Spring is in full swing here in Utah, and you can feel the beautiful energy of the earth waking up and coming back to life. With the warmer weather we are also waking up and looking forward to getting out and participating in more activities. Now is a perfect time to cleanse the body and fill it with life giving foods in preparation for the coming activities. 

Cleansing can consist of jump starting this season with a 3-Day juice cleanse and following it up with Dr. Christopher’s Extended Herbal Cleanse. These cleansing formulas – Lower Bowel Formula, Liver & Gallbladder Formula, Kidney Formula and Bloodstream Formula – focus on the main elimination channels and will not only clean out the winter stagnation from the body but will also take care of many ailments that we are dealing with. 

Focus on adding life-giving foods to your diet by increasing your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables. The best way to do this is to just have them on hand. Prioritize purchasing fresh, organic produce and using it quickly. Reach for crunchy snap peas, carrots, jicama, or celery with hummus or guacamole for snacks. Start your sprouts and add them to salads, sandwiches or just snack on them throughout the day. If you start soaking some spouting seeds every 3 days, you’ll always have a good supply of sprouts on hand. Experiment with different varieties of sprouts and micro greens to find your favorites and eat as many as possible. These little sprouts are packed with excellent nutrition, and you will feel a difference in your energy levels as you eat more of them. 

Dr. Christopher taught that fruits are cleansing, so starting the day with fresh juice, fruit, or smoothie bowls is a great way to kick start cleansing on a daily basis. I love cleansing fruits in the morning – it makes me feel good and inspires me to reach for more whole foods throughout the day.

If consuming fresh fruits and vegetable are new to you and are a little hard on your system, start by adding at least 1 quart of fresh juice to your diet every day. Make sure to follow Dr. Christopher’s advice and “sip, swish, swallow.” He encouraged us to “chew” our juice to utilize the enzymes in the mouth and start digestion immediately. Doing this simple activity, instead of gulping our juices, will mitigate blood sugar spikes and allow us to easily assimilate all the nutrition our fresh juices have to offer.

Start now! You don’t need fancy equipment or crazy new recipes to eat life giving foods. Just wash and eat. Make it a habit to purchase a few more fruits and vegetables with each trip to the grocery store – and then add them to every meal and have them handy for snacks. The more you practice incorporating fresh produce the easier it becomes to adjust your meals to 80% fresh, raw fruits and vegetables. Support your local farmer’s market and taste how delicious homegrown food is. Most of all, I hope you enjoy the energy and vitality you’ll have from incorporating living foods into your daily routine.

Tara Christopher Eyre is a Master Herbalist and Foot Zone Therapist/Practitioner. She loves helping people find and continue their path toward health.