This New Year, make a resolution to clean out your colon and start the year on a detoxing, prebiotic/probiotic-enriched, high-fiber, low-carb, low-glycemic index, microbiome-diversifying, poop-perfecting, cancer-preventing, low-FODMAP, acid-reflux lowering, metabolic disease-improving, weight loss-promoting cleanse. And the best part is- it’s natural. I’m not recommending you go out and buy expensive bottles of pills and powders because most of the time- you don’t absorb most of it anyway! Who knows, maybe you’ll feel so good, you’ll decide to continue it all year!
Wishing you a happy, healthy new year and your gut a diverse microbiome & strong epithelial lining with tight junctions!
A new year Gut Health Cleanse
IMPORTANT: ALWAYS DISCUSS with your doctor.
Principles
1. Commit to follow this cleanse for 2 weeks.
3. Commit to daily exercise (brisk walking, biking, yoga- anything that will make you sweat) & evening mindful meditation (5 minutes)
4. Commit to a minimum of 2 liters of water a day
Day 1: Waste elimination
This is where your doctor comes in. Discuss with your physician the safest way to purge your colon of its contents and start the new year empty, with a clean slate.
Day 1-14:
Intermittent fasting, a variation of the 16:8 protocol
Plan for 8 hours of eating a day depending on your schedule
Example schedule (eating 11am-7pm with a “break-fast” smoothie)
7am: Black coffee with a teaspoon of Benefiber (can work your way up to a tablespoon slowly)
11am: Breakfast smoothie (see below)
1pm: Lunch
7pm: Dinner
Foods
All PLANTS- fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes/beans, unprocessed grains, plant-based foods with rare fish or poultry
Organic, wild, hormone-free, free-range produce
Raw, steamed, sautéed, baked
No processed food, dairy, red meat, sugar, alcohol, smoking, charring/grilling
Drinks: Only water, plant-infused water, unsweetened green & black teas, coffee, non-dairy milk (almond milk, oat milk, soy milk)
Prebiotic: All fiber-containing foods, consider a prebiotic supplement such as Benefiber supplementation
Probiotic: Tempeh, kombucha, miso, raw (unpasterurized) apple cider vinegar, kimchi, sauerkraut, plant-based yogurt (ex. Kite Hill)
Example menu
Breakfast smoothie
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh turmeric
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
1 handful of wild or regular blueberries
1 handful spinach or kale or any leafy green
1 tablespoon nut or seed butter
1 tsp ground flaxseed
1 tsp chia seeds
1 tsp hemp seeds
Organic almond, oat, or soy milk to achieve desired consistency
Lunch
– Large salad with nuts, seeds, and tempeh with apple cider vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil dressing
– Whole-wheat, spelt, or quinoa pasta with sautéed vegetables
– Veggie burger with air-baked sweet potato fries
– Avocado toast with sauerkraut
– Lentil soup
– Hummus & veggies in a sprouted wrap
– Almond yogurt with raw granola, nuts, and fresh berries
– Overnight oats with banana, coconut flakes, and raw cacao powder
Dinner
– Chili with beans
– Quinoa with sautéed vegetables
– Baked cod with roasted brussel sprouts and baked potato
– Miso soup with buckwheat noodles, tofu and broccoli
– Salmon with string beans and almonds
– Organic chicken tacos with kimchee
Snack
– Raw nuts and seeds
– Sprouted crackers, kale chips
– Veggies and hummus
– Any fruits and vegetables
– Kombucha