Daily cleanse: Redemption for the body
In a continuing effort to share ideas for real people with busy lives, we will explore a number of methods for 鈥渉ouse cleaning鈥� the vital organs and blood stream. Often, people mistake symptoms of 鈥渋llness鈥� for what is actually a sluggish digestive, lymphatic, respiratory, or circulatory system.
These parts of our bodies are assaulted and made 鈥渄irty鈥� to varying degrees depending on a number of factors including diet, work environment, chemicals in the home, region of the country, time of year, and elevation above sea level to name a few.
Familiar ways in which we acquire toxins and organ clogging offenders include food, drinking water, air quality in and out of home, air quality at work, skin contact with chemicals at work and home, cleaning chemicals, chemical residue in clothing, off-gassing of new carpeting in home, at work, or in a car, drying paint or other construction chemicals, perfumes and hair products, scented soaps and oils, and fumes from gasoline at the pump to name just a few common offenders.
With this seemingly endless list, it seems not only prudent but downright necessary to make regular and concerted efforts to clear out the system.
Let蘑菇视频 start with the simplest techniques involving the least number and easiest to obtain ingredients, and then work toward the more 鈥渁dvanced鈥� methods. The first and certainly simplest is to drink 16 to 32 ounces of clean water first thing upon arising in the morning. Simple for sure, but please note that discerning clean water is a topic of surprisingly strong debate.
For the sake of brevity, let蘑菇视频 agree that clean water has no chemicals such as chlorine, and no bacteria or other live entities that can harm us. Well-filtered reverse osmosis water, or distilled water are two possible examples. Room temperature water is said to be best assimilated. The benefits of drinking water at this time include: Activates metabolism, re-hydrates the body, flushes out toxins, fuels the brain (the brain is 75 percent water) and helps suppress appetite.
In addition, it is worth noting that the body is typically dehydrated when it awakens after 8 hours (or more) of sleep.
The next 鈥渓evel鈥� would be lemon water using freshly squeezed organic (or local non-sprayed) lemons. Most sources recommend about half of an average lemon for each 8 ounces, but this is not an exact recipe. I personally use half of a lemon in a 32-ounce glass jar of room temperature water.
There are some variations to the recipe which allow for adding other ingredients including baking soda (teaspoon) which alkalizes the solution, cayenne pepper to boost cleansing affect and metabolic rate, and ginger to help heal the gut. In this and most drink protocols, one should wait at least 30 minutes after finishing the drink to eat anything.
As with the pure water drink, there is a list of benefits including the following: Aids digestion; contains diuretic to encourage flushing toxins; boosts immunity due to high vitamin C and potassium in lemons; balances PH levels, one of the best defenses against cancer; clears skin via antioxidants and toxic purge; promotes wound healing; relieves tooth pain and bad breath (however, please wait at least one hour before brushing teeth because citric acid erodes tooth enamel); hydrates lymph system; and promotes weight loss because of pectin fiber and alkaline effect.
The third level of morning cleanse is fresh green juice. This is best achieved through the use of a quality vegetable juicer. As with any cleanse, since the whole point is to remove toxins, and not add more, I advise organic vegetables where possible. At the least wash any non-organic veggies with a good vegetable wash such as vinegar, baking soda, and lemon juice.
Green juice, of course, requires greater effort in preparation and cleanup, but it provides the extra benefit of both cleansing, and infusing super nutrition to a fasted body that is at maximum capacity to absorb the nutrients.
One thing to note about green juice is that it is green because it is dominated by veggies, not sweet fruit. Over-use of fruit will raise the glycemic-index value, and thereby cause insulin reactions which defeat the efforts of infusing nutrition into the fasted body. Dr. Mercola eloquently describes green juice as follows:
鈥淩aw juice can be likened to a 鈥渓iving broth,鈥� as it is teeming with micro-nutrients that many people are lacking.
When you drink fresh-made green juice, it is almost like receiving an intravenous infusion of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes because they go straight into your system without having to be broken down.
Drinking your juice first thing in the morning can give you a natural energy boost without resorting to stimulants like coffee. Since the juice is already in an easily digestible form, it can help revitalize your energy levels within as little as 20 minutes鈥nd this is only the beginning of its benefits.鈥�
I have personally experienced this. When I drink fresh green juice first thing, I feel a tangible rush of energy, consciousness and mental acuity. I attribute this to super oxygenation of my body and brain tissues in addition to Dr. Mercola蘑菇视频 description.
Let蘑菇视频 list some of the benefits of green juice: Helps us absorb all the nutrients from the vegetables; allows us to consume a greater amount of vegetables in an efficient manner compared to eating them in the usual way; makes it easier to add a greater diversity of vegetables; promotes weight loss; boosts immunity; increases energy (especially from hyper-oxygenation; and improves brain function.
There are a number of recipes for low sugar green juices. Common ingredients include: Kale, cucumber, ginger, celery, wheat grass, broccoli or Brussels sprouts, lemon or lime and swiss chard.
Dr. Mercolas鈥� website is a wealth of information on this topic: www.mercola.com.
One last note on the green juice: On days when time is extremely limited, I may 鈥渃heat鈥� with a quality powdered green drink mix. I like Barlean蘑菇视频鈥� Greens, but there are other brands. I put one scoop of green powder in 8 to 16 ounces of clean water.