Detoxing: Cleansing your body
This article was originally published in June 2012
Food is always better than supplements for avoiding toxins, but if you want a boost in preparing your diet for a cleanse, a variety of products and books at PCC may help.
Be sure to check with your health practitioner to get good advice on using supplements of any kind, including cleansing products.
Green powders
On days when you may not get enough vegetables, you might consider adding a greens powder to water, juice or a smoothie. Here are some of the best-selling greens products at PCC.
Amazing Grass SuperFood — Organic grasses, organic spirulina, organic chlorella, organic spinach and organic broccoli make up the better part of this powder, which also contains other organic ingredients such as acai, maca, beet, raspberry, rose hips, pineapple, green tea, and Acerola berry. Organic flax seed and apple pectin contribute fiber, and there’s an assortment of enzymes and probiotics. No soy lecithin. Gluten-free.
Amazing Grass Amazing Meal — Protein is the focus of this certified organic powder, with rice and hemp the primary ingredients. It also has organic greens (wheat grass, barley grass, kale, alfalfa), organic superfoods (acai, blueberries, maca, goji), fiber (flax seed), probiotics and enzymes. No soy lecithin. Gluten-free.
Greens Plus Organic Superfood — A certified organic blend of greens (grasses, broccoli), superfruits (apple peel, acai, Acerola berry), sea vegetables (spirulina, chlorella) and probiotic cultures. This company says one serving delivers more vitamins, minerals and antioxidants than five servings of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Vibrant Health Green Vibrance — Spirulina is the primary ingredient in this powder, but it also has certified organic sea vegetables, grasses such as wheat and barley, and freeze-dried organic vegetables and herbs including parsley, carrot, spinach, broccoli, green beans, zucchini, enzymes, probiotics and vitamin D3. Contains non-GMO
soy lecithin.
MacroLife Naturals Macro Greens — Made with certified organic barley grass, antioxidants and herbs, such as ginger, red raspberry, parsley and horsetail, said to be good for balancing hormones and aiding digestion. Gluten-free.
Nutrex Hawaii Spirulina Pacifica — A unique strain of spirulina grown in Kona, Hawaii. Powder or tablets. Gluten-free.
Common ingredients in greens powders:
Acai (Ah-sigh-ee) — Purple berry from the Amazon rainforest with omega fats, proteins, dietary fiber and more antioxidants than pomegranates.
Apple pectin fiber — Helps regulate bowel function and cleanse the
intestinal tract.
Barley grass — Has a nutritional profile more like that of a green leafy vegetable than that of a grain. Many consider it to be a green superfood that alkalizes the body.
Chlorella — Micro-algae similar to spirulina but with less protein and more than twice the chlorophyll, which is said to fight inflammation and renew blood and tissue.
Enzymes — Specialized proteins facilitating most of the body’s metabolic processes. They reportedly help deliver specific nutrients for muscle and tissue repair and support the immune system.
Flax seed — A rich vegetarian source of omega-3 fats and fiber.
Ginkgo Biloba — Powerful antioxidant thought to improve delivery of oxygen to the brain, and benefit short-term memory, cardiovascular and respiratory health.
Maca — A root believed to enhance ability to deal with stress while boosting energy and endurance.
Milk thistle (Silymarin) — Good for the liver, kidneys and digestive support.
Probiotics — Promote healthy digestion by maintaining the natural balance of microflora in the intestines.
Spirulina — Blue-green micro-algae that “detoxifies the kidneys and liver, builds and enriches the blood, cleanses the arteries, and inhibits the growth of fungi, bacteria and yeasts,” says Paul Pitchford in “Healing with Whole Foods”.