By Richmond Natural Medicine

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March 9, 2017

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We recently passed the second “detox” benchmark of the year: the first day of spring is a popular time to focus on cleansing and detoxing (right after the New Year, of course), and the arrival of spring is indeed a more appropriate time to do such a thing. With much more upward movement and energy, the body is now “waking up” and dusting off the cobwebs of winter hibernation. New foods are popping up, more colors are emerging and more energy is flowing through our veins. The body is also becoming more active and awake, and we have a natural tendency to want to eat more green goodies like salads, juices, fresh veggies and fruits! Now that all these foods are becoming available, it’s a wonderful time to focus on their contributions to our cleansing and detoxification processes and support our natural ability to cleanse every day.

The human body is extremely efficient at utilizing every single thing you put into your mouth. Every day, your body goes through a complete cleansing ritual without you even trying, and your foods play a major role in how thorough and complete that cleansing process happens. The farther away we get from eating real foods, the more difficult the body deals with processing those nutrients, and the more probable it becomes to store away toxins in the liver and other organs that are not fully eliminated.

Every organ system, including the lungs, liver, skin, colon, kidneys, lymph and sweat glands play a role in processing our inputs, and every single cell in the body must eliminate waste throughout a 24 hour cycle. The liver is the major player in the detoxification system, and we will go into detail about all of that in my upcoming class, Spring Ayurvedic Cleansing with Whole Foods & Herbs on April 5th.

Probably the best way you can support natural cleansing and detoxification is through your DIET, especially in every single serving of vegetables. My daily motto is “eat the rainbow” – the more colorful the better, and here’s why:

Characterizing by color

Purple Vegetables- Nourish the blood; Tones cardiovascular system; Contains
anthocyanins, to strengthen capillary tone; high in antioxidants
Examples: eggplant, red onion, purple cabbage, beets, blueberries

Red Vetetables – Contain lots of lycopene, great for the heart and cardiovascular system
Examples: Tomatoes, (even pasta sauce & salsa for really depleted people).

Orange Vegetables – Contain beta carotene which is important for immune system and
essential for cell-to-cell communication.
Example: Carrots, golden beets

Green Vegetables – Especially dark leafy & brassicas are important for multiple organ
system detoxification; useful in hormonal imbalance; increases liver detoxification (gets rid
of excess hormone supplies); LOADED with vitamins and minerals.
Examples: kale, broccoli, bok choy, Chinese cabbage, spinach, swiss chard, beet greens

White/Green- Extremely nutritive to immune and lymphatic system.
Examples: garlic, onions, leeks, chives

There are so many aspects to cleansing the body, nurturing the organ systems and keeping the emotional and spiritual guiding principles intact while nourishing the body with good foods. In my upcoming class, Spring Ayurvedic Cleansing with Whole Foods and Herbs, at Richmond Natural Medicine on April 5th at 5:30, you will be guided through selecting appropriate foods for your unique body type and given instruction on how to complete a 3-day holistic kitchari cleanse using whole foods and digestive supporting herbs. Additional recipes, food lists and tea recipes will be provided to enjoy for the rest of the season to maintain balance and nourishment and deeply support every organ system.

What will you receive?

• Group meal of Kitchari and custom blended digestive tea
• 15 + page booklet of cleaning notes + additional customizable food lists & recipes.
• Guidelines & instruction on a 3-day holistic kitchari cleanse + before and after meals and teas to support the immune system and building of a healthy digestive tract.
• Herbal medicine notes for digestive supporting and detoxifying herbs to use for every season.
• Basic Ayurvedic constitutional assessment to assess foods best suited for your cleanse and for daily consumption.
• Q&A with Lindsay Kluge, M.Sc, CNS, LDN, Clinical Herbalist & Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist.

For more information on this upcoming class call our office at 804-977-2634 or check out our events listing for online tickets.