It's Time to Try a Vegan Cleanse

Cleansing. 

We’re now all too familiar with this growing trend in health and wellness where you adhere to a strict, short-term, plant-based or juice-only diet in hopes of flushing out toxins, regulating your digestion and dropping those last pesky five pounds.

You’ve probably seen everything from cheap laxative pills to $100/day juice fasts. Or maybe your friend just spent 10 days drinking a nasty mixture of lemons, cayenne pepper and maple syrup.

Appetizing?

Hell no.

Hear me out: there’s more to cleansing than that. If you haven’t heard of it yet, my product, (and Kim’s favorite cleanse) is called Kaeng Raeng. It’s an all-natural, vegan, gluten-free meal replacement cleanse program that includes raw food and only pronounceable ingredients – so you can detox without deprivation or interruption to your fabulous daily life.

Why Cleanse?

We live in a toxic world, bitches. Every day we consume millions of toxins, chemicals, additives and preservatives in the air, in our food and in the chemicals we put on our skin. Yes, our bodies have natural detoxification systems (our livers and kidneys) but we were never meant to consume the types and quantities of foods that are part of a conventional American diet (processed crap, high amounts of salt and sugar, alcohol, drugs, etc).  During the digestive process, your body can’t healthfully separate the good from the bad portions in toxic foods. Abstaining from those foods and flushing natural ingredients through the digestive system releases those toxins that have built up in your cells and organs over years – toxins that contribute to weight gain, fatigue, bloating, indigestion and poor mood.

You don’t need a magic pill, dollface.

Simply adhering to a plant-based diet and consuming only 100-percent natural ingredients will cleanse your body. For the very few, that’s already how they eat. But for the rest of us non-perfect souls, sometimes we just need a kick start. By putting only natural foods into your system, your digestive system has a chance to “reset” and use less energy.  This gives your body more energy and stability to help enhance sleep, alertness, functional energy and provide strength for your immune system – which improves hair, skin and overall health quality.

 

What Kind of Cleanse is Best for You?

Here are the core principles you should look for in a cleanse. And of course, cruelty-free is a given!

All-Natural: This should go without saying, but if you want to return your body to its organic state, you can’t use anything artificial, so stick with ingredients you can pronounce.

Gluten-Free: Gluten can raise insulin levels, cause abdominal cramping and water weight gain and is usually associated with sugary, processed simple carbohydrates that contain the very toxins you’re trying to get rid of.

Stimulant/Laxative-Free:  A cleansing diet should not involve oil, salts or any other kind of laxative or diuretic. Forcing elimination through the body can result in dehydration and laxative dependency. Doing a cleanse with caffeine can increase your heart rate, make you feel anxious and cause insomnia.

Filling/Nutritional:  Whether you make your own cleanse or purchase a convenient ready made program that’s packed with nutrients, you want to avoid fasting and starvation diets that leave you hungry, faint and cranky. Don’t harm your metabolism, lose necessary lean body mass or turn into a raving bitch in order to cleanse. Pick a detox program that’s got plenty of protein and amino acids. Make sure it’s got lots of fiber, since fiber keeps you full and keeps blood sugar levels in tact (juice tends to create insulin spikes). Pick whole foods instead of juices, too, since whole fruits and vegetables contain skin and fiber (making them nutritionally complete).

Keep it Practical:  You don’t have to turn your life upside down to cleanse.  Don’t commit to a 30-day program or one that will cost you $100 each day if that doesn’t fit your lifestyle. You can successfully do healthy cleanses for less than $25 a day (all-inclusive) and you can start to feel better in as little as 3 days.

After completing a vegan cleanse, I guarantee that you will feel more mindful of the food choices that you make: more plants, less processed foods. You’ll start to notice fats and sugars in your food, not because of their calorie content, but because of how those foods make you feel after you’ve given your body a rest.

You’ll wake up with a strange sensation: energy. Your tastes buds will dance with excitement at the thought of steamed broccoli or a ripe peach. You’ll no longer crave salt; since you’ve abstained from processed foods through the duration of your detox, your body no longer believes these ingredients to be necessary. You may have lost a few pounds, reduced that belly bloat and inflammation, and even cleared up your skin and eyes, but more importantly you’ll genuinely feel better and motivated to maintain your healthier, happier lifestyle. Hell to the yes.