An Autumn Cleansing
I recently underwent a short autumn cleansing. “A juice cleansing in early to mid-autumn will give you a boost of energy and may eliminate any potential illness you have stored away, either by flushing out excesses or by improving organ function” (Elson M. Haas, M.D. Staying Healthy With the Seasons. Berkeley, CA: Celestial Arts, 1981, 2003). Autumn is also a great time of year for juicing fruits and vegetables from the harvest; giving you lots of variety. What a better time to experience my first autumn cleansing.
Autumn in Kalamazoo, MI @ Milham Park
My girlfriend and I were on our way back from a road trip down south. We had an absolutely fantastic time visiting with friends and hiking in the mountains. Needless to say we had a great time bonding and reminiscing… and with that came a bit more consumption then any of the parties involved were accustomed to. We had also found ourselves trapped into overindulging on not-so-healthy highway side food establishments on the drive home. This combination, along with some insightful reading, led us to plan a short 2-3 day cleansing diet upon our return home. A complete cleanse should be experienced for a full week.
The plan was a proper autumn cleanse; ingesting fresh juice only from fresh, organic, as-local-as-possible autumn fruits and vegetables. The diet would also include: water, green teas, cleansing teas (the use of a Super Cleanse dietary supplement is also an option or a combination or the two), vegetable broths and purées and the “master cleanser” drink (see below for recipe). We planned for at least 2 days, maybe more. We both had to return to work soon and wanted to feel out our schedules before committing.
Local Fall Harvest
The first objective on the list was to stock up on fruits and veggies to juice and purchase any additional teas or supplements we didn’t already have. We focused on autumn vegetables from our area, the northern mid-west United States, including: tomatoes, carrots, cucumber, broccoli, celery, squashes, pumpkins and gourds. We picked fruits such as: grapes, cranberries, apples, pears and pomegranate. It’s a good idea to take certain supplements during a cleanse as well. We added Whey Protein, Aloe (good for moisturizing the digestive system and for your skin), and Enzyme supplements (this helps with digestion of the nutrients from the juices so they are not just passing through, also a good thing to take before meals anyways). You also want to get all junk food or foods that you are prone to snack on out of the house or hidden from view.
During a cleanse you not only want to focus on your interior cleanliness but exterior hygiene as well. Not only are your large intestine and kidneys the body’s main elimination organs, but so are the lungs and skin. Though I’m sure most of these activities are your daily routine, you want to ensure your teeth are brushed and flossed everyday and you bath daily. Consider investing in a natural loofah sponge for bathing to assist in removing dead cells and to stimulate the clearing of toxins. It’s also important to start and end a cleanse slowly by easing out and back into your diet. Try to eat less solid foods leading up to the cleanse along with only fruits and vegetables. This will give your digestion system and tastes time to adjust.
My first autumn cleanse started out well. We planned ahead and had all the necessary materials. For the most part, our daily diet was to consist of a fruit juice in the morning, water and teas throughout the day, a veggie juice in the afternoon, some veggie broth and purée in the evening, then a cleansing tea to finish the night. The first day was perfect, I felt satisfied and energetic. When you try a cleanse, plan accordingly; you can’t travel too far away from a restroom. I awoke the next day feeling great. My girlfriend had to work a long shift early in the morning, but I was up even earlier prepping our meals. After some yoga and meditation, I dug right into chopping up fruits for our morning juice. During a cleanse, cut up fruits and veggies and have them readily available and in the refrigerator. This allows you to see what you are about to juice which also begins the digestive process. After preparing and drinking a decent cup of juice for each of us, I went for a jog. I felt this would be a great opportunity to sweat some toxins out. After an invigorating jog I headed for a hot shower and loofah scrub.
After bathing I got right back to chopping up veggies for our remaining juices. Then I wanted to move on to steaming veggies for broth and purée. After that our food would be finished for at least a day.
Everything was going well. Although time consuming, my activities were moving along quite nicely. Then it happened, the ultimate wrench in my plan… Halfway through my first glass of juice the juicer just stopped. Done. Outta no where. As the manufacturer’s troubleshooting recommended, I first tried a separate electrical outlet. No luck. Then I took the entire machine apart, a process I was already accustomed to after 1 day of juicing, cleaned it and let it dry for an hour. In the meantime I got my veggies steamed, broth set aside and purée made.
I put the unit back together, plugged it in, crossed my fingers, closed my eyes and turned it on…. Notta. Did I mention this was a borrowed juicer from a good friend?…
I had to move on and attempt to finished this autumn cleanse with a shred of grace. Finishing the day was fine, using the last of our juices and alternating between purée, stock, tea and the “master cleanser” drink. Without the juicer and the loom of returning to our “professional” lives, it seems this proper autumn cleanse came to a slightly abrupt end; though I suppose we did still accomplish our 2 day goal. But I was ready for more, ready to dig deeper into a cleaner and healthier future.
Although I’m already a practicing vegetarian (pascatarian actually), it’s important to ease back into a solid foods diet after a cleanse. The next day at work was a very light diet with a simple salad and liquids. From there you should slowly add more foods back to your diet.
The Master Cleanser Recipe:
- Less-than or more-than 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice (approx. ½ lemon). Be careful not to go too low. If you need more energy, add more.
- 2 tablespoons genuine maple syrup (not maple-flavored sugar syrup)
- 1/10 teaspoon cayenne pepper (red pepper) or to taste
- 8 oz water, room temperature
Combine the juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper in a 10 oz glass jar w/lid and fill with the water.
Shake it up and drink (cold water may be used if preferred).
Use fresh (organic) lemons or limes only, never canned or frozen lemon or lime juice.
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