Exquisite Practices, Cleanses: Week 2

The ultimate step-by-step guide to a 3-day juice cleanse you can make in your own home.  

I’m a bit of a purist when it comes to cleansing, so I avoid kits and stick to fresh veggies and herbal teas. These will give you the highest quality nutrients and are the most potent in aiding your body’s healing. The fresh juice cleanse is perfect for 1, 3 or 5 days depending upon how you feel, as well as any schedule restrictions. I’ve outlined a 3-day cleanse with 2 ‘buffer days’ of raw fruits and vegetables to allow the body to acclimate into and out of the cleanse. Are you ready? Here we go!

Buffer Days 1 / 2, and 6 / 7:

• Begin the day with a cup of herbal tea and apple slices (I like to squeeze lemon on my apple — it helps to get things moving!)
• Mid-morning: Half a papaya or another enzyme-rich fruit, a glass of water with the juice of a lemon
• Noon: Berries, especially blueberries, and a cup of juice with a heaping teaspoon of psyllium husk. Any all-natural, no-sugar added juice is perfect. Avoid citrus juices. The psyllium husk provides fiber and clings to your intestines, helping to clean away intestinal plaque.
• Mid-afternoon: Carrots, celery, cucumbers and apples with a glass of water with lemon or chlorophyll
• Evening: A salad of lettuce, cucumber, celery, half an avocado, parsley and carrot-ginger dressing. To make the dressing, process carrots and ginger together in a food processor or blender with a small amount of water. Do not add oil, salt or pepper.
• Before bed: cup of herbal tea such as chamomile or Everyday Detox from Traditional Medicinals

Days 3, 4 and 5:

• Begin the day with room temp water with the juice of half a lemon, and a cup of herbal tea. My favorite tea is Spring Dragon, which is gynostemma along with a few other herbs — I drink a cup every morning!
• Mid-morning: Juice together 3 carrots, 1 apple, 1 tsp ginger (and ¼ cabbage, which is great for ulcers and heartburn). Add chlorophyll and mix with ⅓ cup water.
• Noon: Drink a glass of ½ water and ½ fruit juice such as R.W. Knudsen’s Simply Nutritious Mega Antioxidant juice with a protein-rich green powder. I usually use spirulina which is a great standard, but this time I’m trying Moringa leaf powder which is a great source of vitamins, calcium, iron and protein. I’ll let you know how I like it next week!
• Mid-Afternoon: Juice together a beet, ½ a bunch of kale, 2 celery stalks, a clove of garlic and ½ bunch of parsley. Mix with ⅓ water.
• Evening: Drink a cup of unsweetened cranberry juice (or another fresh veggie juice). The cranberry juice is especially helpful for bladder function and to rid the colon of unwanted bacteria when mixed with echinacea and pau d’arco teas. (HINT: if you suffer from chronic UTI’s, don’t skip this step!)
• Before bed: A cup of herbal tea such as burdock, dandelion, rose-hip, red clover, slippery elm or chamomile

Notes:

• Cleansing is a time to rest and heal. Give yourself plenty of time to enjoy napping, meditation and light exercise such as yoga, walking, jogging or gardening. Check out my post about the cleansing power of yoga poses from earlier this year — these are beneficial while on a cleanse.
• If you can, use locally grown and organic produce for your juice (or better yet, from your garden!). Drink the juice immediately as the vitamins and minerals are destroyed as time goes by. If you want to take your juices with you or save them for later, fill your container to the brim and refrigerate it.
• If you don’t have a juicer, don’t worry! You can gently simmer your veggies (don’t boil them) and drink the broth.
• You will feel a range of symptoms and emotions including hunger, irritability, headaches and body aches, coated tongue or a bad taste in your mouth, euphoria and high energy, and more. Always pay attention to how you are feeling. If you become dizzy or light-headed, drink a fresh juice or even eat a piece of watermelon if you must eat something.
• Use a dry brush after you shower. This will brush away large amounts of dead skin cells allowing your skin to regenerate and rejuvenate. Always brush toward the heart.
• Throughout your cleanse drink lots and lots of water. If you can, get reverse-osmosis water from your health food store and avoid storing or drinking from plastic as the chemicals interrupt your hormones. Always dilute fresh juices with ⅓ water — these juices are very potent!
• Get creative with your juices! Nearly any vegetable will work, but it’s generally good to avoid fruit, except for apples. Potent garlic and ginger are excellent anti-inflammatory, antifungal and antibacterial additions.
• Finally, enjoy the effects of your hard work and determination. You will lose some weight and feel energized; and don’t be surprised if your friends tell you you’re glowing! Fat-stored chemicals such as pesticides and drugs will be released from your system, so it’s a perfect time to return to your eating habits with a renewed presence of mind.

I’ll check in next week to see how we all feel! Good luck, and glow brightly!