I am a big proponent of cleansing and intermittent fasting.  It took me awhile to get to this point as I had a very negative idea about cleansing. The cleanses that I knew about were the ones that put the body into starvation, i.e. the Master Cleanse (cayenne pepper, maple syrup & lemon juice for weeks) or those that stripped the body of good bacteria as well as bad and those that re-circulated the toxins back into the bloodstream. Cleansing, when done properly can have amazing benefits for the body, such as: clarity of mind, improved sleep and mood, better digestion, fat loss, increased muscle tone & less body discomfort to name only a few.

Not all cleanses are equal which is why I promote and choose for myself the Isagenix program – www.cleanseenergy.com is a nutritionally sound program that floods the body with high quality absorbable nutrition and it incorporates intermittent fasting. Studies have shown that intermittent fasting may limit inflammation, protect against cardiovascular disease, reduce oxidative stress, blood pressure and total cholesterol levels and modulate levels of dangerous visceral fat.

To read a more indepth article about intermittent fasting, visit Dr. Mercola’s website.

If you are not ready to dive right in and want to make some small baby steps towards full cleansing here are some things you can change in your diet that over time will have a big impact:

• Drink more water – work up to at least half your in ounces, in doing this you probably won’t have much room for sodas or juice.

• Read labels on foods that you consume regularly and start to eliminate things with fake sugars – this includes aspartame, Equal, Sweet and Low and Splenda, high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils and food coloring.

• Learn about genetically modified foods also know as GMO foods and start to avoid them or at least the most common ones that you eat.

• Eat dark leafy vegetables and brightly colored ones and start dinner with a salad.

• Buy organic food.  If you are budget conscious, then start with animal products first and move on to vegetables – see here for a top list of the Dirty Dozen.