When we think of a cure or detox menu, we are talking about foods, juices and plants that drain the emunctory organs (especially the liver and kidneys). To help them function better after the hardships of winter, a little help may be enough. This is the purpose of this 10-day detox program…
In winter, we eat more, we prefer richer dishes (greater and/or sweeter). We move less, we breathe more confined air… The toxins have accumulated in our body, especially in our liver and kidneys, even more so than during the rest of the year.
They have been less well eliminated because of our sedentary lifestyle. Added to this are the countless pollutants that we swallow (dyes, chemical additives, pesticides, etc.) and that we breathe (polluting gases, fumes from cleaning products, etc.). Our organization therefore needs a major cleaning. This is what the spring detox offers.
It is to give a little boost to the body, starting with the liver-kidney couple whose activity is so important in terms of toxin elimination. On the program: detox menu with draining foods, plants, physical activity and breathing…
Your 10-day detox menu
Here are some detox gestures that will do you the greatest good in the spring, as long as you repeat them for at least ten days. The objectives of this detox cure:
- help your liver get rid of the waste that clogs it up, while facilitating the production and evacuation of bile;
- support the activity of your kidneys so that they manage to permanently eliminate these toxins and pollutants;
- gently strengthen your physical activity and your breathing.
A ginger-lemon juice upon waking
Drink a glass of ginger and lemon juice, diluted with water. Juice a piece of ginger root, add the juice of half a lemon and top up with spring water at room temperature. This juice drains the liver and promotes the production of bile.
strawberries for breakfast
Bet on strawberries, your liver’s best friend. It’s high season, take advantage of it! Enjoy a bowl of raw, unsweetened strawberries. For a change, you can also eat half a grapefruit, half a melon, a bowl of cherries… Add a hot drink and yogurt which will rebalance the intestinal flora.
A breath after breakfast
This is the perfect time to perform a breathing exercise that will oxygenate your body and release any nervous pressure.
- Sit in a chair on the edge of your bed.
- Keep your back straight, your neck in line with your spine, your shoulders relaxed. Your hands are resting on your thighs.
- Close your eyes and take a deep breath (through your mouth).
- Then inhale slowly through your nose, slowly counting to 6. Inflate your belly first, then your chest.
- When your lungs are full, begin exhaling immediately, with no pause time. Your breathing should be like an unbroken loop, like the ebb and flow of the waves on the shore, invigorating and powerful.
- Exhale slowly for a count of 6, first emptying your rib cage, then your abdomen (tighten your abdominal muscles slightly).
- Then inhale again, without pause.
- Continue like this for 5 minutes, keeping your thoughts focused on your breath (about 20 to 25 full breaths).
drink wellyears in the morning
Your liver needs water. Do not forget to drink regularly, preferably water rich in bicarbonate for the duration of the cure (the rest of the time, prefer low mineralized spring water).
Follow your thirst. And if this feeling is not frequent for you, plan a few glasses: not too big, because it is not pleasant to drink a lot when you are not thirsty, but sufficiently frequent (every hour).
During the day, you will drink between 1 and 1.5 liters of water. A good habit to keep well beyond this spring detox cure.
Vegetables and lean proteins, the detox lunch menu
- Avoid fatty foods that slow down your digestion and require extra work from your liver.
- Organize your meal around fresh fruits and vegetables, cooked and/or raw, emphasizing seasonal draining plants (see above).
- Add a low-fat protein food (chicken breast, fish fillet, etc.), and a whole grain (slice of wholemeal bread, brown rice, wholemeal pasta).
- Preferably steam or cook in a lukewarm oven, and season with raw vegetable oils, lemon juice, herbs and spices.
- Finish with fresh fruit or yogurt.
your afternoon detox
Drink a bowl of draining herbal tea. You have the choice: meadowsweet (to increase renal elimination), boldo (to support liver activity), sage leaves, star anise. Drink your herbal tea in small sips.
