Thursday, May 18, 2006

Detox and Cleansing

Written by Nasra Al Adawi
Published in Al Mar'a Magazine - Oman

The first thought will cross you mind that such work is part of body treatment a spa for instance, or a body mask to nourish body skin. Yes it can be that but body cleanse goes beyond the treatment of the outer skin or a massage treatment, it’s a treatment for the internal body where the organs need to be cleansed from all the toxic elements created as result of wrong intake of certain type of food.

Meeting with Herbalist and Nutritionist Christina Grossniklaus, who is based in Muscat, clarifies more in depth about the body cleanse. “It is essential to listen to our body when we eat. The term is Food Tolerance means certain food at times does not go well with our body and of course this varies from person to person and as result reaction like gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea or even tiredness is some of the signs we tend to ignore”. Christina explained.

Many people can be intolerant with introduced chemicals/elements, such a preservative used in many processed foods and other common food additives which are used in some of the food product to enhance flavor, freshness or fragrance. Intolerance to some food or food sensitivity to some food does not automatically mean that you are allergic to that food. Here body cleanse takes the tool it mainly refer to whole body cleansing.

Its about giving our body time to rest from the toxic that we tend to feed our body. How do we rest our inner organs and cleanse our metabolism system, it only takes a very simple procedure only through our food intake.

Christina’s tips in realizing Food Tolerance:

This procedure also works on cleansing the liver system. Take a vegetable diet for week. This means vegetable can be cooked without any addition of any type of fats. Vegetable can be roasted, steamed or boiled according to your liking. Gradually after a week of this you introduce other food and see how you body react. The food that tend to cause gas even tiredness or heaviness are the food that your body is intolerant towards. Its advisable to tend to avoid that type of food for length of time or then use the same procedure to see if your body will tolerate it on later on stages. “Some would consider this is as diet but its not. Listen to your body during this process; you will realize that you are more feeling lighter or even the bolting that some suffer will fade away. For some they will even reduce some ounces that they urge to get rid off.” Christina explained.

Miracle of Juicing:

Fresh Juice Fresh Juice, originally uploaded by TomMarkey.

Vegetable and Fruit juices should be supplemented during the body cleanse procedure. The juicing itself can be part of daily way of life as it awakens body intelligence and guide the body towards obtaining optimal health.


Benefit of juicing can be sum in the following:

Many juices retain vital digestive enzyme which helps improve the digestive system

Raw vegetable and fruits offers nutrition from essential minerals and vitamins in their most natural and potent state. The body absorbs these live nutrients quickly and effortlessly as it is merely little digestion is required.

The introduction of raw fruit and vegetable juicing to your daily diet can transform your existing poor diet to extremely healthy and vital.


fresh juice
Originally uploaded by univers my.....
Juicing corrects the digestive tract which is the mean reason for food craving. When your cells and organs become malnourished from eating devitalized and non nutritional foods, your body constantly sends signals to your digestive system, causing an overproduction of digestive juices. Hence the digestive action creates a taste and inclination to eat, not what your body needs, but what’s sitting in your digestive system. Lingering food is more likely to be the residue of refined and processed foods for instance white flour, white sugar and hydrogenated fats (natural vital food does not linger in your digestive tract). Juicing lessens cravings by addressing and correcting malnutrition, as well as aiding the body’s digestion of old food debris.

Drinking vital juices aids your body’s ability to purify itself from dead cells, toxins and poisons out of the body.

Ingesting vital raw plant foods improves health more than any other supplement, powder, drug, and therapy or health program.


Vegetable and Fruit Juice Guide

Intensive guide on the benefits obtained from juicing fruits and vegetable can be accessed through different website on juicing. Here summarized details on some of the fruits and vegetables.

Apple juice is a powerful cleanser and a general tonic for the entire system. It has an abundance of vitamins A and C. The Apple juice can be mixed with any of other fruit or vegetable juices as it sweet taste will lessen intensity of some of vegetable taste.



Pineapple Collage
Originally uploaded by Sunshine Hanan.
Pineapples are jam-packed with minerals, potassium, choline, sodium, phosphorus, magnesium, sulfur, calcium, iron, and iodine. They have loads of vitamins, including vitamin C, and are an excellent source of bromelain, an enzyme that helps digestion. Bromelain has also been known to cure laryngitis, and is soothing to the throat.

Pears The juice from a pear is thick and sweet and can be diluted with apple juice. They are high in thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and folic acid, which help establish a healthy cardiovascular system. They are also a good source of vitamin C, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and minerals.


Beetroot #2
Originally uploaded by vukoff.
Beetroots Famous for their ability to cleanse the blood, beets contain calcium, sulfur, iron, potassium, choline, beta-carotene, and vitamin C. Beets are also high in minerals that strengthen the liver and gall bladder, and are the building blocks for blood corpuscles and cells. Beet juice is very concentrated. Do not drink it alone. Dilute with a milder juice such as carrot or apple.

