Most people think of doing a detox diet in the spring as a type of internal spring cleaning, but a detox diet in the winter can give you more energy and the added boost you need to get through the colder and shorter days of winter.
One type of detox diet is comprised of fresh fruits and vegetables. A great basis for the diet includes vegetables of many colors. Try to get every color of the rainbow onto your plate. Beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, and celery are great vegetables found in abundance in the fall. It is also easy to eat greens out of the garden, even after frost. Kale, mustard greens, spinach, and swiss chard are wonderful with balsamic vinegar. Top off your vegetables with herbs like parsley and basil, not only to add flavor, but to cleanse your body. Add nutrients and flavor with onions and garlic. Squash is an icon of the autumn season and can add wonderful taste and color to your diet. Apples are a fall food and are a great part of a detox diet.
Another detox diet that makes use of autumn bounty uses fall herbs to prepare for the long winter ahead. Burdock cleanses the circulatory system, liver, and kidneys. Nettles are used to clear toxins from the system. Using the abundance of apples in the fall, drink ½ cup of organic apple juice with freshly squeezed lemon juice diluted with water. Drink a glass of this mixture in the morning. During the day, drink an herbal tea with helpful detox ingredients like ginger, licorice root, parsley, lemon, cinnamon, and clove.
Many people think of winter as a time to slow down and evaluate their lives. By using the shorter days to rest and concern yourself with dietary and lifestyle changes, you can turn around the tendency to gain weight and lose energy during the winter months. In this day and age, produce is readily available every month of the year. Winter is a great time to turn on the oven and roast green beans with sesame seeds for flavor, or fill a slow cooker with vegetables to simmer and make a savory soup. This makes winter a great time to detox, rest, and reevaluate.
It is especially important to keep your body cleansed and your immune system healthy in the winter when cold and flu season is rampant and we are spending more time inside with other people. Hence, it does not mean that you cannot continue with a detox diet during winter; on the contrary, only some adjustments need to be made.
