Detox your body, detox your home, even detox your life! Detoxes and ways to lose a winter pound or two and restart your system will be everywhere as spring settles in.

Don't get me wrong, I love a spring time juice cleanse but you don't necessarily have to fast or deny yourself any food in order to help your organs out. Something I often tell my clients is that in order to change what you eat, adding foods is much more easy than removing them.

Here are 5 easy ways to help you detox this spring.

The first and probably the easiest. Drink more water. Our bodies are made up of about 60% water and they do not consider coffee, tea or juice to be the same as water. Drink enough water to make your pee pale yellow or clear (unless you're taking a supplement that adjusts the colour). Water is required for your organs to flush out toxins.

Eat your greens. I've said it many times before and I'll say it many times in the future. Make sure you're eating your greens! Green vegetables supply your body with goodness like chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a green pigment (it makes green foods green) and it draws out toxins found in the environment, heavy metals as well as herbicides and pesticides. It doesn't taste too great on its own so eat green veggies, or take a chlorophyll supplement.

Eat naturally detoxifying foods! There are so many out there! From ginger and garlic to lemon, herbs like cilantro and parsley, green tea and sea vegetables like nori and seaweed. There's beets (great for the blood) and turmeric, berries and even (organic) apples too! Add these foods into your meals and you'll naturally help your body to eliminate toxins.

Adding even more antioxidant rich foods. Having foods like goji berries as snacks can really help you top up on your antioxidants. We include antioxidants in our diets because they help prevent types of cell damage. "When certain types of oxygen molecules are allowed to travel freely in the body they cause what is known as oxidative damage which is the formation of free radicals. Free radicals are very dangerous to the body's tissue and have been connected to cancer and premature aging. The body uses antioxidants to prevent itself from the damage caused by oxygen." (Dr Axe). Incorporate foods like goji berries, wild blueberries and raw cacao (dark chocolate - which you can make yourself! See the recipe below!) are great additions to the foods you eat and really, who doesn't like chocolate? If you're looking to drink some great tasting antioxidants then matcha, an ancient concentrated form of green tea is something to try.

Walk more. Get outside, breathe fresh air and escape from work for a half hour. Walking increases energy, boosts cardiovascular health and clears your mind from the things that stress us leaving us feeling better. Walking can give us a feel-good feeling because it releases endorphins and serotonin, giving you a natural high.

The time it takes to make this chocolate is quicker than it takes to run to the corner store and buy it. Plus it's much, much better for you.

5 tbsp of raw, organic cacao powder*
3 tbsp of cold pressed virgin coconut oil
3 tbsp of melted raw organic cacao butter
2 (or more) tbsp of goji berries - totally optional. Experiment and add your favourite berry, nut or seed!
Add honey or maple syrup to taste. This recipe is fine without any sugar. It is rich and tastes like it was sent from the heavens.

*I'd advise against using cocoa powder as a replacement for raw cacao since cocoa is refined therefore it has been stripped of its potency)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Place wax paper in a medium sized plastic container and pour the mixture into the container. Make sure the liquid is even, secure the lid and place flat in the freezer for 15 minutes. When you remove the chocolate it will be solid. Chop into pieces and enjoy.

Store the chocolate in the fridge or the freezer as it will melt quickly. This is an very rich dark chocolate and is very very good for you. I find that one single piece will take care of any chocolate cravings and it's great for ladies before and during their lady-time since chocolate is a great source of magnesium.

Till next time beauties! Happy Spring!!

Be well,

C.
xoxo