» Articles » Features

Phase 2 of your detox focuses on the cleansing/eliminating power of green foods

Your essential detox guide – part 2

Having worked your way gently through phase 1 of your detox you are now ready for phase 2.

This phase is the main detox, supporting the elimination of the liver and kidneys. This is where we truly ‘go green’ focusing on predominantly green foods which aid proper elimination by the liver and kidneys, we will support their proper function through the use of specific herbs.

Support

If it’s your first time doing a detox it’s important to remember that you may have built up quite a toxic burden through our life, so don’t be surprised if the body finds it hard to cope.

This shows itself as what we call ‘detox symptoms’, the body simply can’t keep up with neutralising and eliminating the amount of toxins released as we cleanse. Hopefully through building up slowly to the detox proper you won’t feel bad at all, fingers crossed in fact you’ll start feeling fantastic; de-stressed, sleeping well, happy, balanced and with more energy.

If you are suffering remember to keep up with the gentle laxative herbs and psyllium husks to stay regular and add a daily supplement of vitamin C. Take this in split doses throughout the day and it helps to reduce detox symptoms (4 max).

Useful herbs to add include:

• Milk thistle tincture contains glutathione, an essential active ingredient for liver detoxification.
• Dandelion and Burdock tincture assists proper elimination of liver, kidneys and lymphatic system.

Foods for Phase 2

In this phase the focus is on ensuring maximum elimination of toxins via the liver and kidneys.

That means that for this week you need to eliminate any ‘naughties’ that you’ve hung on to, that includes all sugar, meat, dairy and stimulants like coffee, alcohol and cigarettes.

Eliminate:

• All or as much sugar as possible (including most fruits), it causes fermentation (wind) in the gut.
• All meat and dairy, it slows the journey of food through the bowel allowing recycling of toxins.

Cook with as many rainbow vegetables as you can, try to make extra the night before to take for lunch. Make sure to include foods such as:

• Raw foods which are potent detoxifiers, citrus fruit especially grapefruit, vegetable protein (amino acids in protein help bind and detoxify toxins), any green vegetables; especially from the cruciferous family like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, chard and kale, wheatgrass, salad greens, avocado, beetroot, spouted seeds, soaked almonds, turmeric, garlic, ginger and other aromatic herbs/spices, oils of flax, olive, coconut and raw sesame.

Making vegetable juices or smoothies with added ‘super foods’ for extra nutrients is perfect, you may wish to substitute a smoothie for a meal at this stage.

Good ways to cook your meals are by: Steaming, salads and raw vegetables, juices and smoothies.

Drink at least 2 litres of pure water each day to hydrate the body and to flush the kidneys through releasing toxins.

Meal Ideas for Phase 2

Here are some simple meal suggestions to help you get started

Breakfast

• Start every day with a glass of warm water with a generous squeeze of lemon to alkalise the system and stimulate the cleansing of the kidneys.
• Breakfast smoothie: Spinach, avocado, blueberries, cucumber, parsley, baobab, bee pollen, coconut oil and flax seed oil blended with apple juice or coconut water.
• Breakfast juice: Cucumber, celery, broccoli, spinach or kale, ginger and an apple.
• Chia Seed Pudding – see the recipe here.
• If you need a kickstart have green tea instead of your normal tea or coffee.

Lunch

• Lunch smoothie: Spinach, avocado, blueberries, cucumber, parsley, baobab, bee pollen, coconut and flax seed oil blended with apple juice or coconut water
• Lunch juice: Cucumber, celery, broccoli, spinach or kale, ginger and an apple.
• A fresh herb salad of mixed leaves, avocado, fennel, cucumber, tomato, peppers, fresh parsley and basil with some pine nuts and sunflower/pumpkin seeds sprinkled on top. Drizzle the whole meal with a dressing made of olive oil, flax seed oil/coconut oil, Himalayan pink salt and pepper, green foods powder, turmeric and a squeeze of lemon juice, simply whisk all ingredients together in a glass.
• Make a guacamole from fresh avocado’s using flax seed oil, Himalayan pink salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice with half a teaspoon of a green foods powder – simply mash it all together and eat as a dip with crudités of raw broccoli, celery and cucumber.

Dinner

• A fresh summer salad of: Spring onions, broad beans, runner beans, peas, mange tout and avocado with mixed salad leaves, watercress, basil, parsley, dill and a mix of sprouted seeds. Make a dressing with: Turmeric, miso, green foods powder, mashed garlic and ginger, flax seed oil, coconut oil and olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, Himalayan pink salt and pepper. Leave to infuse in a jam jar and use liberally over everything! Add chilli pepper if you like some spice!
• Very lightly steamed vegetables: Kale, chard or baby spinach, French beans, runner beans, peas, cauliflower, broccoli, courgette, seaweed and tofu. Serve with the dressing above.
• Slow roast sweet potatoes and squash with coconut oil, coriander seeds and sprinkled paprika or chilli flakes, serve with a salad of seasonal veg like broad beans, peas and mange tout with mixed leaves, drizzled with a dressing of flax seed oil, Himalayan pink salt and pepper, turmeric, green foods powder and a squeeze of lemon juice and mixed seed sprinkles.
• Marinade plain tofu in a mixture of olive and sesame oil, salt, pepper, miso, tamari and paprika. Serve alongside a guacamole dip (see lunch) and a salad of raw summer vegetables.

Snacks and drinks

• Soak a handful of almonds overnight in water to start them sprouting, slide them out of the brown skin and enjoy.
• Green tea instead of tea or coffee, plenty of water and any herbal teas you feel like.
• Green foods powder and a teaspoon of baobab stirred into a glass of water if you feel like you’re flagging.
• A teaspoon of bee pollen left to dissolve under the tongue for an instant buzz.

What next?

Having made it to the end of the week congratulate yourself – you’ve done it!

I hope you are feeling fantastic, full of vitality, energy and joy in life, with balanced emotions, clear thinking, improved focus and better sleep, clear skin too with a radiant glow.

Hopefully you feel so re-energised that you want to maintain all the new benefits. Most important is to avoid a binge on cream cakes, coffee or any of the naughties you’ve so carefully eliminated over the month, this will result in a very fast re-tox which is best avoided!

To maintain that feeling of vitality,  try to take all of the elements you’ve discovered and loved over the past few weeks, plus any extras you’ve added yourself and incorporate them into your well balanced diet.

You might try adding a daily multivitamin and probiotic supplement to help improve and maintain good gut bacteria, this will lay better foundations for immunity, skin health and may help improve allergies. Continue also with the green foods powder and healthy oils.

Whilst you will take it easier – and of course the odd cake/coffee will sneak back in (life has to be enjoyed) – you now have all the tools at your fingertips to re-balance quickly and easily.

As and when you notice your energy level falling, skin breaking out, mood being low or any of your own signs simply tweak your diet and add some of the herbs/supplements from the detox to give your body a break and stimulate its cleansing.

• See also Do I need a detox?  and Your essential detox guide – part 1