, check out detailed descriptions for week 1-4 and cool recipes :-).
WEEK 1:
RULES OF THE GAME / WHAT TO EAT & DRINK & DO
- No red meat: beef, pork
- No processed food and fast food, e.g. sausages, salamis, processed cheese, yogurt, sweets, snacks, no fried food, etc.
- No white flour – bread, pasta, etc. No white rice
- No white stuff in general – e.g. no white sugar, no white vinegar (use only cider or wine vinegar)
- Decrease consumption of salt
- Decrease consumption of alcohol to minimum. This year, we will go with a max. of 2 glasses of red or white wine per week
- Decrease consumption of coffee. I usually have 2 small or medium black coffees a day, so I am going to keep it as is for the cleanse as I don’t see any problems with drinking 2 coffees per day
- Eat as much as possible raw vegetables and fruits. Increase consumption of root veggies like beets, carrots, turnip, parsley, parsnip; and other green veggies like kale
- Try to eat only organic vegetables and fruits as much as possible – I usually go with the “Dirty dozen Clean 15” rule
- Eat white meat (poultry) max 2x a week and eat wild fish / seafood max 3x a week – prepared on olive oil, or baked
- Get your protein from legumes
- Eat healthy, whole food (including whole wheat pasta, brown rice, quinoa, etc.). Eat only spelt bread. You can check some vegetarian recipes here or here
- For breakfast, have fruit, veggie, nuts and seeds smoothie (e.g. berries, goji berry, apples, banana, carrots, spinach, dandelion leafs, chia seeds, walnuts, a little bit of juice and water)
- Include supergreen supplements in the morning (or as directed): Spirulina, Chlorella, Wheatgrass
- Drink lots of WATER, green tea, real fruit tea, organic herbal and cleansing teas , e.g. dandelion tea, milk thistle, peppermint, chamomile, passion flower, or detox tea mix (all available in the health store)
- Every morning, have 1 cup of warm water with lemon juice (squeezed from ¼ lemon) and 1 teaspoon of psyllium husk – it aids digestion and liver detoxification and it is good for starting your metabolisms
- Drink freshly prepared veggie and fruit juices – e.g. carrots, beets, parsley, kale, cabbage, apples, lemons, etc. (you can prepare freshly squeezed juice at home or buy it e.g. from Jugo Juice
- Drink liquids one hour before or one hour after eating, it will dilute the enzymes in the stomach needed to properly digest the food
- Try to prepare food at home as much as possible (pack your snacks, lunch, etc. for the entire day). Try not to eat in the restaurants and cafes, and if you can’t avoid it, order only healthy whole food (ask for sandwich without bread 🙂
- Eat about 4-times a day, smaller portions, e.g.: 1. breakfast – smoothie, 2. lunch – superfood bowl (with quinoa, brown rice, spinach, lentils, green beans, tofu and sesame dressing), 3. afternoon snack – handful of baby carrots, cucumbers and celery sticks, handful of nuts and dried fruits, 4. dinner – wild cod fish grilled on olive oil with fresh pepper and sea salt, large garden salad with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar as dressing, optional: quinoa
- Go to the bed earlier and have a good sleep. Sleep at least 7 hours a day all 7 days
- Stay active. Juan and I commit to exercise at least 20 mins 7-times a week
WEEK 2:
Juan’s version:
Juan will keep the same regimen for all four weeks. You can check some vegetarian recipes here or here.
Lucie’s version:
I will follow a strict 7-day regimen. My food will be made of mostly raw veggies, fruits, yogurt, nuts, seeds, a little bit of spelt bread and last 3 days will consist of fruit and vegetable juices only.
RULES OF THE GAME / WHAT TO EAT & DRINK & DO
- Follow the meal plan for Day 1 – Day 7. This meal plan is meant as a guideline and you can adjust it as you see fit
- Make sure that you prepare all your meals in advance
- No alcohol during this week
- Decrease consumption of coffee – max 2 cups a day
- As in the week 1, you should keep drinking lots of water, herbal teas, have morning cup of warm water with lemon and psyllium and keep taking supergreen supplements in the morning (or as directed): Spirulina, Chlorella, Wheatgrass
- You can also add some vegetarian protein if you feel really hungry or weak (1-2x a day with lunch or dinner).
- To support yourself during during the fast, remember that you decided for this because you would like to be healthy. Be strong. Remember, the saved energy (that would normally be spend on digestion) is used for cleansing your intestines, liver and stomach from harmful substances. If you feel tired, get some rest. Put your legs up, close your eyes and have a para nap (10 minutes will make miracles).
- You may also try meditation – 10-15 minutes in the morning in the quiet or with guided meditation will calm you down. I really enjoy the “Silva meditations” and “buddhify” on my iPhone.
- If possible, have a warm/hot shower and massage your body with brush or luffa 2-3 times a week, mostly during the juice fast. You can also apply couple drops of lemon juice on your luffa. If applying massage – always massage towards heart, e.g. from ankles towards knees, from knees towards hips, etc. This massage will help you to get rid of death dermal cells and helps the pores with breathing and transpiring accumulated toxins. You can also get massage and/or go to sauna.
- You should be active (so that the blood circulation does not slow down). You can walk, run, swim, bike, etc. – do all activities you would do on a normal day, just lower the intensity. Don’t exercise with higher or high intensity, only mild.
- You might feel cold so dress better during these days.
