Detox.  Scared of being hungry, angry and cranky all at the same time?

Just saying the work detox conjures up images of a starving, moody, food deprived and anxious person. Dump the Detox.

But it is mid -September and many of us are thinking about how to spring into a summer body and shift a few winter kilos, slough off the dead skin, rev up moods and metabolism.

Old school diets and fad diets would have us measuring food, fearing fat, and calorie counting and leave us with no long term, real life plan.

If you want to lose weight, brighten your complexion, lift your mood, libido and metabolism- cleanse and nourish yourself – do not detox.

If you are starving, looking at fat content, and eating bird size portions you will find yourself ‘hangry’ – hungry and angry – that is no way to live. And then often rebounding back into a bag of jelly snakes.

Detoxing diets just before the summer season begins are short lived. These strict detoxing regimes often involve no alcohol, no caffeine, no sugar. no fruit, the exclusion of many foods and even perhaps a few days without food.

While these short term periods of deprivation will reduce water weight and therefore reduce the number on the scale, they are not something that the average busy, working person can do without affecting their productivity and moods.

And they are certainly not a diet or way of life that can be sustained for a long period.

The concept of doing a seasonal cleanse and nourishing your body with only whole real food and nothing processed or packaged is the way people are achieving real weight loss, true brain function improvement, energy and all around good health.

Cleansing your liver is not about fasting or limiting calories, sometimes the simple act of eating (yes eating!) can support your liver.

We actually need nutrients to support the detoxification process that our bodies naturally like to do. “Crowd in” and nourish yourself with cleansing foods and so much of them that you forget the junk foods of the past that were not benefitting your memory, gut, hormones, and happiness. Begin with removing anything that is from a box, bag, or factory line.

Here are the 5 ways to cleanse yourself into a lean body:

1) Embrace fibre

Before each meal add a 1/2 teaspoon of ground flaxseeds or chia seeds to a big glass of water.

This works in two ways;

1. Fibre is filling in the tummy and quiet gelatinous. Taking up empty space or hungry space.
2. Fibre keeps our digestive tract cleanse and less bloated. A constipated bowel is a bloated tummy.

2) Become a teaaholic

Cinnamon and licorice teas are a great way to reduce sugar cravings. They are natural sweet so we are not grabbing for processed, unhealthy foods.

Green tea is also beneficial when cleansing due it its thermogenic properties – boosts your metabolism just by consuming it! Green tea has antioxidant properties and is loaded with catechins. Catechins are a type of plant antioxidants that have been show to eliminate fat accumulation and promote proper liver function.

3) Befriend brassica veggies

Cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, kale, brussel sprouts, and bok choy are natural liver cleansing foods.

Bake them, stir fry them, steam them, add spices to them and make enough to add into your breakfast or lunch the next day.

When our liver is not clean our metabolism is sluggish and our hormones are not firing they way they should be.

4) Harness hydration

People often confuse hunger for thirst. So question yourself – are you hungry or just dehydrated?

A dehydrated body often leads to dry, lack luster skin and a slow digestive tract. Add grapefruit, lemon, lime into your plain water or sparkling water for sweetness.

The  Vitamin C and antioxidants in these fruits help underpin collagen health too!

5) Try low, not no sugar

It is ok to eat fruit. Try berries and lots of them.

Tropical fruit will be high in sugar but berries, pears and apples are good every day fruits.

To eliminate sugar completely is often not sustainable and natural sugar should be enjoyed with approximately one to two servings per day.

By introducing these tips into your diet you are sure to be feeling much more energetic and ready to take on the summer!

Do you already follow some of these guidelines? Has it made a difference to you? Please share in the comments below.

Michele’s Cleanse, Nourish & Yoga Retreat runs from Sunday October 18th-21st at Bell’s at Killcare (NSW) and is accompanied with a full four week cleanse program. More details here.

Image courtesy of Shutterstock.com