Healthy Green Moms

I am surprised that I have not done a post about cleansing on HGM! After a long break while having babies and nursing, I finally completed two cleanse programs this spring that I found to be totally exhilarating. Now I am cleansing again, this time very gently over a longer period of time. My goal? More vibrant energy and a clear mind to assist me while I move forward with my vision for empowering women to conceive and birth their passion.

Having done many cleanse programs over the years, I often customizing them to suit my goals and they have generally been  more advanced. Today, I’m going to highlight my favorite cleanse programs for beginners!

Why would anybody want to cleanse?

A cleanse program 1-2 times each year and more for therapeutic benefits is a great way to detox the irritants we are all environmentally exposed to that build up over time. Genetically, our body has no way to eliminate the food additives introduced to our food chain. These materials get deposited in the digestive tract, colon, liver, lymphatic system and kidneys. Cleansing on a regular basis aids our body in elimination in the modern world.

Cleansing is also one of the most effective ways to establish a healthy routine. They also  introduce you to diet plans that are supportive to your vitality.  You’ll acquire healthy eating habits that will stay with you for your entire life. You’ll lose weight, improve your overall health, boost your immunity, clear up the brain fog, feel more energetic throughout the day and sleep better. Yeah baby!

Sometimes I get funny looks when I talk about cleansing. I grew up watching my parents cleanse each year and to date, my family has no illnesses whatsoever. Considering the statistics, I attribute their clean bill of health (especially as they enter the golden years) to eating from a garden for most of my life and cleansing religiously twice each year.

I did my first cleanse when I was 16 years old. It was a colonic irrigation and although I did not find it enjoyable, I was astonished a how my vitality changed in one short hour. I arrived tired and hung over (rebellious teen!) and I left bright eyed and energetic. This was when I knew for myself the power of a healthy digestive tract to enhance my vitality.

Another cleanse program dramatically altered my health while I was recovering from years of a toxic lifestyle. I loved my youthful ideals but I did not love myself enough to care for my body and I polluted my body for years. In addition to a toxic lifestyle, I also became a “one chocolate bar a day” kind of gal. The craving for sweets were intense and this type of physical and emotional cravings are usually due to a candida overgrowth. After doing two back to back candida cleanses, I eliminated my sweet craving entirely. To this day, I have never gone back to sweets in an addictive way. (occasional & only for pleasure)

Over the years, I have discovered the power of nutrition and cleansing to aid me in self healing on a cellular level. I moved through addiction, depression and illness without medical drugs or assistance because of the power of cleansing programs and adopting a healthy holistic lifestyle and mindset.

Ideally, the best cleansing times are spring and fall. Winter is not a good time because we are typically at “rest” and the body in not renewing during this time. You also will find it harder to manage the hot and cold sensations in winter. Summer is OK, however some cleanses limit your intake of fruit (Candida Cleanse Program) which can be hard in the summertime so it depends on which program you choose.

I know, like I know, that I know, that a yearly cleansing program is critical for anyone desiring optimal health.

Do You Need a Cleanse?

I generally follow two “rules” for cleansing. One, I normally cleanse each spring and fall. This follows the natural rhythm of the earth through “renewal and reflection” Two PERFECT times to cleanse.

Secondly, I cleanse when I have fallen off my healthy routine or I feel some of the following symptoms: (*note that many of the major symptoms are not normally an issue anymore once you’ve been cleansing for a while)

Lethargic or mid day fatigue, moody, *depression, *anxiety, skin disruptions, candida itch, tired in the mornings, dark circles under the eyes, cravings for alcohol or sweets, irregular digestion and bowel movements, PMS, brain fog, difficulty with memory, vision troubles, headaches….the list goes on!!

Which Cleanse Program is Best?

When the body has lost it’s state of balance or has gone through a period of depressed immunity, there are 6 main cleansing programs that can help you restore your vitality.

Parasites, Candida, Heavy Metal Toxicity, Liver Detox, Kidney Cleanse and Total Body Gentle Cleanse Programs. (the cleanses I have linked to are ones I have personal experience with and feel they are a good start for beginners.)

The total body cleanse program I recommend is also a fantastic way for mothers to cleanse before or after having children and nursing without experiencing the usual “healing crisis” symptoms that can be inconvenient with young children!

The general rule of thumb is to focus on one area at a time as a new cleanser, lets say ridding your body of toxic metals first and cleanse this issue for a period of up to 6 months with short breaks, and then shift into cleansing the body twice each year. A heavy metal cleanse program is very important, but you can also do a heavy metal test first to see if this is essential for you or not.

Parasites are also a bug big concern and should be addressed with a parasite cleanse program in the beginning of adopting a healthier lifestyle or repeated every 1-2 years, especially for Sushi lovers, those who travel abroad or eat med-rare meat. They generally take 30 days and do not require a very strict diet.

A candida cleanse program is one of those essential programs in the beginning of cleansing or adopting a healthier lifestyle. The standard North American diet is not friendly and most people have an overgrowth of candida and do not realize it. If you find you crave sweets, alcohol, bread, pasta, fruit juice etc and you also have many of the symptoms that you have not been able to find the root cause  for, then it is worth doing a candida cleanse program. I have found that after dealing with the initial Candida, I have been able to maintain the candida balance by listening to my body and altering my diet as required.

You may also want to try an herbal fiber colon cleanse. Fiber has the ability to expand within the colon where it’s able to trap impacted wastes and toxins and carry them out of the body as it leaves. When blended with digestive herbs, fiber makes a great, all natural cleanse for colon detoxification.

A Gentle Cleanse Program for Mothers

One of the things that changed after having children was the intensity of my cleanses. I used to do the MasterCleanse (fasting 12-15 days except for a special juice combination) but now I cannot rest enough through the detox symptoms the way I used to. My young kids need me to have energy, all the time!

I am on The Cleanse for Life Program right now which is a gentle total body cleanse. It’s unique because it replenishes vital nutrients as it cleanses your body. If you are familiar with natural cleansing herbs, you’ll know how important Pau D’arco, Yellow Dock and Aloe Vera are in aiding the body to release toxins and improve vitality. There are also powerful antioxidants like bilberry, blueberry and raspberry, which help protect your body from free radicals and support cardiovascular and brain health.

Cleanse for Life is designed to feed and nourish your body because it gives your body the nutrition it needs to cleanse itself naturally. It nourishes the liver and promotes cleansing the entire body on a cellular level.

I drink it once each day to aid the removal of surface-level impurities you are exposed to on a daily basis.

I also deep cleanse periodically by drinking it 3-4 times each day for 9-30 days to help remove contaminants that have collected deep within the body tissues over time but what is cool is that I don’t experience the deep cleanse symptoms I know so well. Deep cleansing has the added benefit of promoting weight loss.

If you want to try cleansing but are scared of the cleansing symptoms you’ve heard about, this would be a good introduction to cleansing. It is also does not matter what time of the year, because it is so gentle and effective.

Doing a cleanse program twice a year or using gentle cleanse programs periodically like Cleanse for Life are as essential to me as taking key supplements (multivitamin, probiotic, omega oils)

Remember, with all of this information, I also believe it is important NOT to be a FANATIC cleanser! Just focus on how good you want to feel, not on how many ways the world is making you sick that require you to cleanse, right?

A good cleanse program is like a good holiday. After a few days of adjusting, you will feel more refreshed, energetic, happy and ready to take on the world! Once you try cleansing and feel how much your energy increases, you’ll wonder why you weren’t cleansing all along.

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