Your body functions in cycles similar to the rhythmic seasons of spring, fall, and winter. So, just as you celebrate the rejuvenation of life in the springtime, it’s also essential to take some time to reawaken and cleanse your body.
Believe it or not, your body synchronizes with the environment, and spring is the perfect season to adopt a cleansing detox ritual to reset vital bodily systems. Detoxing boosts your ability to stay healthy throughout the rest of the year. This article will discuss our cyclical bodies and the importance of performing a spring detox. Plus, enjoy this simple step-by-step detox protocol you can do yourself at home with nothing but food!
But first, let’s explore your body clock.
Your Body Clock
Picture yourself standing directly in front of your body. There’s a massive clock with large hands perfectly centered in the backdrop. Now Imagine the clock begins to speed up. As the hands spin, you can see your body changing. Observe your facial expressions as your energy shifts. Your eyes become heavy when your stamina drops and widen when you become excited.
Suddenly, it’s 10 p.m., most of your energy has faded, and your body begins to sink into a lull.
Now imagine standing in front of that clock for an entire year. What kinds of changes do you think you would see?
The Circadian Rhythm is a 24-hour cycle the body goes through, much like the giant clock and varying seasons. (National Institute of General Medical Sciences, 2020) It knows when you shift gears because of environmental cues such as light, hormones, and caloric intake. This internal tempo connects intercellularly to all of our biological systems.
The circadian rhythm isn’t exclusive to human beings either. Animals and plants also operate within a circadian rhythm. For example, plants need a certain amount of daylight to grow, just as the barn owl knows food will be scampering below when the light of day fades with the setting sun.
Humans are inherently meant to be awake during the day and asleep at night. Any interruption in this cycle can cause considerable health problems such as adrenal fatigue, chronic disease, and even immune system failure. (Shanmugam, Vignesh, et al., 2013)
Your body discharges certain chemicals via the endocrine and cognitive systems that correspond to our daily activities. Therefore, it’s imperative to recognize and nurture your body clock to release the right chemicals at the right time to repair itself and remain healthy.
Likewise, your body naturally follows monthly, seasonally, and yearly cycles.
Monthly and Yearly Cycles
Your body rebuilds itself, and every seven years, your body will have replaced almost every cell with new ones. So, of course, this is great information to know because if you work at it, you can target specific systems in the body and repair them.
Some even say this cycle closely relates to the body’s seven chakras, associated with astrology and the zodiacal calendar.
Women’s monthly cycles prepare the body to create life while cleansing old dead tissue. This cycle completes every 28 days. Men go through a similar hormonal cycle every 24 hours. Additionally, a 16-year Denmark study demonstrated that men go through a monthly hormone cycle, but unlike women, they do not bleed. (Oakley, A. ed., 2005).
Eating for the Season
Both traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine systems teach that your body changes with the environment; therefore, you should eat to suit the season for the best possible health and wellness.
Each season (spring, summer, fall, and winter) elicits differences in our endocrine and metabolic processes. Therefore, eating foods associated with each season can be as important as sleeping at the correct times.
It’s pretty straightforward, really… you merely eat the foods that are in season. Seasonal eating in the moderate climates of North America can look something like this:
Spring — fresh, cleansing, light
Garlic, fresh salad greens, radishes, arugula, asparagus, fava beans, peas, beets, Fidel heads, lemons, leeks, morel mushrooms, onions, nettles, parsley, spinach, turnips, chives, micro-greens, and watercress.
Summer — vibrant colors, cooling, energetic and juicy foods
Melons, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, lightly cooked meats, smoothies, raw foods, salads, peaches, plums, berries, summer squash, bell peppers, artichokes, cabbage, beets, eggplant, celery, corn on the cob, and fresh herbs.
Fall — warm, sweet, higher fat and protein
Sweet potatoes, turnips, yams, grains, legumes, garlic, onions, ginger, pickles, mustard seed, peppercorns, dates, figs, cranberries, fall mushrooms, raisins, pomegranate, nuts, and seeds.
Winter — warming cooked foods, stored and dried foods
Soups, meat, eggs, carrots, potatoes, onions, garlic, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, ginger, winter squash, dried mushrooms, stored seeds, and nuts.
