There needs to be a balance in everything and that includes a detox programme.
Our body is so intelligent it detoxes anyway, daily and seasonally, better still if we give it a helping hand.
There are many obvious reasons for doing a periodic detox: the pollution we are surrounded by, including industrialised food, the medicines we take (including vaccines), the endogenous substances our bodies produce under stress which interrupt smooth elimination and the little physical exercise we do to oxygenate the body, are just a few examples.
No doubt, every now and then, our body requires our loving attention. In fact, the intention of a detox should be the desire to give our body some loving attention. Hence, the loving-3-phase-detox is designed to be gentle on your systems, yet effective. Having convinced you as to "why", let me explain "when" and "how" to detox.
When? There are only two times of the year when the energy is propense to detox: one is in Spring and the other is in Autumn. Spring is when the activity of Liver is at its peak, Autumn when the Colon helps us to eliminate (especially the parasites). Still the Spring time has no equals for the all-around detox. The energies in our bodies are rising and moving, which aids in the clearing out process.
How? The key words are: in a loving, gentle and phased approach. According to the Chinese Medicine, the first, most external way to eliminate is via the Bladder, the water system. Starting from the water soluble toxins we skim the first layer of debris, eliminate toxic heat, acute inflammations but at the same time warm up and sustain the body in preparation for the next stage: transforming the phlegm. During the second stage we transform the more dense body fluids which form humidity and phlegm (giving the rise to chronic illnesses). We also prepare the intestines, ensuring their proper movement and elimination, setting up the ground for lipid soluble elimination that comes from the Liver filtering in the third stage.
Whereas we could do all of this at the same time, phasing out in three stages, ideally spread over 6 weeks, gives our body time to deal with each stage in turn. You could assign 10 days or minimum 7 days, for each phase.
Another important principle is to gradually eliminate foods that inhibit detoxification and include those that aid each stage of the detox. The gradual elimination is more gentle and the body does not go into the "deprivation" mode. What's more, I suggest when you eliminate a certain food, you replace it with a substitute, at least initially, for your body not to feel the lack, which may make it go into "storage mode" rather than elimination. So, for example a substitute for a coffee could be cacao (100% dark chocolate or hot cacao in the morning with honey to get a boost); a substitute for wine could be apple juice or apple cider vinegar diluted in water. Watch this space #loving3phasedetox for more substitute ideas to come on Facebook or Instagram.
It is important to highlight that the foods eliminated in the phase one and two are not included until the end of the detox programme. Even then, I recommend you to include coffee, alcohol, sugar, gluten, diary and meats as gradually as they were eliminated, one food at the time. As a matter of fact, you are likely to feel so good at the end of the programme you will feel more loving towards your body anyway.
I have created the loving-3-phase-detox with the following balancing principles in mind:
flowing with the seasonal cycle of the Nature to start in early Spring;
whilst eliminating certain foods from your diet you substitute with others for gentle effects;
gradual inclusion of clearing out foods, herbs and/or supplements;
gradual increase of physical activity as the Spring energy rises;
phased progression including one system at the time: urinary/blood (Kidneys), thick liquids (Spleen & Intestines) and lipids (Liver).
Below you find a summary table to aid you in designing your ingredients of the loving-3-phase-detox. Apart from the foods to eliminate, you have the suggestions of the substitutes, as well as foods, herbs and supplements to include in each phase, which help with that particular system involved. The final part of the table suggests routines you will benefit from in particular.
Phase I week 1 & 2 | Phase II week 3 & 4 | Phase III week 5 & 6 | |
System / Organs involved | Urinary and Blood Kidneys & Bladder | Denser body fluids Spleen & Intestines | Blood and lipids Liver & Gallbladder |
Elimination | Water | Phlegm | Lipids |
Energetic | Warming up | Transforming | Moving |
Foods to eliminate | coffee, alcohol | sugar and gluten | meat, diary |
Foods as substitutes | barley coffee, cacao, green tea, apple juice, apple cider vinegar in water | some dry fruits and honey, gluten free grains (rice, buckwheat) | pulses, chickpeas, small fish and sweet water fish, eggs, tofu, nuts |
Foods to include | algae, alfalfa sprouts, parsley, eggs | millet, linseed, kefir, apples, goji berry | cruciferous veggies, green vegetables, garlic, onion, ginger, whole cereal grains |
Herbs to include | cleavers, nettles, horsetail, burdock root, birch sap | cinnamon, cloves, aloe juice, red clover | milk thistle, dandelion, artichoke, |
Supplements to include | adaptogens, vit.C, magnesium, spirulina/algae | probiotics, chrome, magnesium, psyllium | magnesium, vit.B complex, Vit.A, omega 3-6-9 |
In the morning | warm water with lemon, ginger and honey | warm water with bentonite clay or zeolite, oats with cinnamon & cloves | half a grapefruit |
In the evening | turmeric milk | miso soup, activated charcoal, | malic acid or apple juice with warm water |
Physical activity | min 20min walk a day, thermal or epsom baths 2-3 times a week, a massage or acupuncture detox | min. 30min walk a day + Qi Gong, Yoga or other excercise 30min a day | min. 30min walk a day + 30 min of daily exercise + 2-3x a week one hour of aerobic activity |
For any doubts, questions or clarifications contact me here.
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