The most important thing is that you do something that’s fun on your Detox Day. You don’t need a partner for this. Simply turn on the radio, find a tune you like and start dancing. It’s great fun, moves your blood and circulatory system, tones your bod and lifts your spirits. And if you have children at home, they too will love to dance with you. It’s something you can do together with anyone or just yourself, have fun and rejuvenate all your bodies at the same time.
Keep dancing for 30–45 minutes if you want a decent aerobic workout. I tell my patients who work at sitting jobs to get up every hour on the hour and dance their brains out for five minutes. But on your Detox Day, feel free to do whatever feels right for you without overdoing it. By flexing, moving, stretching and relaxing the muscles, the lymph fluid effectively pulls out toxins. Sweating does the same.
Science bit
The lymph gland and its fluids are the major machinery for moving out unwanted matter from the body. Exercise provides the pump that initiates the lymphatic system which moves toxins out of the body. So if you fail to exercise, the lymph cannot and does not work effectively. I would argue that it is moderate daily exercise, more than anything else that can keep us young physically, mentally and sexually. So please keep up with the exercise even after the detox day.
Nutrients during the detox day The following supplements should be taken during your detox day, as they will assist cleansing of the liver, bowels and cells while supporting your overall constitution strength:
1 Green superfoods
You need to make sure that you have 2 generous teaspoons of a green superfood on your Detox Day. Choose any one or more of the following:
2 Digestive enzymes
Take where instructed or with any warm meals/drinks.
3 Linseeds or flax oil
1 tablespoon of either daily.
4 Milk thistle
Take milk thistle or alpha lipoic acid to support your detox organs (2 capsules daily). (If you wish, open the capsule contents and pour into one of your juices in the middle of the day.) To check if you need milk thistle or alpha lipoic acid supplements take a look at the symptoms in the box below. If you tick even just one, then you will need to take either milk thistle or alpha lipoic acid during your detox – and for two weeks afterwards.
5 Acidophilus
If you opt for an enema or colonic hydrotherapy, you will need Acidophilus supplements.
DO YOU NEED MILK THISTLE?
Nausea
Anger
Insomnia
Headaches
Post-partum Depression
Dizziness
Digestive upset
Irritability
Tinnitus
Haemorrhoids
Aggressive
Hot palms
Bruising
Tense
Hot soles
Moody
Splitting nails
Painful eyes
Depression
Red eyes
Red face
Blurry vision
Tenderness under right rib
Amalgam fillings
Quivering tongue (tongue shakes a bit when you stick it out)
On rising
(Times may be modified to your personal lifestyle):
7:00am Warm lemon water
Squeeze some fresh lemon into warm water. Warm water with lemon allows a gentle start to the day, as it goes straight through to the bowels, helping to expel faecal matter from the day before. (Cold water, first thing in the morning, shocks and stops at the tummy, creating gas or bloating.)
7:30am Linseed
Choose from:
8:00am Breakfast
Choose from:
9:30am Tea break: Drink a cup or two of herbal tea
During this Detox Day, we will take several tea breaks. After all, what would we do without our tea breaks? So this day is no different. I have built in a number of them for your sipping pleasure. Nutritionally speaking, though, my tea breaks will be nourishing, healing and will enhance the detox. You will need to choose from the list of teas that I tell you. You cannot drink your regular caffeine-laden black tea, but you can drink: nettle, dandelion, camomile, sage or echinacea teas.
10:00am Fruit juice break
Choose seasonal fruit, freshly squeezed or pressed with your juicer – see opposite for some ideas. If you are getting rather hungry mid-morning, then please make more juices for yourself.
If one or more of the following applies to you, please warm your fruit either by gentle steaming or placing fruit in a pan of warm water (you are not boiling the fruit, simply warming it).
WARM APPLE DELIGHT
6 apples
2 pears
JUICING IDEAS
All fruits and vegetables should be peeled and cored before juicing. Ginger root should be peeled and grated.
SPROUT SURPRISE
1 apple, 175g (6 oz) alfalfa sprouts or clover sprouts, 6 fresh mint leaves, 3 carrots.
LEMON ESSENCE
8 carrots, 1 apple, juice of 1 lemon, 2.5 cm (1-inch) slice ginger root.
PAPAYA PARADE
2 firm papayas, 2 pears, ½ teaspoon grated ginger root.
GRAPES GALORE
20 green grapes, 10 strawberries, 1 apple, 2 sprigs fresh mint.
GINGER ENLIVENER
2 apples, 2 pears, small piece of ginger root.
This is a terrific breakfast enlivener that will perk up your whole system, providing a wake-up call for the taste buds too.
BERRY BLITZ
1 punnet of your favourite berries or even mixed berries (strawberries, blackberries, gooseberries, raspberries),
2 peaches, 1 apple.
PINEAPPLE PICK-ME-UP
Juice of 1 pineapple.
12:30pm Lunch
You’ve made it so far. And I’ll bet you’re doing just fine. Now here’s lunch. Choose from one of the following:
After cooking the grain , add one or more of the following raw herbs to mix with it: dill, chives, chervil, or dandelion leaves. Serve with a side dish of broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, cucumber, dark green lettuce leaves, celery or Brussels sprouts.
DR GILLIAN’S RAW MINT CUCUMBER SOUP
Juice of 3 cucumbers and 2 celery sticks
1 cucumber, chopped
¼ cup fresh chopped mint leaves
¼ cup fresh chopped parsley
¼ leek, finely chopped
2:00pm Herbal tea break
2:30pm Dr McKeith’s Veggie Detox Juice
Choose from the following freshly made juices using your juicer
COOL CARROTMANIA
This is delightful and very nourishing to the liver.
6 carrots, 2 celery stalks and 1 apple.
(Try a version without apple too.)
BEETROOT BLAST
½ beetroot, 2 carrots, 1 celery stalk, ½ a small cucumber.
COOL CUCUMBER
2 whole cucumbers, ¼ – ½ beetroot, a dill sprig.
CUCUMBER MEDLEY
2 cucumbers, 4 celery stalks, ¼ of a piece of root ginger (optional), sprig of basil or coriander. This is my favourite.
GREENS TO GO
A handful of parsley, 1 kale leaf, 5 carrots and a tiny piece of root ginger.
CELERY ENERGY
2 celery stalks, a handful of parsley, 1 garlic clove, 5 carrots and 100g (4oz) alfalfa sprouts (optional but great if you do).
3:00pm Herbal tea break
3:30pm It’s snack time!
Snack on sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and/or raw sauerkraut.
4:00 p.m. Dr Gillian’s delectable veggie smoothie
6 carrots (with tops if possible)
1 soft avocado
10 basil leaves
1 apple
1 lemon slice
Juice the carrots and apple through a juicer. Add to the other ingredients and blend in a blender or food processor. Squeeze a dash of lemon into the drink.
5:30pm Dinner
You are almost finished for the day. You can now eat a hearty raw salad with a handful of raw sprouts. Plus, add a small amount of grain if feeling really hungry.
6:30pm Potassium broth break
You are doing very well. Keep it up.