Simple Spring Cleanse

Living in alignment with our environment and the seasons helps us stay connected and grounded. it is natural in Spring season to lighten up, to offload toxins and the heaviness of winter as our energy expands and moves outward again as the sun shines, after the inward movement of cooler winter. 

I have certainly done my fair share of deep Spring cleanses over the years, but this year I am not in the mood for anything extreme and I thought to suggest some simple, easy to do ideas for supporting the body to detoxify and lighten up, perhaps even let go of some excess weight. 

Feel free to pick one or several, whatever you feel drawn to, if at all. 

Eat more fruit and vegetables

I harp on about this but 95% of people don’t eat the recommended minimum amount of vegetables for good health, and 60% of people don’t eat enough fruit. The minimum amount is about 5 serves of vegetables and 2 serves of fruit a day, each serve being about 1/2 cup cooked or 1 cup raw. There are some good studies showing that 600g of combined fruit and vegetables daily is protective against cancer, cardiovascular disease and all cause mortality. 

At this time of year, the brassicas like broccoli and cauliflower are cheap, and my favourite, asparagus are abundant. Google is your friend for so many recipes. Here is my recipe for potassium broth, a good spring soup either by itself, or strained and used as vegetable stock base for other soups. 

Eat more greens

A lot of detoxing is about supporting the liver, and the liver loves leafy greens and green vegetables. Daily leafy greens, lightly cooked or raw, are full of minerals and fibre and I recommend we eat a good bunch each day. I eat my greens by throwing handfuls of them into any soup and stew I make, by having salads, by growing my own, by adding parsley and coriander to everything, and by juicing. 

Celery juice

I know celery juice has been a bit of a fad that has passed, but I have been making it daily for 2 years and Dave and I feel it make a big difference to our health. We have 400-500mls a day each. It eliminates aches and pains, flushes out toxins, is very hydrating, tastes fine, and is cheap most of the year (I do not buy organic celery, just conventional and wash it well). Yes, it is work. The juicer is on the bench all the time, and I buy and wash the celery and make the juice. Dave washes the juicer and puts it back together.

Salad weeds & herbs

Some many wonderful weeds and herbs are slightly bitter, and are supportive of gentle detoxing at this time of year. Young dandelion leaves and flowers make great additions to salads, as do nasturtium flowers, rocket, chicory, chickweed, parsley, coriander, and thyme. A salad dressing can be made with garlic, lemon juice, honey, a handful of fresh herbs, a splash of olive oil and perhaps some water or orange juice, blended. 

Dandelion coffee

Again, this supports the liver. Dandelion root has a long history of being beneficial for the liver, and when lightly roasted, it makes a good coffee substitute. 

Hydrate well

It’s a good time to lower our salt intake, which tends to go up over winter, and hydrate well. For many people that is just focusing on drinking water. For me, I somehow have an aversion to drinking plain water that I struggle with, so I work around it by having hot water, lemon water, herbal teas, celery juice, orange juice, black tea, diluted juices, smoothies, and whatever other ways I can find to trick myself to drink plenty of fluids. I also place a bottle of water on my desk and find that helps me drink more.

Breathe deeply

We often forget the vital role our lungs and breathing play in our health. As the weather warms up, and here in Perth the wildflowers are out, its wonderful to get out in nature and breathe deeply. It’s also worth stopping every hour or so during the day and taking some deeper breaths. It clears stagnant air from the bottom of the lungs, calms our nervous system and clears the mind. 

Move from indoors to outdoors. And let the outside in. 

With warmer sunny days, I love to open the windows wide, let the sunshine in, and also to go for more walks outside, and exercising is always good for detoxing our lymph system. It also seems to be a natural time for spring cleaning the house, decluttering and deep cleaning, which help keep our homes fresh and healthy, and feel light. 

Perhaps something there inspires you…it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Small steps can be far more sustainable.