4 Questions About Food Cleanses Answered

It seems that everywhere I look, online, magazines, blogs, people are talking about detoxes and cleanses. I am even offering one, Wake Up From Winter, for my students to do together. With so many questions, let's find some answers.

Would a cleanse be right for you? For someone who is living in a polluted environment, eating processed foods, drinking alcohol, fluoridated and chlorinated water, smoking, taking medication, and anything else that puts toxins into your body, you would benefit from doing a cleanse. If you have any health concerns, please check with your health care practitioner before starting a cleanse.  Also, please do not stop taking prescribed medications unless directed by your doctor to do so.

Which one is good? As I mentioned in an earlier blog, You are what you eat, whole foods are the best way to go. I don't believe in punishing ourselves and though I have a descent practice and have developed discipline, I am somewhat lacking when it comes to willpower. I need to feel nourished and like I'm doing some thing good for myself.  I really like the cleanse offered by Hale Sofia Schatz in, If Buddha Came to Dinner; it's healthy, safe, and based on a whole food diet. And, like with most things in life, it's better to do with a friend. There are so many books and cleanses available. Read through them. Make sure they are reasonably priced and based on whole foods.

How long should I cleanse? The length of a cleanse depends on you.  I started with a day and built myself up to 21 days.  My goal is to eat from my cleanse diet one day a week.

Are cleanses helpful?
My experience of trying many diets, fasts, detoxes and cleanses is this: I want to change my life not just lose some weight. My friends and family gave me the best feedback about how well the last cleanse I did worked. People told me that my skin glowed. I was filled with energy, lost some unwanted weight, and let go of my coffee addiction (still). Yes there are some withdrawal side effects, but the are worth it.
According to Woodson Merrell, M.D., there are at least 7 reasons we should do a cleanse or detox regularly:

• Reduce toxins in the body quickly
•  Lose weight
• Lowers risk of diabetes
• Makes your body efficient in creating energy
• Reduces the competition in how our body gets rid of toxins
• Helps repair our chronically overloaded digestive tract
• Helps you breathe better

To read more:
Why Starting a Detox Program Should Be a Top Health Priority for 2014 First the bad news: The evidence is now overwhelming that pollution contributes to chronic disease. Almost every system in the body can be disrupted by levels of exposure to toxins commonly found in the majority of Americans. (14) Many toxins target multiple systems and can set off cascades of inflammation that can topple a person's health like a perfect throw straight down the lane at Lucky Strike. And guess what: Your government is NOT protecting you enough from exposures that harm. 

Let me know what cleanses have worked for you. Feel free to ask questions too!