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So I have come to the end of my ten day cleanse, and just as I suspected prior to starting the cleanse, I feel fabulous. The kind of fabulous where you feel excitement buzzing through your veins and the bright clear sunshine in your thoughts. To be honest, I was a bit nervous about doing a cleanse, even though I knew what the outcome would be. It’s been a few years since I last did a cleanse, but with good reason. I’ve been making and breastfeeding babies for the last three years:) Ideally, to keep your body healthy and prevent toxin buildup, you want to do a cleanse once or twice a year.
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Some questions that ran through my mind before starting were:
Will I have enough energy to chase my toddler?
What if I start to crave sugar and give in?
Will I still be able to do important work projects?
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The answer is yes.
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You will have more than enough energy and will be able to function just as you normally do. The biggest challenge I had was to actually try to take it easy and relax a bit more..
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Another fear that people have is they think they have to give up delicious flavourful food while they’re on a cleanse. Not so my friend. Below is a sample of a delicious cleansing salad that is part of my online cleanse (21 Day Cleanse Challenge).
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To do a successful cleanse, I found that these three things really helped me stay focused:
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1. Set a date to start the cleanse. This will help you plan ahead and predict any obstacles that might interfere with your cleanse; social functions, big family affairs, big project at work, etc. It’s important to make sure you have time to rest and rejuvenate during the cleanse. It’s also important that you don’t feel like you’re depriving yourself while on a cleanse or set yourself up for failure if you have a big event like a wedding coming up.
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2. Plan ahead. This is super important! You need to have a meal plan, stock your fridge with fresh cleansing foods and be ready for a snack attack. In the first couple of days you might go through some withdrawal symptoms, especially if you have a bit of an addiction to things like sugar, breads, etc. So you need to arm yourself with a good plan to make sure you always have healthy ingredients and snacks at hand.
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3. Remove temptation. Do you have a box of cookies hiding somewhere in the back of the pantry? Maybe a little chocolate bar in your purse? Get rid of it! Clean out those cupboards and organize your fridge. If you have family members sitting around, eating your favourite cheat foods, kindly ask them to be more mindful during your cleanse. If you have to go out for dinner, suggest a healthier restaurant where you won’t have a tough time finding flavourful to eat.
This salad is just sunshine and rainbows on a plate with a side of super liver detoxing benefits! I love a little kick in the spicy almond dressing, try adding just a little tiny bit of cayenne at a time to see how much you can handle:)
Eat a Rainbow Salad with Spicy Almond Dressing
2 Big handfuls greens, chopped
2 slices red onion
1 medium carrot
1 medium yellow beet (red is ok too)
1/4 English cucumber (about 1/2 cup)
2 big handfuls cherry tomatoes
6 radishes
1/4 tsp dulse flakes
Dressing:
2 Tbsp raw almond butter
3 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 garlic clove
1/2 tsp ginger root, grated
1 garlic clove
1/2 tsp maple syrup or raw honey, optional
1/8 tsp cinnamon
Pinch cayenne pepper
How to make:
To make the dressing, combine all ingredients into a small blender and buzz until smooth.
Scrub radishes and beets well and slice very thinly using a mandolin slicer or your knife.
Cut cucumber into quarters lengthwise, then slice thinly.
Slice onion thinly and cut tomatoes in half.
Assemble salad by roughly chopping greens in a serving dish, then adding all the toppings. Sprinkle with dulse flakes and add dressing.
Makes 2 servings.
Enjoy!
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