Fall and Winter Cleansing-A Tune Up for Your Body

By Insiya Rasiwala-Finn • November 17th, 2008 • 8387 Views

So, it is that intermittent season, autumn, replete with rain and dampness. The perfect time to reminisce about summer, to catch that cold that is going around, (the constant temperature variations do not help); and to begin to accept the inevitable approach of winter.

The fluctuations of late fall and early winter also make it an optimum time to go on a detoxifying dietary cleanse. It is easier in this season, say most streams of alternative medicine, to change our habits and inject new life into our tired routines.

Simply put, a cleanse can give your body a short break from the effort it expends digesting food (40% of your body's energy goes into digestion-that's a lot) and instead, divert some of that energy into expelling toxins and healing.

Cleansing is essential in detoxifying our bodies from the various pollutants we come in contact with in our daily lives, such as environmental toxins, residue from household or cosmetic products, pesticides in food etc. It also allows us to reduce the possibilities of succumbing to allergies, degenerative disease, and even cancer. Think of it as a tune up to keep your body functioning as health-fully as possible. It can last anywhere from 2–3 days or as long as 10–12 days, depending on your needs and goals.

And lest you shudder in recollection of your last experience with one of the many packaged cleanses that clog up the shelves at your local natural foods market, breathe. Here's a primer on safe and effective ways to cleanse this winter, with tips from holistic health experts.

The “Gateway Approach”
As Registered Nutrition Consultant Nadine Ijaz, former faculty at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition, whole foods advocate and Staff Nutritionist at Vancouver's Inspired Health an Integrative Cancer Care Centre smiles, “It is very attractive for people to get involved in a fancy cleanse, with packaged products and herbal supplements.“

“However,” she continues, “the best cleanse is just cleaning up the diet, using a little more discipline than normal, i.e. opening a gateway to getting the body used to eating more natural foods, while envisioning these changes for the long term.”

Ijaz's approach is two-pronged, focusing not only on simply eliminating the diet of harmful foods, but also on replacing certain foods with others that are more beneficial....

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Location:  Vancouver, CA

Insiya discovered yoga at the early age of five in Bombay, India; mimicking her dad doing his daily headstands (sirsasana) and studying yoga at the famous Kaivalyadhama Yoga Institute. When she is not traveling around the world...