We are finally into Spring after this long and quite treacherous winter. As I’m quickly heading into 50 I want to share an annual, if not, biannual practice that I’ve been doing to help support my goals of longevity and graceful aging.
Traditional Chinese Medicine theorizes that the season of Spring is ruled by organs, the Liver and Gallbladder. After the long winter where our Qi resides deep in the body and we fill up on hearty, rich, nourishing foods, it’s time to lighten things up to avoid imbalances with the Liver and Gallbladder. Some of those imbalances can look like hormonal imbalance, depression, frustration, chronic pain and inflammation, gut issues, insomnia, headaches and allergies.
Spring is where you will often see all the advertisements come through your social feed regarding cleanses, detoxes, and reset diets. I’ve experimented with a variety of them but two truly stand out for me and I often recommend them for different people and different reasons. Read below to see which might be a good fit for you.
The Traditional Approach - Ayurvedic Cleanse
Overview: This traditional Ayurvedic Cleanse is designed to offer deep nourishment through food, self-care practices and daily routines. The Ayurvedic cleanse puts extra emphasis on supporting the clearance and detox pathways of the liver, bladder, bowels and skin.
The gist: A vegetarian mono-diet of traditional homemade kitchari (lentils and rice with specific spices with a turmeric base), vegetables, warm cereals and ghee, lots and lots of ghee. There are no processed foods in this cleanse. This cleanse is also guided with specific lifestyle protocols to rest and restore the nervous system with an emphasis on self-care techniques throughout the week.
Who can benefit: Anyone interested in resetting their gut by giving it a break from the variety of processed foods in the modern day diet. Anti-inflammatory, deeply nourishing, calming to the nervous system for those who are undergoing stress, and supportive in cleansing.
My experience: The focus is on cooking (easy to make and easily pre-made) nourishing and warming meals. My skin had never felt or looked better. I can eat kitchari for days and never feel like I’m missing something. It’s such a great reminder of self-care and emphasizing the variety of tools that can be rotated in on a daily basis for both physical, mental and spiritual support.
To sign up call the front desk at (530)541-9355, or click the link below to book online.
The Modern Approach - Prolon Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD)
Join Elevate in Early June for a Prolon Group Fast Guided by Melinda Choy
Overview: An evidence based approach using the benefits of prolonged fasting to reset the metabolism as well as promote a state of autophagy (damaged cellular cleanup to regenerate new cellular growth).
The gist: The Prolon FMD is a purchasable kit that supplies all the premade vegan, gluten-free/dairy-free meals, snacks and support materials for a 5- day fasting mimicking program. The average caloric intake of the program is about 750 calories/day. This allows the body to be in a fasting state with the benefits of still consuming small meals. Dr Valgo Longo recommends this program once a month for 3-4 months for long-term benefits.
Who can benefit: This is suitable for those who may have reached a plateau in weight loss, have cardiovascular risks and metabolic issues. It’s a great strategy to help regain metabolic flexibility and kick start into the long term benefits of intermittent fasting. This is NOT for those who have a history of disordered eating habits or are under high levels of stress.
My experience: I enjoyed the ease and no brainer approach to this kit. It is food based with nourishing soups. I initially struggled as I’m obsessed with good food and fasting had never been a part of my routine. However, the benefits I received were incredible. I had a noticeable reduction in overall systemic inflammation. My skin was glowing. My energy was off the chart from burning ketones. I had lost the extra 12 lbs that I had put on through perimenopause and continue to keep it off with intermittent fasting. It’s an approach I’ll continue to use periodically to promote longevity.