Eat plenty of the following vegetables
~ Leafy greens, especially baby greens such as:
Lettuces
Spinach
Kale
Chard
Collards
Incorporate them in salads or lightly sauté them with olive oil and garlic.
~ Spring scallions and spring green garlic
These are delicious in stir fries.
~ Radishes
Especially cleansing. Slice them, sprinkle with a little sea salt, and serve as snack or side dish.
~ Sprouts
Alfalfa
Broccoli
Sunflower
Pea shoots
Very potent and energizing. They are great in salads and sandwiches.
CLEANSE
A cleanse helps you get rid of toxins and impurities.
It renews your organs.
Cleanses the intestines.
Rejuvenates the digestive system.
Helps release negative emotions.
You don’t need to step away from your life, sit on top of a mountain, meditate and fast.
Even though you can certainly do it if that’s your cup of (detox) tea.
I prefer cleanses that are gentle, with plenty of food to eat, and that can work with our schedules and life.
Here is a very easy one-day cleanse.
Feel free to modify it to your needs. You don’t have to follow it perfectly. It is not an “all or nothing”.
Do as much as you can.
● For one day, avoid processed foods, everything that comes from a box, bag, package, frozen and processed.
● Eat foods that have no lists of ingredients, they are the ingredients.
● Emphasize vegetables, fruit, grains like brown rice, quinoa, barley, legumes like beans, lentils, chickpeas.
● Avoid caffeine, sugar and alcohol.
● Animal products, nuts and seeds can be heavy on the digestion so try to avoid them for one day, to give your digestive system a break.
● Start your day with a warm lemonade:
Squeeze the juice of one lemon into a cup, add a teaspoon of honey and a slice of fresh ginger, add hot water and sip slowly. A really yummy and nice way to flush your digestion first thing in the morning.
● Have a green smoothie:
Blend: a banana, an apple, berries, celery, cucumber and a handful of greens (spinach, kale, arugula…) add water and ice. Blend until smooth and then sip slowly.
● Meal ideas:
~Breakfast: Rice Pudding
Put one cup of cooked brown rice in a saucepan, add one cup of soy (or almond, or coconut) milk, 2-3 chopped dates, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
~Lunch: Salad Niçoise With Chickpeas
Top your favorite salad greens with steamed green beans, cubed boiled red potatoes, halved cherry tomatoes, sliced red onions, olives and cooked chickpeas. Dress with juice of half lemon, teaspoon of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of mustard, a pinch of dry thyme, salt and pepper to taste.
~Dinner: Quinoa With Adzuki Beans
Rinse one cup of dry quinoa and put in sauce pan. Add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer on low flame until all the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. In a frying pan sauté onions and garlic in olive oil cooking spray. Add rinsed canned Adzuki beans, cumin, paprika, chili powder, and salt. Cook covered for about 10 minutes, adding a little broth if necessary. Serve beans on top of quinoa. Great with steamed or roasted vegetables.