When I’m speaking to women and men who are really wanting to feel good in their bodies and lighten up, most of them think they need to strip away all the “bad stuff” and cleanse until they’re spic ‘n span. What if we actually need to add in critical nutrients?The truth is that most of are seriously nutrient-deficient, yet overfed. This means we’ve either been eating a lot of empty calories that don’t boast many nourishing elements, or we’re eating lots of nutrient dense foods but not absorbing anything because we’re actually consuming substances that are blocking our body’s innate ability to absorb and digest what it needs and eliminate what it doesn’t need. These two situations manifest similar feelings:

1. You might feel full or even bloated but exhausted all the time. It’s hard for you to feel satisfied and you’re always reaching for something more to “round out your meal.”
2. You have trouble losing weight because your body isn’t getting the essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals it requires to support your thyroid + metabolism.
3. You have digestive issues like diarrhea, constipation, or a confusing and uncomfortable combination of both. When things aren’t moving or moving too much, it’s a red flag that you’re not absorbing your nutrients. You could be eating all the superfoods in Whole Foods, but if your digestive system isn’t absorbing + eliminating properly, it’s a straight up waste of time and money – pun intended.
4. You have crazy sugar cravings, all the time. When your body isn’t absorbing the full spectrum of nutrients, you’ll feel lethargic, tired and foggy and reach for sugar – a temporary form of energy – to keep you going throughout the day.
5. Skin blemishes and/or rashes. Your skin is a direct reflection of your digestive system. If you’re having breakouts or rashes – or you’ve always had them – that’s your body trying to discharge what your digestive system can’t.

When experiencing these symptoms, a lot of people think they need a juice cleanse to reset their bodies. This is a mistake in most cases, and will weaken the system even further. The time to do a brief juice cleanse is when your body is already absorbing and eliminating pretty well, and you’ve just been overindulging a bit but aren’t experiencing too many of the malabsorption symptoms I list above.

Extensive cleansing will damage your thyroid in the long run and burn out your adrenals. When the body thinks it won’t get food, like during a juice cleanse, the adrenals release the stress hormone cortisol which causes your body to hang on to weight.

Enter the reverse detox. This is the real way to restore your system to optimal health, engaging your metabolism and supporting proper elimination.

Wondering what exactly this involves?

1. Remove blockers – food + beverages that interfere with natural absorption and digestion. Blockers create an acidic condition in the body, weakening the immune system and diluting precious digestive enzymes: coffee, black tea, sugar in all forms (including fruit), and (sorry) alcohol. Remember that it’s just temporary and you can go back to enjoying these things in moderation soon.

2. Eliminate possible allergens: dairy, gluten, soy and eggs. Try removing these during your reverse detox, then reintroduce them one at a time afterwards and take note of any side effects.

3. Go local and/or organic. I’m a huge fan of sustainable, local and organic foods, but I also firmly believe that conventional vegetables are better than no vegetables at all. That said, place an emphasis on choosing responsibly grown foods, especially during your reverse detox. This eliminates toxins and chemicals that may be interfering with your metabolism, elimination, digestion and more. Refer to the Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen if you can’t go 100% organic and need to prioritize.

4. Go mostly plant-based. Have a few 4-6 ounce portions of organic animal protein each week if your body needs it, but keep your reverse detox mostly plant-based.

5. So, what exactly should you eat? Lots of vegetables, minimal low-glycemic fruits, whole grains like quinoa and brown rice if they work for you, omega-3 rich fish like salmon, nuts, seeds, and other great fats like olive oil and avocado. Emphasize high-mineral foods and superfoods like seaweed, chia seeds, hemp seeds and goji berries. Seaweed in particular greatly supports thyroid + metabolic function and absorption.

Take this approach for 30 days and you’ll notice a huge difference in your body, energy, digestion, skin and mood.

To do a reverse detox with me, hashtag your healthy food shots with #30dayRDwithLB on Instagram and Twitter @lulaibrown.

Want some guidance and support on your reverse detox? Email me at lula@lulabrown.com and I’ll set you up with a great meal plan and one on one support, if you’d like.

This week, I have a delicious plant-based recipe for you, perfect for a late-summer reverse detox. Try it out and let me know how you like it. And remember, I’m always here for you, and love hearing from you.

Perfect Summer Salad with Roasted Peaches

Ingredients

3 cups arugula
½ white peach
1 cup packed fresh basil
1 T hemp seeds
2 T fresh lemon juice
¼ cup + 2 T extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt, to taste

Method

Wash and dry arugula and transfer to large bowl. Add hemp seeds. Blend your basil, lemon juice, ¼ cup olive oil and sea salt on high speed in a blender until smooth. Bring 2 T extra virgin olive oil to medium heat in skillet. Slice peach into segments and sear on each side for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with sea salt. Toss arugula + hemp seeds with basil vinaigrette. Arrange peaches on top and garnish with more hemp seeds and fresh basil ribbons. Easy peasy and super nourishing.

Photo: Jake Freeman