The words ‘cleanse’ and ‘detox’ are often used interchangeably. I prefer to use the word ‘cleanse’ for my courses as the term detox immediately rings alarm bells for many. Words like restriction, fast and hunger spring to mind and create a negative vibe.
There are many cynics when it comes to clean eating and detoxing. One blog I found describes cleansing with a very black and white mentality:
‘There's no specific definition of a detox or cleanse, but they often involve limiting your food intake to pressed juice, avoiding specific types of food, or drinking a concoction of juices that supposedly rids your body of toxins.’ And this goes on to provide a sceptical overview of how the body is perfectly capable of detoxing itself and how just drinking juice for a period can be dangerous.
All true. And every professional juice fast retreat will take a medical questionnaire to see if clients are healthy enough to survive it. The detoxification system is indeed a complicated but (usually) efficient mechanism; however there is the inarguable fact that our bodies are exposed to a huge amount of xenobiotics on a daily basis (foreign chemicals). Are we capable of breaking down this load and excreting them efficiently? There are many key nutrients involved in the smooth running of the detoxification pathways therefore for someone whose lifestyle contains less than healthy behaviours and eats a restrictive highly processed diet then it is possible that the liver will struggle.
A little help along the way is no bad thing as long as it’s moderate and practiced in a safe setting. But a week quick fix juicing is not enough. A dietary reboot is required to make long term health goals a reality plus guided work on behaviour change.
My courses are all about moderation and assisting the liver to function more optimally in a world where propping ourselves up on prosecco and caffeine is entirely condoned. Why not take a break from our fast paced routines, learn what it is exactly that is making you tired, lethargic and requiring multiple expresso shots. Each client takes away with them a new eating strategy that they build into their lives. Any yes, inevitably things slip over time, so coming back for a re-cleanse is a great reminder of how good it feels to feel good. Many participants of my course are on their third or forth cleanse.
I don’t allow hunger, and restriction is also a big no no. Instead we focus on what we can include to prop up our adrenals and to keep satiated without the need for stimulants; and vitally how to make this into a practical and delicious plan which allows you time to practice what we women of the 21st C often fail to do; to look after ourselves well.
I currently have ten women following a nourishing 8 day plan based on their collective aims: energy boosting, weight loss, immune boost and anti-aging.
Next course will be in July in preparation for the summer holidays. If you are interested please sign up for my newsletter or drop me an email bellenutrition@gmail.com