Food is connected on a deep level to how we nurture and nourish ourselves. Our relationship to food reflects our core beliefs about health and vitality: what we eat, why we eat it, how we eat it, where we eat it. Just look in your refrigerator and cupboards to see the story of your health reflected. Is it packaging and processed foods you see? What are your ‘crutch’ foods? The ones you reach for in moments of boredom or strong emotions. Are you addicted to caffeine or sugar? Do you eat on the move or in random places? Is there any ritual for you in eating? Do you have a connection to where the food comes from?
When we ask ourselves these questions inevitably patterns show up which begin to reveal the deeper driving motives behind our choice of foods. This in when things start to get juicy, and here is why: Most of us have inherited eating patterns along with emotional patterns from our families and childhood. Many of these habits are what I would call ‘demoting’ habits. It takes conscious effort and commitment to begin to change these habits to ‘promoting’ ones.
These ‘demoting’ habits play havoc in our digestive system weakening our immunity and general health. Our crutch foods do a great job of whittling away at our self-esteem as time after time we reach for what we know we really shouldn’t.
Like an addict, we must take some time to go ‘cold turkey’ from these addictions in order to re-set our appetite, our taste buds and regain our sense of self, long enough that we get a hit of what it feels like to be clear, to be sensitive and to have a sense of unbounded energy. This is the reason I love to cleanse. It breaks my habits, it gives me a pause, like a deep breath to assess from a neutral place what I want verses what I need.
I have been juice cleansing for over 10 years at least twice a year. This simple practice has had profound and lasting effects on my health, vitality and sense of self.
Cleansing is a vital part of keeping our body systems in balance and promoting optimum health. A two week cleanse program not only helps you to lose weight, but offers an opportunity to re-set your system and put you on a healthy course for months to come.
Here are my top 7 reasons to cleanse:
- Give your digestion a rest – many of us suffer from varying degrees of constipation: mental, emotional and physical, which is the cause of much dis-ease in the body. Cleansing helps to release build-up in the digestive tract and literally gives you a new lease on life. Lighten up!
- Detoxify your organs and cleanse your blood – Spring is considered liver and Gall Bladder time! The liver is responsible for the flow of energy in the body. During winter months it has a tendency to accumulate stagnation. If the liver becomes stagnant, we see all kinds of imbalances in the body: anger, frustration, irritability and depression are common, as are headaches and other aches and pains throughout the body. Love your liver!
- Build your immunity – Nourish your body with vitamins, minerals, nutrients and live enzymes from fresh raw organic juices and soups. A wonderful jump-start to a sluggish immune system. Feel better!
- Look and feel younger – Regain a radiant lightness, as your skin clears up, your eyes get bright and a sense of well-being spreads through every cell of your being. Radiate Light!
- Nourish and support your body in healing and rejuvenation. As we release the old we make way for the new. The healing starts on the inside and soon spreads to every aspect of life. As we love ourselves we love others. Love all!
- Renegotiate your relationship to food. Notice which foods you reach for and crave. Gain clarity about why you eat and when. Often we eat for emotional reasons, and not because we are hungry. Break habits that do not support health. Create eating habits that promote vitality, and a relationship with food that is supportive on every level. Food is nourishing!
- Elevate your mood and access the subtle. As we move to a liquid diet we are able to tune into the subtleties of life, a heightened sense of connection: to ourselves and to others. This is a rich time for aligning with our dharma (life path/inner calling), and meditating on our goals and intentions. Tune into the Divine!
If you have never done a juice cleanse before I highly recommend you join me May 2-15th!