Spring Cleaning the Body
You’re probably familiar with “spring cleaning” your home, but what about your body?
Your body is constantly cleansing itself via the liver, kidneys, bowels, and skin. But your elimination channels can become bogged down and plugged up, so it’s important to nurture those eliminatory organs and systems at least once a year by doing a detoxifying cleanse.
Cleanses can go as deep as you want them to go. You can even do organ-specific cleanses, which often include the addition of supplements, fasting, and an herbal regimen.
But a more general cleanse, like the whole-food cleanse below, gently detoxifies and stimulates each system in the body through nutrition and fasting. This simple cleanse is a fantastic way to introduce detoxing for beginners and is generally considered safe.
This spring detox is an easy way to strengthen and relieve burdened eliminatory organs.
Here are some benefits of doing a spring detox program:
• Removes stored toxins
• Reset of vital detox organs like the liver, kidneys, and bowels
• Weight loss
• Facilitates stem cell production
• Eliminates stored fat
• Alkalizing
• Purifies the blood
• Cleanses the urinary system
• Purges the intestinal tract
• Washes the body of excess mucus
• Promotes better absorption
• Resets metabolic and endocrine systems
• Stabilizes blood sugar
• Improves digestion
• Boosts immunity
Additionally, this regimen may help draw out even the most harmful toxins, such as heavy metals, flame retardants, and heavy chemicals, which cause numerous health issues.
Detoxing could help you tackle health issues related to the accumulation of these built-up toxins in your body or the malfunction of various systems affected by toxin overload… whether you understand that to be the situation or not.
Revitalizing Spring Detox Regimen
It’s critical to remember to drink, drink, and drink more water. Not only does water help stop hunger, but it also flushes all of the released toxins out of your system. If you do not drink enough water, your body will actually reabsorb the toxins, so this is really important.
You also want to make sure you are eliminating your bowels. To ensure proper elimination, you might want to use enemas, magnesium, cascara sagrada, or colonics. Please talk with your doctor if you’re unsure of the best way to go about this or if you have any issues moving your bowels or a diagnosed illness. Again, if you are not eliminating your waste, your body will reabsorb it, and the cleanse will not work.
Here is this simple yet effective dietary detox almost anyone can do.
Day 1
No food. Just LOTS of water for a 24-hour period.
Day 2
The first half of day two is an elimination phase. This lemonade recipe by Dr. Stanley Burroughs is like an internal soap for your body. You will follow the elimination phase by replenishing vital salts, minerals, and vitamins with superfood juices. You will need your juicer.
Break your 24-hour fast with Dr. Stanley’s Master Cleanse Lemonade. Here is the recipe.
2 tablespoons of fresh organic lemon juice
2 tablespoons of organic grade B maple syrup
Small pinch of cayenne pepper (approx 1/10 of a teaspoon)
1 ½ cups of filtered water (approx 10 oz)
Mix the fresh lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and water together in a glass. You don’t need a juicer as you can just cut the lemon in half and squeeze.
Drink the lemonade every two hours until dinner time.
Replace the lemonade with raw juice made with any combination of fruits you choose, along with celery, cucumber, and parsley. This is all you will eat on day-2
Day 3
Day three is an all-raw food day.
You can have up to two meals of solid raw foods on day three and one blended meal. You should refrain from using any sauces, dressings, dairy, gluten, sugar or oils. Instead, try using avocado and fresh herbs if you have a salad.
Here are a few useful suggestions:
• Raw fruits and vegetables
• Soaked chia seeds
• Raw nuts and seeds
• Juice
• Salad
• Fresh herbs
• Avocado
• Dried fruits
• Herbal teas
• Smoothies (use chia or avocado instead of yogurt)
• Raw cacao
You can ease back into your regular diet on Day 4; however, don’t be surprised if some of the unhealthy foods you were eating don’t taste as good as they did pre-detox.
You may even begin to appreciate the simple flavors of real food a little bit more, which is a great thing! Notice how much lighter you feel and how well your body reacts to clean foods and keep hold of that as you move forward.