Have you ever gone on a cleansing diet or detox regime? Maybe you cut out all sugars and fats and carbs, or maybe you tried one of the many fasts available out there. I have done many a cleanse over the years, and I’ll tell you, it’s not usually an easy thing to do. The results can be wonderful—a higher energy level, mental clarity, better eyesight, clearer skin, diminished cravings, absence of physical ailments and pains that we begin to accept as normal because they never seem to go away—but they usually involve some drastic changes and can be difficult to fit into a busy schedule.

I’d like to offer some small changes you can make in your daily routine that won’t disrupt your system or your routine. While the best time to do a major cleanse is when the seasons change, mid-winter is a good time for smaller shifts that will help your body gear up for a bigger cleansing initiative when the time is right. So, take a deep breath, relax for a moment and read on for some tips…

1: Hot water with lemon This is one of the simplest, yummiest ways to help your organs help you. In the morning, before you’ve taken any food, coffee, tea, or anything else, heat up some water (8-12 oz.), squeeze in the juice of ½ a lemon, and enjoy! If you find it too time consuming to squeeze lemons, use the bottled stuff (remember: this is supposed to be convenient!), but fresh is better if you can do it. This helps to jump-start and tone the liver. Our liver is responsible for over five hundred functions, including hormone regulation, processing and flushing toxins out of our blood, assimilation of everything we take in (food, drink, air, supplements, etc.), bile production (which is critical for dissolving fats), and mood balancing. If your liver is struggling or sluggish, you will be struggling and sluggish. And because all of our organs work in conjunction with one another, if your liver is happy, your other organs will be happier too.

2: Leafy greens Take the opportunity to include leafy greens as sides to your holiday meals. Much of the food we eat around the holidays is on the heavy side, and that makes sense; we need heartier foods this time of year to keep us warm and give us energy in the colder months. However, we still need to do our best to balance our meals, and leafy greens are a great way to do it. Kale, chard, collards, mustard greens, and cabbage are all abundantly available right now and they are one of the greatest sources around for vitamins, minerals and fiber. Plant-based vitamins and minerals are the most easily assimilated and serve to support our physiology from the cellular level up to keep our organs, muscles, bones, eyes, and overall being strong and healthy. Fiber helps to give us slow-release energy, fills us up, keeps our digestion and elimination regular, all of which are very important for keeping our systems clean. And greens are so versatile! You can add them to soups, sauté them in oil with some garlic, steam them, bake them—your options are virtually unlimited! Experiment on your own, download recipes or contact me for ideas. Your organs will thank you!

3: Water, Water, Water! Last on the subject of cleansing: you absolutely must be hydrated. There is no part of our physiology that internally produces water. The only way for us to get enough water is to drink it. And we lose hydration through sweating, diuretics (such as tea, coffee and alcohol), exhalation and just plain evaporation when the weather is cold and dry. Without enough water, our digestion suffers, our organs cannot flush out toxins, we cannot eliminate waste properly, and we can be riddled with headaches and muscular aches and pains. There are hundreds of ailments we can avoid simply by being and staying hydrated. The general rule is 8-8oz. glasses per day. This should be adjusted, of course, depending on your activity level and your size, but it’s the best place to start. Then, add one more glass for each caffeinated or alcoholic beverage you consume during the day.

Honorable mention: The subject of pomegranates has come up several times lately, so I want to say a quick word about them. Pomegranates have a long mythical history in many cultures and have been harvested for use in cooking and medicinal preparations for centuries, particularly in the Middle East and Asia. In America, pomegranate juice has been getting more and more media time as a healthy food. They are indeed very good for you, and their health effects can be astounding. They are very high in antioxidants, which help to keep the blood clean; they are said to support cardiovascular health by preventing and reducing hardening of the arteries; they are rich in vitamins A, C and E and are a great source of iron; and there have been studies showing that pomegranate juice has been effective in the treatment of prostate cancer, breast cancer and even diabetes! If none of these health issues are a concern for you, consider trying some pomegranate juice anyway—it’s really, really tasty!

Until next time – happy clean eating!

Kathleen Graffunder is a Holistic Health Counselor based in New York, certified with the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. Kathleen believed in “Healing Through Truth,” and works with her clients to identify their unique needs (both emotional and physical) and design programs to create health and balance in their lives. Kathleen is happy to answer your questions about cleanses and offers a free health consultation. She can be reached at 917.697.2623 and at katgraf_consulting@yahoo.com.