Thursday, February 4, 2010

Day 82 Detox Day

Sometimes after a night (or weeks or months) of over-indulgence, we need to take a little break.  I like to give myself a little mini-detox of a day or two.  I will explain some easy techniques you can use too.

Step One:
Tongue Scraping
This is a little piece of plastic or metal you run over the surface of your tongue to remove filmy residue, bacteria and toxins.  You can buy them online, at a health food store, or if you're my client, just ask me for one! 

I use a tongue scraper every single day upon waking.  I have been doing so for years now and my mouth doesn't feel morning fresh without it.  This is also an excellent tool for people with food cravings to use after a meal to clean the palate and reduce food residue flavors.  In Ayurvedic medicine, scraping the tongue is essential for good health and clear speech.  Dig it.

Step Two:


Oil Pulling
Take a tablespoon of unrefined cold-pressed oil, such as olive, sunflower or unroasted sesame oil into your mouth and swish vigorously for 15 minutes.  This technique, again from Ayurveda, is reputed to pull toxins from the mouth and upper digestive tract.  I often do my 15 minutes of oil swishing when I walk the dog in the morning.  By the time we come back in, it's time to spit it out.  Do not swallow the oil!  When you spit it out, it won't look like oil at all anymore as it has become emulsified with your saliva. 

Whether this really works or not for detoxification, I believe it to be the reason I'm always told I have such white teeth, and it's a great moisturizing treatment for our gums and lips.

Step Three:
Green Juice
A great hangover helper, fresh green juice helps you push the re-set button on your health.  Here we have wheatgrass, apple, lemon, celery and cucumber.  Cilantro (cusbara) is excellent to add to juice for detox as well.  If you've got a headache, add fennel and orange to your juice.

Step Four:
Exercise.  Especially yoga.


Step Five:
Good Food. 
This is Strawberry Whipped Oats.  Just like the Banana Whipped Oats, but with 1 cup of fresh strawberries instead of the banana.  Topped here with pecans and coconut.  Super yummy and pretty in pink.  Thanks for the strawberry gift JM!

Salad of baby greens and tomato with tahina dressing.

Keep the food on a detox day simple and uber healthy.  Try to eat as many fruits and veggies as you can.  Eliminate sugar, coffee, dairy and wheat.  Do that for a few days and you'll be feeling so much better!  Drink lots of pure water or herbal tea.  Water with lemon squeezed into it is very detoxifying and supportive to your liver.

Step Six:
Skin brush. 
Our skin is our largest eliminatory organ.  Brush your skin all over with a dry soft natural bristle brush to remove the surface layer of cells and grime and increase circulation.  Do this before you shower.

Step Seven:
Sweat Baby Sweat!
Sweating helps us elimate toxins through our skin as well.  Sauna: wet, dry or infrared, Steam room, Exercise, it doesn't matter, just get your sweat on.

Step Eight:
Sleep
Early to bed you go.  A hot water bottle on your tummy as you read in bed is another favorite technique of mine to relax and soothe an aching belly.

I've got LOADS more tips like these.  Lucky for you, I'm working on a Detox e-book, soon to go on sale from my website.  Stay tuned for more on that.

Until then "Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars."  Who can tell me whose tag line that used to be? 

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