So the New Year is almost upon us, and after a holiday season that was likely filled with sweet treats, alcohol, late nights and rushing around, it's time to give our poor ol' bods a break! You may be feeling a little sluggish, perhaps a few extra pounds found their way around your mid-section, and you just feel like you could use a good cleansing to wash away the impurities you've been exposed to over the last few weeks.

You've probably heard the words "detox" and "cleanse" frequently, but might have wondered what's the difference? Actually, they're used pretty interchangeably. Let's start with dictionary definitions from Merriam-Webster:

Cleanse: To rid of impurities by, or as if by, washing.
Detox: to free from an intoxicating or addictive substance, or dependence on such a substance.

Pretty similar, right? So "cleansing" and "detox" mean taking out toxins and addictive stuff, like sugar, nicotine, alcohol, caffeine, and chemicals (coined "SNACCs" by detox doctor Elson Haas). But removing toxins is only one side of the cleansing equation. The other side, which is just as crucial, is adding in nutrient dense whole foods. So the formula is simple - reduce SNACCss and increase whole foods.

Now keeping our formula in mind, there are different degrees of cleansing. You can go out int he desert and live on water for 40 days to cleanse. That's pretty extreme. On the other end of the spectrum, you can simply eliminate one food that you rely on every day. It could be your morning bagel, your 3pm mocha latte, or the fast-food drive through lane you find yourself in on the way home from work.

Remember, eliminating toxins is only one side of the equation. So you've decided which SNACC you're getting rid of. Great! Now what do you add to your daily diet? We suggest green vegetables, and lots of them! Some examples of green vegetables are kale, collard greens, dandelion greens, spinach, arugula, broccoli, and asparagus. They are the foods most missing in our modern diets, and are loaded with beneficial phytochemicals and cleansing fibre. You may be thinking "But I don't have time to cook green vegetables." Well, it can be as quick and easy as simply putting them in your steamer for 10 minutes. Another great option is to use liquid greens - you can get them in powdered form and mix with water or juice, or you can use wheatgrass (stay tuned for more on wheatgrass in another article).

You might be wondering about herbal detox kits or formulations that you can buy at the health food store. These herbs and formulations can be a good addition to an intensive cleansing program, and whether this is your first cleanse or you're a cleansing pro, there are different formulations available for all levels. I would encourage you, however, that if you've been eating a lot of processed foods and have been short on getting your 5 to 10 fruits & veggies every day, then simply removing processed foods and introducing fruits, veggies, and of course lots of water to help keep things flushing out, will actually be a fairly intensive detox for you already. Your liver will love all the vitamins and minerals you give it to help the process along. Even just this simple change can result in a "healing crisis" or "detox reaction" which can result in 1 to 3 days (on average) of low energy, mild headaches, or perhaps even flu or cold-like symptoms. Go gently and gradually and be kind to your body, get some extra rest, and drink lots of water and soothing herbal teas.

Now our detox formula - toxins out, whole nutrients in - applies to every part of your life, not just food. Where in your life do you have emotional and physical toxins that you can cleanse? Now is the time to examine your career, your relationships, your home and your spirituality. Once you've identified toxins to remove from your life, ask yourself where you can add more sou-feeding joy.

If you liked these tips and want to learn more indepth about cleansing and detox, consider registering for our Teleclass on Detoxification that is part of our 2010 Vitality & Natural Weight Release Telecass Bootcamp series starting in January. You can find out more about it by going to Spring Renual BOOTCAMP. We are currently creating a sign-up list, so put your name in now if you're interested in joining the program!