Winter 2007-2008     Holiday Cheer! Hello Friends!� It is hard to believe that it is almost 2008!� It is still pushing 85 degrees here is south Florida so it takes a lot of effort to get into the holiday spirit!��None the less my family has decorated for the holidays and it finally feels like December!!���For this issue of the Nutritious Family newsletter, I have decided to write about detox and cleansing!� I try to do a cleanse at least twice a year to get rid of all of the toxins and metals that my body absorbs daily.   Cleansing In ancient Native American cultures, detoxification was regarded as a religious practice.� Cleansing methods were used to purify the body.� The evidence is undeniable...a cleanse is a great way to strengthen the mind body connections.� Is your body becoming toxic?� Each of us has different toxic tolerance levels.� Below are signs that your body might have reached your toxic tolerance level. Frequent headaches Chronic respiratory, sinus or asthma problems Abnormal body odor or bad breath Food allergies or poor digestion Poor memory, chronic insomnia, depression irritability or chronic fatigue Psoriasis, adult acne, unexplained weight gain. What benefits can you expect from a good cleanse or detox? A detox cleans out waste deposits so you aren't running on a dirty engine!� After a cleanse the body starts re balancing, energy levels rise, and you start feeling like a different person! 1) you will clean your digestive tract 2) you will clean our excess mucus and congestion from the body 3) You will purify the kidney, liver, and blood 4) You will enhance mental clarity 5)� You will be less dependent on caffeine, sugar, alcohol, and nicotine 6) You will turn around bad eating habits and your stomach will have a chance to reduce to normal size 7) You will strengthen your immune system A good detox program is 3 steps, Cleansing, Rebuilding, and maintaining.A brief 3-7 �day cleanse is a good way to release toxins from the system.� A shorter cleanse doesn't get to the root of a chronic problem.� A 3-7 day cleanse can clean your pipes of system sludge, excess mucus, old fecal matter, and inorganic mineral deposits that are a part of arthritis. You will know your body is detoxing if you experience short periods of headaches, fatigue, body odor, bad breath, diarrhea, or mouth sores. Digestion usually improves right away, as do many nerve and gland functions.� As far as the maintaining... It is important to follow a cleanse with new improved eating habits as to not clog the system again!� A strict organic diet is recommended and avoid sugar as much as possible.� Try to eat as fresh and and many whole foods as possible.� This means avoiding processed foods and foods that are full of salt and preservatives.� Our bodies come into contact with enough toxic chemicals and pollution daily that when it is something we CAN control (like what we eat) we should always make the best choices! There are many different types of cleanses.� Do some research to figure out which cleanse is right for you.� Linda Page writes a great book called Detoxification and at Wholefoods you can find many more books on the subject. Thanks to Linda Page's "Healthy Healing" for the above material.   My Recent Liver Cleanse! I recently did a liver cleanse and decided to share the details with you!� Upon rising:�drink a large glass of water with 1 squeezed lemon Breakfast: Carrot Beet cucumber juice Mid morning snack:� Green vegetable juice Lunch: glass of Fresh Carrot juice Mid afternoon snack: Mint tea Dinner: another carrot juice or mixed vegetable juice with spirulina powder for protein Before bed: a pineapple papaya juice with 1tsp royal jelly Include 8 glasses of water each day with 1/4 tsp of vitamin C crystals in each glass. Do this cleanse for 3 days. I have to admit this was not a fun one!� I had a hard time with the green drink and the headaches were rough for the first two days.� By day�4 when I started back on a light diet I felt FANTASTIC!!� Tons of energy and an over all feeling of clarity.   Recipes Please Visit www.NutritiousFamily.com for this months recipes! Holiday cookies Yummy cocktails for your holiday parties!! Mini Cranberry Panettones Spicy veggie pasta   With Much Thanks! I just want to extend my sincere gratitude to all of my subscribers.� I love to share my knowledge and especially my favorite recipes with all of you so thank you all for allowing me to continue to "visit" your email box every month!� It has been a wonderful year and I am very excited about all that is to come in 2008!� Please continue to share my newsletters with your friends family and loved ones and spread the health!�� Have a Happy Healthy Holiday and we will meet again in the new year! Hugs, Staci Smith www.NutritiousFamily.com