Whole, living, raw foods and specially designed herbal combinations work to improve digestive secretions, such as bile and enzymes, increase bowel transit time, and speed up your metabolism, alkalize your blood, reduce your appetite and provide enzymes . Your liver, heart, brain, intestines and kidneys are all supported and their functions stimulated .
The whole process gives your body a holiday from its usual routine of constantly struggling to digest, break down and eliminate waste, which makes daily life a lot easier for your body . This allows more of your metabolic energy to be used for healing, tissue repair and organ maintenance .
In the next few pages we will discuss the food and herbs that are used in the Brett Elliott’s Ultimate Herbal Detox .
Since modern food is a major source of our toxin build up, a return to raw, whole and unprocessed food is an important part of the DETOX program . You will get detailed recipes along with your program, but here is a short list of foods I suggest you can use while completing the herbal DETOX .
JUICES : Juice combinations could contain the following: apple, beetroot, capsicum (bell pepper), carrot, celery, grape, grapefruit, lemon, mango, orange, papaya, pear, pineapple, tomato, wheatgrass or barley grass . I recommend getting fresh organic produce and making your own juice, but if this is not practical then simply get the best juice you can buy which does not have added sugar . Freshly squeezed juice can be taken with some of the fiber scooped back in.
FRUIT SALADS : Try combining different fruit including oranges, lemons, pears, nectarines, plums, peaches, pineapple, kiwifruit, apples, mangoes, cherries, prunes, apricots, papaya, watermelon, all berries, (no bananas, too starchy) .
VEGETABLE SALADS : These can include lettuce, cabbage, tomato, avocado, spring onion, basil, chives, beetroot, broccoli, bean sprouts, carrot, rocket, parsley, coriander (cilantro), cucumber, cauliflower, mushrooms, celery, capsicum (bell pepper) and any green leafy vegetable . Dress with garlic, yoghurt, lemon juice, cold pressed olive oil, apple cider vinegar and herbs .
LIGHTLY STEAMED OR STIR FRIED VEGETABLES : Any vegetables can be used, including pumpkin, parsnip, eggplant (aubergine), capsicum, zucchini (courgette, marrow), sweet potato, mushrooms, carrot, leek, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, silverbeet, spinach.
OTHER IDEAS : Vegetable soups can contain any of the above vegetables without flour, barley or split peas. Pumpkin or tomato soups are my favorite . Celery sticks with a little hummus, carrot sticks with guacamole (avocado and garlic dip); asparagus, cucumber or beetroot . Prunes, dates, figs, raisins, olives, gherkins or pickled onions are all OK in small amounts .
CHIA SEED : Superfood
This amazing superfood contains 19 amino acids . Chia seeds are 23% protein, 34% omega 3 and 23% soluble fiber. They help to slow carbohydrate absorbtion, and if taken before meals will balance blood sugar responses to food . The gel created by the seeds, help to reduce reflux. In pre-Columbian times, the seeds were a major part of the Aztec and Mayan diet and were used as survival rations for the Aztec warriors . In one study at the University of Toronto, patients taking the seeds had a blood pressure drop of 10 points diastolic, and 5 points systolic after 3 months .
Thus Aloe possesses almost a complete drug store of medically useful ingredients along with pH the same as human skin . Its overall healing, nourishing and protecting effect on tissues makes it a great remedy for the intestine as well as the skin externally .
Aloe is used in the Herbal DETOX as a prebiotic and mild laxative with overall healing, nourishing and protecting effect on tissues .