Day 1:
- Breakfast: fruit, veggie, nuts and seeds smoothie (e.g. berries, goji berry, apples, banana, carrots, spinach, dandelion leafs, chia seeds, walnuts, a little bit of juice and water)
- Lunch: grapes – 200 grams, 1 grapefruit, fruit tea
- Afternoon snack: fresh carrot and apple juice, or grated carrots with apples (2 and 2) with lemon
- Dinner: grapes – 200 grams, melon – 200 grams, ½ grapefruit
Notes: You might notice a slight diarrhoea, or 3 – 4 smooth bowel movements per day. This is a normal reaction to increased fibre and yogurt, make sure to consume lots of water. I normally don’t have any problems.
Day 2:
- Breakfast: fruit, veggie, nuts and seeds smoothie (e.g. berries, goji berry, apples, banana, carrots, spinach, dandelion leafs, chia seeds, walnuts, a little bit of juice and water)
- Lunch: fresh pineapple – 1/3, natural white probiotic yogurt (1 small cup)
- Afternoon snack: fresh fruit salad (1 small bowl – e.g. melon, kiwi, blueberries, strawberries, etc. Add 2 tablespoons of old-fashioned rolled oats and 1 teaspoon of flax seeds meal)
- Dinner: 1 mid size baked potato (or 2 small boiled potatoes in jacket), 1 teaspoon of butter, little bit of sea salt, 1 small apple
Day 3:
- Breakfast: fruit, veggie, nuts and seeds smoothie (e.g. berries, goji berry, apples, banana, carrots, spinach, dandelion leafs, chia seeds, walnuts, a little bit of juice and water)
- Lunch: fresh fruit juice from 1 orange, 1 grapefruit, 2 apples and 200 grams of carrot, grapes – 200 grams
- Afternoon snack: pineapple – 1/3 or 1 small bowl of strawberries and kiwi, melon – 200 or 300 grams
- Dinner: grapes – 200 grams and ½ grapefruit
Note: In the case that you have diarrhoea, or bowel movement more than 5 times a day, consume 1 teaspoon of psyllium husk with 1/2 cup of water (well blended) or active charcoal. I normally don’t have any problems.
Day 4:
- Breakfast: fruit, veggie, nuts and seeds smoothie (e.g. berries, goji berry, apples, banana, carrots, spinach, dandelion leafs, chia seeds, walnuts, a little bit of juice and water) – increase veggies
- Lunch: steamed mixed veggies with olive oil – 1 teaspoon, flax seed meal – 1 teaspoon and sesame seeds – 1 teaspoon
- Afternoon snack: fresh veggie juice (prepared from carrots, parsley, beets, or other veggies) 250 -300 ml (1 cup), handful of mixed veggies
- Dinner: sauerkraut – 1 small bowl without vinegar stock, mixed vegetable salad with wine or apple vinegar, soy sauce – 1 teaspoon, olive oil – 1 tablespoon, favourite herbs and fresh garlic (optional, but desired)
Day 5:
- Breakfast: fresh fruit juice 250-300 ml (1 cup) – prepared from any fruits you like, including apples, pineapple, oranges, grapefruit, grapes, etc.
- Morning snack: fresh mixed juice – veggies with fruits 200 ml (3/4 cup) – e.g. carrots, beets, parsley, apples or apples, carrots, kale or apples, carrots, cucumber, parsley, ginger, etc.
- Lunch: fresh mixed juice – 200-300 ml
- Afternoon snack: fresh veggie juice – 200 ml. You can include a bit of lemon or orange to add taste
- Dinner: fresh mixed juice – veggies with fruits 200-300 ml
Day 6:
- Follow the daily juice plan from Day 5
Day 7:
- Follow the daily juice plan from Day 5
WEEK 3:
Juan’s version:
Juan will keep the same regimen for all four weeks. You can check some vegetarian recipes here or here.
Lucie’s version:
I will slowly transition from the juice fast into Week 1 regiment. Meals for first two days should contain only raw veggies, fruits, yogurt, nuts, and whole bread. From third day onwards, I can start eating cooked vegetarian meals, fish, chicken. It is important to keep smaller portions since the stomach shrunk a bit during the fast.
WEEK 4:
Juan and I will follow the same regiment as in the week 1 and will add two cleansing drinks for this week:
Day 1-7:
- In the morning, drink following cleanse mix on an empty stomach and then do not eat anything for 2 – 3 hours: Blend fresh juice from 2 oranges or 1 grapefruit, fresh juice from 1 – 2 lemons or limes, 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger / or garlic, pinch of Cayenne /or black pepper (1/2 to 2/3 of cup)
Day 4:
- Before bed, apply Kidney and Liver Detoxification drink: Mix 1 small cup (100 ml) of lemon juice and 1 small cup (100 ml) of olive oil and drink it all at once. Go to the bed earlier and cover your kidney and liver with hot water bottle
After week 4, slowly transition into your normal routine, but don’t forget to keep your portions smaller. Juan and I always learn something new during our spring cleanse – whether it is a new food item / recipe or how our body reacts with some foods… or how strong our willpower can be if we commit to something. We try to keep this new thing in our lives after the cleanse. For example, you might try to incorporate more veggies and fruits in your daily diet, or introduce veggie juices 1x a week instead of breakfast. Also, don’t forget to treat yourself to something unhealthy after the cleanse :-). I will enjoy cheese croissant and then a few weeks later a good Argentinian steak and a few glasses of red wine.
