Weekend Prep

We are just a few days away from starting the cleanse, let’s get ready! 

First things first. This weekend enjoy all your favorite things that are not on the cleanse! Yep. Eat up all your bread and yummy cheeses. Finish off those secret stashes of treats!  

When you do your next grocery run, start prepping your fridge with yummy veggies and skip refilling the things that aren’t on your list for the cleanse. 

Remember, we are eliminating the usual suspects of inflammation in the body–sweets, meat, wheat, dairy, alcohol and processed food. 

What should be on your shopping list? Mostly things you already love. You know, your favorite fruits, veggies and greens. Stock up on those. For protein you will need plenty your favorite beans, nuts and lentils. Do your best to find food that is organically grown. 

Yes, it's great to try a few new things, but don’t feel like you have to eat something you don’t like just because it's healthy. There is so much to choose from! 

Start checking out recipes and making meal plans for a few days. I like googling one or two ingredients I already have and seeing what comes up. Hopefully you’ll find some new favorites :) 

A few other ideas include finding recipes for green juices and green smoothies. These make nice breakfast replacements and get heaps of nutrients into your body quickly! I also love roasting big sheet pans of vegetables. These can easily become a quick pureed soup, top a salad or be an already ready snack.  

For a spring cleanse, some of the most important foods are bitter greens. Think sauteed chard, kale, broccoli rabe and dandelion. Super charge salads with lots of microgreens and arugula. These are excellent for the liver and the digestive system. 

Beets are another super food in the springtime because of their ability to increase bile flow and purify the lymphatic system. If you are lucky enough to find a bunch of beets with beautiful healthy greens still attached, saute those in olive oil with a little garlic and salt for a yummy treat.