Nutritionist Jessica Sepel's Simple Summer Cleanse
Summer is the perfect time to cleanse your body – to eat cleaner, more fresh food, rid your environment of toxins, get active and restart your system! Many of us get tempted by the crazy liquid diets/fasts at the start of the year. Unfortunately, the results from these fads/extremes are very short lived.
I have found cleansing with food to be as effective and the results are sustainable.
I do believe in giving your liver a break in order to regain some energy and motivation to live the healthy life. The liver is an organ you really want to take care of when it comes to feeling good.
This is my easy five-day cleanse that I like to seasonally – the results can be amazing. I’m talking glowing skin, a cleansed liver, restored energy, deeper sleep and weight balance – because it gets you back on track. It just really gives you time to feel good about yourself again. Many of us drink too much alcohol and caffeine which often makes us feel pretty tired and bloated.
This simple cleanse can just restore your energy and vitality. It’s a total body renew – perfect for giving your body some extra TLC and increasing vitality in the Summer months!
It’s more of a beautiful way to give your body extra love and care – rather than a hard-core juice cleanse. Think: kindness!
Treat this as five days of self-loving. Get ready for a brighter, more brilliant you!
Step 1: Cut out the Nasties
You will need to cut out the following for the next 3 DAYS:
- Caffeine
- Alcohol
- Cow’s dairy and soy
- Refined sugar and sweeteners
- Wheat and gluten
- Red meat (for now!)
- Bad fats: trans fats found in vegetable oils as well as processed and deep-fried foods
Instead, opt for seasonal veggies (lots of leafy greens), fresh fruit (berries and green apples are best), gluten-free grains (like quinoa, brown rice, buckwheat), nuts & seeds, high quality fish, organic eggs and chicken (except for red meat) and coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil in your cooking.
Step 2: Lifestyle tips and tricks
- Sweat! Get your blood and lymphatic system flowing to accelerate the release of toxins. Try and exercise for at least 30 minutes each day.
- Aim to drink 2-3 litres of filtered water a day to help your kidneys flush out toxins. Herbal teas are also great for increasing fluid intake and cleansing.
- Use herbs and spices to add flavour without extra oils or fats – my detox faves are turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg and cayenne pepper.
- Commit to 8 hours of sleep – it allows our bodies to heal and regenerate new cells – so important when you’re cleansing!
- Care for your emotional self: When we cleanse, our bodies flush out toxins and sometimes this can cause certain emotions to rise – we feel more sensitive, maybe a little more vulnerable so make sure you set aside time for YOU.
- See a naturopath to make up some cleansing herb tonics for you – they work really well.
Step 3: Detox your environment!
Once you’ve started cleansing internally, it’s time to look at the outside factors contributing to the toxin build-up and remove those too!
- Be mindful of what you are breathing in. Make a point of looking at the contents of your cleaning products – switch to natural detergents.
- Use aluminium-free deodorant.
- Buy organic whenever possible. Wash or peel fruit and veggies to remove pesticides otherwise.
- Invest in a good quality water filter and use a stainless steel bottle instead of plastic.
- Minimise exposure to plastics: use paper bags to store food, mason jars instead of plastic containers and don’t heat foods in plastic!
- Choose cosmetics wisely – try switching to natural skin and hair products or even make your own! Don’t use fake tan and use natural sanitary products.
- Switch to all natural household cleansing products – I use Mrs Meyers found on iherb.com
Post-Cleanse Tips
After the cleanse, you should be feeling lighter and more energetic. Let’s keep those good vibes going by giving your body even more love.
Do any or all of these things:
- Take an Epsom salt bath three times a week.
- Jump into the ocean whenever you can.
- Deep belly breathe every day.
- Get into a sauna or steam room whenever you can.
- Treat yourself to a lymphatic or Thai massage.
- Challenge yourself to avoiding alcohol for up to a month. Hello, clean liver and gut!
- Detox your environment – tips above!
- Schedule in the 3-Day Reboot for next month. Diarise it so you know it’s coming (and dare I say it, look forward to it!). J
Now you’re equipped with the information you need to start cleansing – are you ready for a happier, healthier you? You can find a bunch of my favourite detox-friendly recipes in my 8-week program in my books or the blog www.jessicasepel.com.
Sample Cleanse Day Menu
Breakfast:
The JSHealth Power Protein Smoothie, using berries instead of banana to sweeten.
Snack:
A fresh green juice without fruit or carrot sticks with hummus
Lunch:
A cleansing detox salad with grilled chicken, salmon or lentils like this one!
Snack:
Brown rice cakes with either almond butter and cinnamon or smashed avocado and a sprinkle of rock salt
Dinner:
Grilled fish, chicken or tempeh with sautéed greens and a fresh green salad drizzled with lemon juice and olive oil. Or you can try one of my amazing easy One Pan dinners!
After dinner:
A herbal tea of choice
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