Kat’s Hot Talk

Well, you did it, you binged. You told yourself you weren’t going to go overboard this year, but your aunt showed up with a hot batch of Grandma’s famed rolls and you just had to have one, OK, two, OK, well, maybe, it was three, but it’s Thanksgiving so who’s counting?

These things happen. It’s the holidays. We’re surrounded by friends and family and food. Before you know it, you’ve sought refuge in cheese potatoes and one too many glasses of wine. A lot of us wake up feeling pretty gross the day after Thanksgiving, or any major holiday for that matter. The key is to not stress too much. It’s just one day, a holiday, and that’s that. Today is your opportunity to cleanse and detox before it starts up again with the holiday party circuit the first weeks of December. Since I am like you, and I’ll likely wake up Friday morning feeling like I’ve soaked myself in vegan gravy, I’m going to share with you my favorite post-holiday cleansing tips and recipes.

1. Start the day off right.  If you’ve never had a green smoothie, then you are missing out. They are an energizing, hydrating elixir of life. I’ve been drinking them almost every day for a year, and I see a noticeable difference in my skin and energy level. I need way less coffee.

Basic green detox smoothie
1½  cups organic spinach or kale
1½ cups organic romaine lettuce
2 organic celery stalks
2 organic sweet apples (I like honeycrisp or Gala in this)
1 mashed banana
Juice of 1 lemon or orange
Chop everything up enough to work well in a blender.  Be sure to tear the greens and lettuce with your hands rather than cutting with a knife.  Fill blender half way with water and puree until liquid.  Once you get the taste for it, you can change out different fruits, add avocado, or cilantro.

If you’re not ready to try this out yet, head into Squeeze Juice Bar in Niles and try one of their creations.  They even have weekly detox plans.

2. Work it out.  Sweating is a great way to get toxins out of your system so, even though you feel lethargic today, get off that booty and feel the burn.  I suggest doing a lot of core work to get an internal fire going. Dune hiking at a brisk pace after a pilates-mat warm-up is great for this as it uses all the key muscle groups. Twisting and squatting are also excellent ways to wring out impurities and amp-up digestion, so try and work in a yoga class this weekend. There are two at Pleasant Street Studio this Saturday as well as one Sunday morning.  Visit the website at www.721pleasant streetstudio.com to get an updated schedule.

3. Eat that roughage.  Whenever I feel like I’ve been eating way too much junk, I get back to eating really clean, simple, salads that are high in fiber and free of added oils and sugars. Fiber is the classic cleanser, pushing the bad stuff out of our systems. Diets high in fiber have been proven to help with heart disease and cholesterol issues. Here’s a tasty fiber, iron, calcium and Omega 3 packed salad recipe:

Crunchy kale and red cabbage salad
3 stalks ripboar kale
1 leaf romaine torn into 1-inch pieces
1/2 head red cabbage, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup flat parsley, chopped
1 ripe tomato, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, sliced
2 carrots, shredded
1/2 red onion finely chopped
3 Tbs. hemp seeds
Tear kale from stalk and place in a salad spinner with chopped cabbage, romaine and parsley. Rinse and spin well removing all excess water. Soak the celery and carrots in water for a couple minutes then scrub thoroughly with a veggie brush. Once clean, slice and prep all veggies. Place in a large salad bowl and top with hemp seeds. Use tongs to toss, then serve.
This is great topped with a simple homemade vinaigrette dressing (4 ounces extra virgin olive oil, 1 ounce vinegar, 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard, sea salt, black pepper).

4. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.  Keep a reusable water bottle by your side and and drink lots of water. Your skin and organs will thank you.

5. Consider a cleanse.  Every year, I do at least one herbal total body cleanse. Since I eat such a healthy diet all year around, I don’t often do the entire two-week process.  Your body tells you when the job is complete, but I suggest everyone give it a shot. The last week of  November is a perfect time for this. Head to Apple Valley Market in Berrien Springs or  Mishawaka and look for an herbal total body cleanse. You still eat normally and can’t have alcohol for the duration of the process. Be sure to read the instructions and see item four on this list.