Broccoli It is dense in nutrition, full of beta-carotene and an excellent source of fiber. It is full of vitamins B1 and C, and has a generous amount of calcium, sulfur, and potassium. Surprisingly, forty-five percent of calories in broccoli are protein. Broccoli is excellent when juiced, stems and all, but like all green vegetables, it should be mixed with lighter juices such as carrot or apple.

White Cabbage, raw cabbage is an excellent source of sulfur, vitamin C and the trace mineral selenium, which is excellent for fighting cancer, improving conditions of arthritis, rheumatism, slowing the aging process, and encouraging beautiful skin. Within cabbage is a delicate amino acid called glutamine. This is excellent to lessen stomach disorders, including ulcers. They also have an alkalizing effect on the blood, soothing the entire nervous system and toning intestinal walls. When making cabbage juice, it must be consumed within 60 seconds or this precious amino acid will begin to decay. If straight cabbage juice causes gas, mix with carrot and celery.

Carrot
Originally uploaded by moaksey.
Carrots They are packed with minerals. Carrots are rich in beta-carotene (beta-carotene will processed in the body into vitamin A) is invaluable to eyes. Carrots are an excellent source of vitamin C, including most of the B complex, iron, potassium, phosphorus, and sodium. Carrots are easy to digest and cause the liver to release bile and excessive accumulated cholesterol. Carrot juice is the best base for vegetable juice combinations. Carrot juice helps in cleansing the liver. Drinking large amounts may cause the harmless effect of a slight yellowish color of the skin. Skin will feel velvety soft. The beta-carotene present in the skin is a natural protector for the common skin cancer, melanoma. Also, the slight yellowing of the skin can make a tan look deeper.
Celery is high in magnesium, iron and chlorophyll, which is an excellent blood builder and is one of the richest sources of organic sodium. Celery juice is a superb nerve tonic. Celery juice alone tastes a little bitter and is usually mixed with carrots or apples. Celery juice cools down the body and is great for hot weather. Are you on a diet and craving a Snickers bar? Celery juice helps curb the craving for sweets. Do you have a problem with muscle cramps and fatigue during workouts? The potassium/sodium balance in celery juice will be a great asset. Always leave the celery leaves on for juicing, but juice the celery last because it is stringy and clogs the juice machine.

Cucumbers
Originally uploaded by radiant guy.
Cucumber People living in the Middle East and India have been eating cucumbers for hundreds of years as a natural coolant. It is an excellent source of silicon. Cucumber is good to rub on your skin, giving it elasticity resulting in a more youthful complexion. It is suspected to help in reducing hair loss. Cucumber juice is usually mixed with other juices.
Garlic Research suggests that it reduces blood pressure, helps with the problem of blood clotting, lowers the LDL (negative cholesterol), boosts the immune system and encourages recovery in heart attack victims. Garlic's famous smell comes from allicin, which inhibits bacterial growth and fungus. It also helps with an overgrowth of yeast in the body and is used in treating candida. It’s recommended to have parsley after garlic to absorb the garlic odor.
Garlic increases the flow of digestive enzymes and encourages detoxification through the skin. Despite the odor, garlic is good for you. Throwing a clove of garlic in your vegetable juice every day will be excellent for your health; nonetheless, it may reduce your social life. One clove mixed with parsley in the juicer is enough.
Recipes
Here are few ideas on fruit and vegetable juices to start you off. Any fruit and vegetable can be juiced. Vegetables at many times need to be mixed with apple to reduce its taste. It is recommended purchasing special juicer machine available in the local market. This is preferred rather than a blender as it can not extract the minerals based in the skin of the vegetable and fruits. It’s important that all the fruits used for juicing should be ripe.
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Potassium Punch

1 peach, pitted and sliced
2 Apples
½ papaya, seeded, sliced
1 banana, peeled
Juice the peach, followed by one of the apples, the papaya and apple again. Pour it into the bender, add the banana and liquefy.

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Cleansing Cocktail

½ parsly
1 Carrot
2 Apples, cut in wedges
2 Celery ribs
½ beetroot with top, or radish top is also ok
Bunch up the parsley and punch through the juicer with the aid of the carrot. Alternate remaining ingredient to ensure proper mixing.
Immune Power vegetable
1 Clove garlic
¼ Inch slice of ginger
Handful of parsley
2 Celery ribs
1 Small fennel
2 Apples cut in wedges

Place the garlic and the ginger in the centre of the parsley, push it through with a celery rib, and alternate the remaining ingredients.
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As the summer time has started knocking on us early, this could be the right time to carry on this body cleanse and feel the difference in your body rhythm. After all who does not want to beautify themselves? So give your body the cleanse that it deserve, as the secret of beauty lies within you and before you treat your outer skin, sink deeper into your organs. Our inner organs it also need a break and some kind of special spa and the secret is by special kind of nutritional diet to rid of the toxic layers.