In a previous life I studied nutrition and started a juice cleanse business, Fresh Cleanse. So I’m no stranger to cleansing and detoxing. While I haven’t done a cleanse since walking away from Fresh Cleanse, last week I felt an incredible urge to hit the reset button. If you’re like me and are in need of a full body cleanse, whatever way you choose to do this, hopefully, you’ll notice a positive difference when it comes to leading a healthier lifestyle.

Life has become wonderfully full, but with that has come more demands on my time, poor nutritional choice and not nearly enough movement. The result: I’ve been feeling lethargic, foggy and in moments down and unmotivated. With a background in pharmacy and nutrition, I know what’s going on in the inside manifests on the outside. And with the gut being the second brain (there are more serotonin receptors – feel-good receptors – in our gut than our brains!), I knew I needed to give my gut a break, allow it to process, catch up and clean up.

I was actually speaking to a friend of mine about this just the other day. She told me that she has been feeling really down recently and less focussed than usual, so she has decided to introduce some CBD products into her mental health toolkit to help her to feel more refreshed. I know that quite a few people like to use CBD products such as these Blessed CBD capsules to boost their mood nowadays and there is a lot of research to suggest that CBD has a wide range of health benefits. I suppose what I am trying to say is that looking after your mental health is all about finding what works for you. So, whether you prefer to use natural products or juice cleanses to help you get back to your best, the choice is totally up to you.

There is one green juice that is definitely worth considering due to its high nutrient value. Click here to learn more about the Green Juice offered by Moringafi. While it was tempting to order a juice cleanse from the numerous companies that have popped up since Fresh Cleanse, I chose to go a different route. A dear friend had just finished a gut-healing plan, so I took from her experience and added what I knew worked for me. I introduced deep cell activator which boosts my metabolism and really just makes me feel more energized. It felt like I was deep cleaning my gut, getting rid of all the bad things I’d eaten the week before.

My week of resetting consisted of green juice, cauliflower and broccoli soup during the day and white fish and green veggies, seasoned with coconut oil and lemon for dinner. I also gave up coffee, perhaps the hardest part of the week, and added a gut healing shake from Metagenics. Now this may sound awful to most people, and I’m not going to lie, the first day was challenging, but as the week went on, I grew to enjoy the soups and so looked forward to my fish dinner. How great I was feeling made it easy to continue.

Eating and drinking such simple foods, takes the burden of digestion off the gut, allowing it to catch up and clean up. Eliminating inflammatory foods like wheat, dairy and corn allows the gut to heal and minor ailments, such as eczema, a chronic stuffy nose or in my case a cough that has lasted for 3 months, to resolve.

As expected I did experience some detox symptoms on day one and two – headache, achy and tired. So I honored my body. I took it easy. As my body was processing and clearing, I allowed myself the time and space to reflect and process all that I had experienced in first few months of this year.

I revisited self care practices that had fallen by the wayside: Epsom salt baths, yoga, meditation, saunas and massage – which felt indulgent, soothing and especially kind.

This week has been an incredibly powerful one on so many levels – physical, mental, and spiritual – allowing my body and spirit time to reset and process has resulted in clarity, energy and renewed kindness towards to myself. The idea of cleansing is thrown around a lot, and truth be told, I really don’t like the word. Clearing and resetting however, feel right and when done with intention, it can be an incredibly powerful process from clearing up physical ailments to mental ones.

My results over the last week: sugar cravings have dissipated, chronic bloating is gone, my skin is brighter, my thinking is clearer, that pesky cough is gone, and most importantly I’m motivated and committed to nurturing myself well.

By no means does a week on such a program completely heal a leaky gut or major gut issues, but it is enough to pause, let the body clear space and re-evaluate how you’ve been feeding and nurturing it. To read more on gut health, click here.

Have you done a cleanse before? I’d love to hear your experience.

Green Juice

1 head Romaine
1 bunch Kale
1/2 cucumber
1/2 bunch parsley
2 green apples
1/2-1 lemon
1 inch piece of ginger

Broccoli and Fennel Soup

Ingredients
1 large head broccoli, separate florets and stems
1 large onion, chopped
4 to 6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon coconut oil or ghee
Feathery tops from 1 bulb fresh fennel
6 cups filtered water
1 teaspoon ground fennel seed, or more to taste
Celtic sea salt or Herbamare to taste
Scallions and parsley, finely chopped, to be used as a garnish
Sliced red bell pepper for garnish

Directions
Peel broccoli stems and chop, discarding any woody pieces.

Sauté onion, garlic, and ground fennel seed in coconut oil or ghee in a stockpot. When onions are translucent, add broccoli stems and most of florets, reserving a handful of the smallest ones.

Add fennel tops and water and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.

Purée mixture in blender or food processor for several minutes. Return to stockpot and add sea salt or Herbamare to taste.

Simmer 10 minutes and serve.

This recipe is very popular as a breakfast soup. Fennel is an excellent digestive aid. Be sure to buy a bulb of fennel that has a generous amount of the feathery tops, which look a lot like fresh dill. Use the tops in this soup and save the bulb for later in another vegetable soup or fresh salad.

Cauliflower Dill Soup

Ingredients
1 Tbsp. organic, unrefined coconut oil, ghee or butter
1 large onion, chopped
4 – 6 cloves garlic, chopped (or to taste)
1 large head (or two small heads) cauliflower, cut into chunks
Handful of florets separated from the head of cauliflower
6 Tbsp. fresh dill or 2 Tbsp. dried
4 – 6 cups water
Sea salt or Herbamare to taste

Directions
In a stockpot, melt oil, then add dill if using dried. Add onion, sautéing until translucent. Add garlic and sauté a few minutes, being careful not to overcook garlic. Add cauliflower chunks (and fresh dill if using) and enough water to cover.

Simmer until tender.

Purée in blender and then return to stockpot.

Add up to 4 cups water depending on desired thickness of soup, I prefer my soup thicker and creamier, so I didn’t need to add any water at all.

Add sea salt or Herbamare to taste.