One of the more popular buzzwords in the health and fitness world, "cleansing" refers to the idea that, through fasting, dietary choices and the consumption of certain herbs, you can clear toxins and waste products from your body. A healthy body cleanse focuses on eating easy-to-digest, nutritious foods that help your body function optimally. A cleanse, however, is not a replacement for conventional medical therapies.
Concerns
Even the oldest diet plans offer common-sense rules for healthy, balanced eating, according to the website Yin Yang House. A Buddhist sutra called the "Taisho Tripitaka," dating back to A.D. 203, suggests that planning to eat at the same time every day will help keep your body in balance. The sutra also advises avoiding foods that trigger allergic reactions or that don't sit well in your digestive tract and emphasizing foods that are in season in your local area. Macrobiotic counselor Denny Waxman suggests that total health comes with regular, sit-down meals that you eat slowly. Vegetable soup and cereal grains feature prominently in an optimal macrobiotic diet. A 30-minute daily walk will enhance your cleanse.
Considerations
A cleanse doesn't have to be extreme to work. Small changes that you can maintain over time are healthier than abrupt fasts or extreme diets that can jolt your system and create illness. If fasting is not well-managed, it can lead to stress and anxiety, says Tova Navarra, a registered nurse and contributing editor at the American Journal of Nursing. In her book "The Encyclopedia of Complementary and Alternative Medicine," Navarra notes that a low-fat, high-fiber diet can be just as effective as fasting and won't throw your body into crises.
Key Ingredients
If you don't know where to start with your cleanse diet, naturopath Ronald Steriti, who practices in Naples, Florida, recommends a simple plan that focuses on four key food types. Starting your day with fruit, eating steamed vegetables and cooked grains for lunch, and choosing grains, vegetables and chicken or fish for dinner helps keep things simple and allows your digestive system a break from richer, more complex food. Millet, quinoa, amaranth and brown or basmati rice are good grains for a cleanse.
Tailoring Your Cleanse
One of the main features of traditional medical cleanse diets, including Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medical cleanses, is that they are not one-size-fits-all, notes the website Acupuncture.com. A healthy cleanse should help you work on any physical or emotional imbalances. If you tend to be cold, switching to warming foods, like stews, will help you eliminate any stagnant cold chi, or energy, that is lingering in your system.
Timing
If you're waiting for just the right time to try a fast, think spring. Ayurvedic medical practitioners consider spring to be a time of natural rejuvenation, when the fluids of the body are beginning to flow more freely after the relative sluggishness of the winter, notes AyurBalance.com. Lighter, easier-to digest foods are ideal at this time of year. Avoiding processed foods and raw foods that challenge your digestive system will help you to clear away stale energies simply and comfortably. If spring is too far away, fall is another ideal time to clear stale energies before winter settles in. Choose warming foods that will help you make the shift from the heat of summer to the cold weather of winter.
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