It’s almost time for spring! It’s the time of year when we start to feel the urge to clean things. On the first nice day we throw open the windows and, if your like my wife, get out the cleaning supplies. She cleans feverishly in places that don’t see the light of day. All the things come out of the cabinets, the floor of the cabinet under the kitchen sink gets scrubed, things go into a yard sale pile, the last of the dead leaves and plant material are cleared out of the garden. You get the picture.
In spring we also have a tendancy to want to get outside and get active. It’s time to get things moving! Here are some great remedies to help cleanse your system and help you to feel energetic and ready for the flurry of spring activity right around the corner.
Top 4 Ways to Spring Cleanse, Gently
1. Eat some bitter greens like collards, kale, dandelion greens, some people would consider arugala bitter, some lettuces
This is a very safe, effective and gentle, way to detoxify your body in the spring. Eat big salads with your favorite vinigrette dressings. I like a basic oil and vinegar mix but there are so many options. Check out this blog post by the kitchen gardener Ellen Ecker Ogden, especially the roasted garlic dressing!
2.Drink lots of water with some lemon juice– another gentle cleanser to keep things moving out! Making sure you drink adequate amounts of filtered water will do more for your body than you know. Every cell functions maximally when hydrated properly.
3. Make a nutritive smoothie everyday. Smoothies are a yummy, easy way to pack a lot of nutrients into a little space. The important part is for them to taste good without having any added sugar. Fruit is your friend! Here are some tips from our household smoothie making: we use frozen bananas for taste and texture, a healthy yogurt with NO ADDED sweetner and lots of probiotis like Seven Stars Yougurt, frozen blueberries, peaches, mango, strawberries (any fruit that sounds good to you), a splash of organe juice, a bigger splash of green juice from Trader Joe’s, ground flax seed, a TBSP of hemp protein powder, a TBSP spirulina or chlorella powder, some powdered probiotics, maybe even some orange flavored fish oil. The point is- you chose and make it something you love!
4. Get moving! Being active will help your system detoxify naturally and also improve your mood. Pick any activity that you like! Here are some ideas- kettle bells, bike riding, hiking, walking the dog, taking the kids to the playground and running around with them, gardening, cleaning- anything!
It’s not necessary to use products or stop eating to cleanse your body. Just increase your intake of the above to help kickstart your system into spring cleansing mode! And most importantly- have a blast this spring. Go outside and smell the flowers, romp in the grass, have people over, visit Frederick or Harpers Ferry or try to find bloodroot blooming in the woods. Enjoy!