It’s embarrassing, but true: that time I not only did the Master Cleanse, but also bragged about it to my friends. “I did it for 7 days,” I challenged my fellow college peers. “Some people even do it for longer,” an in-the-know colleague offered in reply. We mirrored each other’s raised eyebrows in impressed silence.
If you’re not familiar with the Master Cleanse, I’ll fill you in on what you (haven’t) missed: you drink a concoction made out of water, lemon/lime juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper. All day. For many days. That’s it. (Yes, it’s the worst.) I bring up this abomination of a cleanse for two reasons: one, it was among the first cleanses/detoxes to come out of the dusty cobwebs of niche health groups and into the mainstream (Beyonce did it – hello!), and two, this is is exactly what is NOT the best way to truly detox.
Detoxification is a word I personally struggle with, increasingly. I feel it has a lot of good intentions, implying that it helps get rid of your past food and lifestyle sins, and, hopefully, re-nourishes your body with nothing but purity for the rest of time. The trouble is, most detoxes and cleanses are not a sustainable diet … they’re nothing you would, could, or should follow long-term. Call me crazy (and maybe it’s because I’m wrapped up in the culinary world), but I believe the best way to detox is to simply live a fairly clean lifestyle. Curate your own gentle detoxification practices, and do them often. Make these practices a habit, and you’ll never need any kind of aggressive detox again. Here are three of my favorite daily detox methods that I personally practice as part of my cleansing mantra. If they sound easy, that’s because they are!
Drink a superfood smoothie | If you replace one meal or snack with a superfood smoothie, you are well on your way to eating a truly clean diet. Superfood smoothies are fantastic ways to support cleansing, because they contain nothing but whole, natural foods and superfoods! There is no comparison to the wealth of nutrition and healthy benefits the 300 calories from a superfood smoothie gives you versus, say, a bagel.
Enjoy a warm tincture | Looking for something that instantly feels invigorating? Put down the coffee cup (at least in the afternoon), and instead enjoy a mineral-rich mug of Detox & Digest. I’ve been so excited by this Amazing Grass product, which is delightfully savory … like a cross between a tea, a broth, and a green juice. It’s packed with top shelf greens like wheatgrass, truly medicinal superfoods like dandelion greens and turmeric, and digestion-friendly probiotics and fiber. I drink this once a day, using warm water and a squeeze of lemon, as an instant pick-me-up. You can also use things like seaweed broth, teas, or mushroom tinctures.
Think green | Here’s a habit you can accrue and develop over time: adding more greens to your day. Green foods, with their high nutrient-density and generous supply of cleansing chlorophyll, are nature’s way of keeping your body fresh and renewed. For example, did you know chlorophyll is amazingly similar to hemoglobin (the molecule responsible for carrying oxygen within red blood cells)? That’s why green foods can help oxygenate your entire body, delivering nutrients more efficiently, and effectively removing toxins at the same time. Add a spoonful of greens powder to your smoothie; drink a green juice; have a salad for lunch; sauté some spinach into your pasta … you don’t have to do everything green all the time, but keeping a green mindset is a perfect way to gently cleanse your body a little bit every day.
Amazing Grass has generously offered an exclusive discount to JulieMorris.net readers: Get 40% OFF your order with code JULIEMORRIS16 (you must create an account in order for the code to work). This post is sponsored by Amazing Grass – all opinions expressed are my own.