Do some exercise in the late afternoon. Physical activity raises body temperature. But this one has need to come down slowly until the moment of falling asleep, which occurs when it is low.
If you are not used to practicing a sport, opt for half an hour brisk walk, trying to match your breathing to the rhythm of your steps. Don’t forget to drink water before, during and after your exercise period.
What detox menu fore dinner ?
Compose your evening meal like your midday meal, but this time without protein food (a single source of protein per day is more than enough).
The evening program
In the evening, menough your belly with tarragon essential oil.
- Add 3 drops to two tablespoons of carrier oil, then massage your entire stomach, rotating clockwise.
- Emphasize the liver area, which is just below your right ribs.
- Then, take a soothing herbal tea: hawthorn, passion flower, lavender, lemon balm…
Just before you go to bedooffer yourself 5 minutes of relaxation repeating the morning breathing exercise. You can also practice a relaxation exercise or meditation. This is the good ideal.
Extend your treatment at least 10 days, and at most three weeks. You can add food supplements to your detox menu by magnesium and in Omega 3 and a chelating product. You will be in great shape for the whole season!
Fruits and vegetables for your detox menu
Spring is the perfect time to give your body a feast of plants raw and cooked. You will multiply the intake of vitamins, minerals and fibers. By choosing the following, you will also benefit from their specific action on two major emunctory organs : liver and kidneys.
6 star vegetables for your detox cure
The artichoke is the ideal food to deeply cleanse your liver. It arrives on the shelves from May. Watch him. The artichoke rids the liver of waste which encumber it, increases the production of bile and promotes its evacuation in the digestive tract. The artichoke-food is none other than the flower bud of the plant itself, whose leaves are used in herbal medicine. Steam it, and season it with a little organic vegetable oil and a squeeze of lemon or a dash of cider vinegar.
Asparagus makes its appearance with the fine weather. It is an exceptional renal drainer. She increases urine output, promotes its elimination and drains renal toxins. Asparagus is easy to cook: small green or large purple, they can be steamed and eaten with a drizzle of lemon juice and olive oil.
The very bitter flavor of Black radish not everyone likes it. It’s a shame, because the black radish is really liver’s best friend. It has an effect similar to that of artichoke, but more intense. So try mixing grated black radish into your carrots (the sweetness of the latter lessens the bitterness of the former), incorporate small cubes into your vegetable purees (it goes well with zucchini or sweet potato).
If celery is a winter draining food, fennel is its spring and summer cousin. He is rich in water and potassium, which makes it diuretic. Raw or cooked, it offers a delicate aniseed flavor that blends easily with other vegetables.
The cucumber is the champion of renal elimination. It is composed
more than 96% water! As this water is associated with a lot of potassium, the cucumber activates renal elimination. This is his main interest. In summer, if you find it difficult to increase your daily water intake, eat cucumber. It is very refreshing.
Exceptional hepatic drainer, dandelion increases the production of bile and promotes its evacuation. It is also slightly diuretic and its soft fibers improve transit. Alas, the dandelion season is short. So hunt them down in the markets, and taste them raw (with a soft-boiled egg for example) or cooked (stewed, like spinach).
2 fruits to complete your detox menu
The strawberry is the fruit of spring. It appears on the markets at the same time as the first buds, and that’s good. Strawberries are rich in water and potassium, which makes them diuretic. But that’s not the main thing. It contains specific substances that act on liver cells and stimulate their regeneration. It also contains soft fibers that improve transit, and stimulating vitamin C. A beautiful program!
Melon is also rich in water and potassium. It is therefore diuretic. An excellent supplement for plants that drain the liver, because it takes eliminate toxins through the kidneys that this organ has eliminated. When you come across a melon that is not very tasty, try pan-frying it quickly (2 to 3 minutes) in a little olive oil, with salt and pepper. Perfect to accompany a chicken breast or a fillet of fish.
