Whatever diet you are currently following, it is always advisable to naturally cleanse using your diet to support optimal health and balance your hormones.
There are a ton of diets out there, some old, some new, some total fads, others which work for a short time and some that might suit you perfectly.
However, recently the fad seems to lean towards higher fat and higher protein. Protein in particular in excess amounts can be inflammatory and accelerate ageing especially if the quality is bad.
What about your diet?
No matter what diet you are following – Keto, Paleo, caveman, raw vegan or pescatarian you still need to focus on cleansing foods that support your body to balance your hormones.
By using your diet and planning in light cleanse strategies, this will help to keep your cleansing organs and detoxification pathways in good working order.
For example, your gallbladders function is to store bile to support cleansing and to also emulsify fats for absorption and excretion.
When the gallbladder starts to misbehave you might get stones, sticky bile and in some cases pain.
Supporting and cleasning your gallbladder with wholefoods might even prevent removal of your gallbladder, which should always be a last resort.
Here are five easy ways you can use your diet to support cleansing.
1) Low Protein Vegan Day Weekly
If you have a diet high in fats or animal protein, then you will get an excellent cleansing result from doing this. First of all the low protein day will support new cell turn over, liver cleansing and will help to restore your mineral balance and vitamins in your body. But, will also help if your body already has impaired cleansing function, such as MTHFR. If your liver is not clearing uric acid or ammonia fast enough, then it can build up. The break allows the liver to use B vitamins and glutathione to remove any build up and support methylation.
Foods to omit during this cleanse day:
Animal fat and protein
Dairy
Eggs
Soy
High protein vegetarian foods like legumes
Foods to increase:
Raw leafy green vegetables
Avocado
Olives and olive oil
Soups and Stews (especially in cold weather)
Sweet potato, pumpkin, carrot, swede, turnip
2) Fat-Free Cleanse
I love fat and use it all the time, it creates a flavour for any meal and keeps me satisfied for much longer than other macronutrients.
However, it’s good to have a break from it from time to time. The no fat cleanse allows the liver and gallbladder to have a well-earned siesta. It also allows us to appreciate the benefits and flavour of fats when we start eating them again. A good cleanse is three days per month having fat free.
Foods to omit
Dairy
Eggs
Cooking Fats like lard, butter, ghee
Oils
Fried foods
Avocado
Low-fat substitutes like low-fat cereal, yoghurt, milk and prepared foods
Foods to increase
Dandelion greens
Mustard greens
Chicory
Beetroot leaf
Artichokes
Red Oak Lettuce
Citrus fruits
Asparagus
Spinach
Okra
Broccoli
Cantaloupe
Tomato
Carrot
Grapefruit
Orange
Zucchini
Strawberry
3) Raw Veg with Each Meal
If you are heavy into Paleo, Caveman, Keto it would be a good idea to add in a fresh bit of veg with each meal, this might be a handful of green or just a raw carrot. Raw food contains tons of benefits from the enzymes such as catalase which support ageing or your digestive enzymes like amylase to break down carbohydrates.
Foods to add in:
Celery
Cucumber
Carrots
Tomatoes
Lettuce
Rocket
Broccoli sprouts
Herbs such as mint, dill, parsley, coriander
4) 3 Day Soup Cleanse
Due to the cleansing nature of soups, I usually cook up three days worth of my Green detox soup every few months. Winter is a fabulous time to do this. As a result of this three day cleanse I feel so much better, more energy, skin is bright, and it feels like a fantastic gut calming regime. For more cleansing recipes and soup head on over to the Break Through! Signature Cleanse for 21 days worth of cleansing recipes.
Naomi’s Detox Soup
Ingredients:
3 onions, chopped
head of garlic, cut
tablespoon coconut oil
2 heads broccoli, chopped
few handfuls of runner beans, trimmed and chopped
salt & pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1-2 litres broth/water
Instructions:
1. In coconut oil saute onion, garlic and spices for 6 minutes until onion is soft.
2. Add in broth and vegetables and simmer for 20 minutes until vegetables are soft.
3. Pop in a blender and blitz until creamy and smooth.
4. I store this in glass jars in the freezer (always leave an inch gap to stop the glass from cracking when mix expands)
5) Intermittent Fasting
Not for everyone, but doing the 16-8 four days per week is a great way to get your cells to cleanse. Click here for more on how fasting might work for you. This type of eating supports cleansing and gives your bowels the opportunity to have a good spring clean.
As a result of fasting your hormones can be put under stress, it can raise testosterone and cortisol in some cases. Therefore, this way of eating may not help women who have PCOS, high testosterone, fluctuating cortisol.
However, used wisely fasting can be a game changer for some. For the reason that it helps to cleanse the cells and can support inflammatory and immune conditions like cancer, MS and chronic fatigue.
Finally, you can quickly implement any of the above into your diet; this is a healthy, simple way to continue to cleanse on your diet.
If you are ready to start cleansing and want more recipes and dietary guidance for you on cleansing, then check out the Break Through! Signature Cleanse to help you balance your hormones. Follow this link to take a look at the beautiful offer to balance hormones and cleanse the body.
