As we see the end of the great detox effort of April 8-17, 2013, we extend our congratulations to the participants. Unlike the fad diets and fake nutrition advice in the newest magazines, the participants in the program of the Center For Natural and Integrated Medicine have done more than fast. They have accomplished many beautiful things for their bodies.

1.   They have replenished their system with healthy nourishment.

2.   Their livers have been stimulated to flush the poisons of 21st century life out of their systems.

3.   Dr. Frank Lipman has stated that, like a car, a body runs better when it is clean. Thus, our participants “have promoted elimination through the intestines, kidneys and skin.”

4.   The substitution of healthy foods and the elimination of toxins has “improved circulation of their blood.” They have “refueled their bodies with healthy nutrients.”

If you missed the group detox effort this time, do not worry. Just call the Center. We have the expertise and the products that you need to be successful. Again, we recommend you do this with friends or a group so you can support each other’s efforts. We invite you to review one of our previous blogs on the subject.

A Challenge from The Mayo Clinic

This week we bring you an interesting a proposition from the Mayo Clinic. It is not a detox, but it is a “palate cleanse.”  The experts at Mayo Clinic suggest that you go with out sweet drinks, sugar and even honey for a period of two weeks. Their experts tell us that we have so desensitized our taste buds, that we can no longer really taste the natural sugars like those in fruits and milk products.
A apple or a bowl of yogurt seems unsweetened or flat, when compared with our sugary soft drinks, or the artificially sweetened diet soft drinks.

Mayo Clinic asks, “Have your taste buds become so accustomed to super-sweet drinks that the natural sweetness in foods, such as fruits, pales in comparison? Want to find out?”

They challenge us to cut added sugar and artificial sweeteners out of our diets. They suggests that the next two weeks, we should allow ourselves to select foods with little or no added sugar or artificialsweeteners. See the details of the Sugar Challenge at this site, and learn how to choose foods that only contain 5 grams or less of sugar.

At the end of the two weeks, experts believe you can actually re-set your appreciation for healthy sweetness.

You will find new enjoyment in wholesome foods instead of over-sweetened, unnatural foods that have numbed the sense of taste. It could change your entire perception of what true sweetness is. In fact, this is such a lovely fruit bowl, you might already find it pleasing to your palate even before the sugar cleanse. After the sugar challenge experience, we recommend you try the naturally sweet fruit treat created by our friends at Nourishing Meals.

Although you might be overly attached to your super sugar saturated breakfast cereal , we believe you will find this “Nourishing Meals.com” recipe for a breakfast “Winter Fruit Bowl,” to be juicy, delicious and sweet. In spite of its name, we do not think it has to be reserved for only Winter or for only breakfasts.

apples, cored and diced
pears, cored and diced
satsumas, peeled and sectioned
avocados, diced
pomegranate arils
persimmons
finely diced fresh ginger
fresh lime juice (optional)
raw cashews

The directions are simple. Just toss these ingredients in a chilled bowl, and enjoy the bliss of natural sugar.