Green Lemonade

This post comes in response to reader questions and curiosity following the recent introduction of The Fashionista Cleanse at New York’s Fashion Week.

A 3 day juice fast is great – if you’re ready. But they can be super tough (headaches, nausea, exhaustion) – if you’re not. That’s why I’m so glad a few of you asked for a more gentle way to do a whole body cleanse. So how DO you go about a more gentle version of a cleanse without going overboard? Here are three gentle ways to get started.

PS – Just remember, as with all good things, true “cleansing” takes time. These gentle cleansing ideas are helpful as a gateway to a healthier lifestyle. Not even a long 7 day or 14 day juice fast will rid your body of years of gunk from poor eating or overeating. It’s all about working to adopt a consistent, healthy eating regimen. I hope these little ideas inspire you on your journey to look and feel your best.

3 Gentle Whole Body Cleansing Ideas

1. Most Gentle: Eliminate Sugar + Refined Carbs
   One of the quickest and easiest ways to begin a cleansing regimen is to introduce more leafy greens, vegetables and some whole fruit into your diet and avoid processed foods and refined carbohydrates such as white rice, white bread and sugar, which provide minimal nutrients and can be calorically-dense. Fresh, uncooked leafy greens, vegetables, and some fruit act as natural cleansers for your body. These foods act like little scrub brushes as they travel along inside your body helping to loosen up old crusty waste and preparing it for removal. (Waste = Excess Weight.) The addition of roasted and lightly steamed vegetarian foods help compliment a few meals of fresh, raw foods by keeping your body’s detoxification work balanced. Cooked foods are also helpful in “keeping things moving.” After all, you are not truly cleansing, unless you are “eliminating”. Want to try this idea out? You might be inspired by this 1 Day Whole Foods Cleanse Menu.




2. Gentle : An All Raw Day With Fresh Juices, Smoothies, Soups + Raw Salads
   Another gentle way to introduce a more cleansing way of eating into your life is with a few liquid meals. An occasional change in your diet through a strategic combination of a few green smoothies and energy soups – perhaps enjoyed through until a later lunch or dinner occasionally – gives your body a chance to catch up on its housecleaning work as the energy in the body shifts from digestion (which requires a tremendous amount of the body’s energy resources) to healing. You mike consider a fresh pressed vegetable juice such as this Classic Sagaponack Carrot and Celery Juice. This Nutrient Packed Green Lemonade is also delicious. No juicer? No worries! This Cashew Peach Green Smoothie would also make a great breakfast. Mid morning, follow it up with this Amagansett Heirloom Tomato + Avocado Soup might also be nice. For dinner you might then enjoy a large raw salad. This Juice Until Dinner Menu might give you some ideas. It is a bit heavier on the fresh pressed juices, but feel free and substitute the fresh pressed juices with a smoothie or two. It would be just as beneficial. The key is really about enjoying more greens in your day.

“…green vegetables ran away with the title and legumes and fresh fruit took home a distant silver and bronze in the nutrient-density Olympics.” – Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Eat To Live

3. Still Gentle: An All Liquid Day With Fresh Juices, Smoothies, Warmed + Raw Soups
   This last idea builds on the momentum from An All Raw Day With Fresh Juices, Smoothies, Soups + Raw Salads as outlined above. But in this case, instead of a leafy green, raw salad for dinner, you might consider an all liquid day. Your morning and lunch would be similar to the menu listed above. For dinner, however, you might have another raw soup gazpacho or perhaps even a warm minestrone soup. This warm Green Soup with Ginger (blended and topped with a few raw veggies) from Heidi Swanson at 101cookbooks is a personal favorite of mine in the fall.

FAQ – What about caffeine on a cleanse?
True cleansing gurus would poo-poo drinking any caffeine when cleansing as it affects the detoxification work of your liver. But you’re starting out gradually, and if you’re doing so many other things right (like eliminating tons of sugar and processed foods) I’m on the side of moderation on this one. You might not want to have 10 cups a day, but you get the idea.

Learn more about juice fasting and cleansing

1. Juice Fasting 101
2. Should you do a cleanse?
3. How To Prepare Your Body For A Cleanse
4. Why Is Cleansing and Fasting Popular Today?
5. The Dangers of Juice Fasting
6. Eat More Real Foods To Cleanse, Lose Weight, Gain Energy and Feel Better
7. Learn More About Juice Fasting

Note: The images above are sourced from Fashionologie and feature pieces from Rodarte. So fun and beautiful.