how to prepare for your cleanse..
Before, during and after your cleanse:
Preparing for and transitioning out of your cleanse is just as important as the cleanse itself. Making the commitment and investment to cleanse is a big step, and proper preparation will maximize the benefits of the program. The more steps you take to transition your body into and out of the new all-liquid diet you’ll be following, the better detoxification you will achieve. A few days before your cleanse (we recommend three) start incorporating these changes into your routine:
Before your cleanse:
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Begin your day with warm lemon water or herbal tea. Lemon is extremely alkalizing and will wake up your body and get things moving. Eliminate caffeine (coffee, tea, alcohol) and aim to drink half of your body weight in ounces of filtered water each day. While we recommend not ingesting any caffeine, if you absolutely must, opt for antioxidant-rich green tea.
Remember to chew! We can very easily forget that chewing our food has a huge impact on digestion.
3 days before your cleanse, start to phase out all animal products from your diet. This includes all dairy and eggs. If necessary, you may eat a small portion of lightly steamed fish. Also phase out sugar, processed foods, refined starches (pasta, white rice, bread) bananas and potatoes. Eat as many fruits and vegetables as you’d like, and small portions of nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains.
2 days before your cleanse: at least half of your meals today should be raw, and you’ll want to reduce the your intake of nuts, seeds, and legumes. Whole grains should be completely eliminated today. Smoothies, soups and salads are all good options.
1 day before you cleanse: eliminate nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains. Consume only raw or lightly steamed fruits and vegetables, with at least one meal being liquid in form (juice, smoothie or soup).
During your cleanse:
Start your day with warm lemon water, followed shortly by your vitality shot.
Drink your juices in their numbered order. A good rule of thumb is to wait at least one hour between juices, making sure to drink your almond milk at least two hours before bed. Everyone’s different though, so listen to your body – it will tell you what it needs!
Between juices, drink lots of water. This aids in detoxification and helps flush everything out. You may also have as much herbal tea as you’d like throughout the day.
Avoid all alcohol, tobacco and caffeine while cleansing.
As you cleanse, your body will continually be loosening toxins for elimination. It’s extremely important that you are indeed eliminating these toxins when they’re ready to leave your body, so they’re not reabsorbed into your blood stream.
There are several ways to help with the elimination process:
Excessive exercise is not recommended. Light yoga, walking or other mild forms of exercise however are encouraged. This will stimulate your lymphatic system and help move toxins out of your body.
Exfoliate! Try dry brushing your skin before your shower or bath.
Visit a sauna. Our skin is our largest organ of elimination, so the more you sweat, the better.
Get a colonic. Now, this may sound scary, but getting a colonic before, during and after your cleanse will help immensely with the elimination process. Out with the old, in with the new!
If you just don’t feel comfortable with colonics, that’s ok. Because you’re not ingesting any fiber we recommend trying an herbal laxative capsule or tea next to get things moving.
Take a daily probiotic (especially if you’ve gotten a colonic). This will help your body replenish good bacteria and keep your gut healthy.
Relax! Take warm baths and showers, book a massage, light some candles. Your body is working hard, so treat yourself to lots of rest.
After your cleanse:
After your cleanse, we recommend following the pre-cleanse diet, but in reverse order.