With food-heavy holidays like Easter and Passover winding down, it's time for spring cleaning for the body, accomplished by eating greens, decreasing dairy and meat and drinking herbal teas, suggests one health and nutrition writer.
Andrea Bertoli, health and nutrition writer and educator, says that detoxing can be a great way to kick off the spring and summer seasons, but it doesn't need to be an expensive process.
Her findings, published in Care2.com, focus on four items: greens, berries, herbs and miso, all of which can do the spring cleaning work for your body.
Another benefit of eating more green, leafy vegetables and cutting back on dairy and meat is the change in the tastebuds that pushes people to actually start craving healthier foods.
Bertoli recommends eating a cup of raw green leafy plats before each meal, such as lettuce, arugula, kale, collards or spinach. She also suggests blending greens in the juicer with a morning shake.
Other suggested foods include berries, which supply antioxidants, add flavor to juices and can be used in salads and desserts.
Fresh herbs like dill, parsley and basil all provide a range of healthy boosts to the system. If taken in the form of daily tea, these can provide powerful additions to the daily vitamin intake. Hibiscus tea is a good way to add vitamin C and dandelion root is good for the liver.
White and yellow miso are recommended to aid in digestion. Mix some water into the miso and put it in soups, dressings and sauces to help increase probiotics in the gut. Bertoli recommends miso for stomach ailments, cold and flue in particular.
Miso is rich in nutrients such as vitamin E, vitamin K, iron, B2 and potassium, and is packed with antioxidants, as reported in Vibrant Wellness Journal. It is also consumed in Japan every day to help ward off cancer and other degenerative diseases.
