Rhian’s 4 day at-home detox

UPON RISING

Juice of ½ lemon & a pinch of cayenne in 500mls water. Do 5-8 minutes of dry skin brushing and then workout on an empty stomach if possible. If you don’t have time to workout, try to walk for at least 30 minutes before starting your work day. Aim to have 14-16 hours between dinner and breakfast.

Breakfast smoothie – days 1 & 2

• ½ avocado (ripe)

• ½ or 1 lemon (peeled) depending on how tart you like it

• 2 dates or 1 ripe banana

• ½ bunch parsley

• ½ bunch coriander

• ½ cucumber

• 2 stalks celery

• ½ inch ginger, peeled

• 1 cup mylk of choice, unsweetened; add more water if you need a better consistency

Blend everything together until smooth. This smoothie is packed with phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals, diuretics and anti-oxidants that will help balance your system. If you’re enjoying the smoothie and find it easy, you can stick with this on days 3 and 4. If you’d like some variety you can move to alkaline porridge.

Alkaline Porridge – days 3 & 4

• ½ cup millet – don’t use millet flakes

• ½ tsp coconut oil

• 1 cup unsweetened mylk of choice

• ½ cup water

• pinch of sea salt

• toppings: berries, banana or stewed apples, a few walnuts (no more than 4) and cinnamon

Heat the coconut oil and toast millet for about 2 minutes before you add the liquid. Add salt, mylk and water and simmer for around 15 minutes, until the porridge has the consistency you like (you should still see/taste some of the whole millet kernels). Top with your fruit of choice and a few nuts. Millet is the grain of choice for cleansing diets aimed at digestion because it is gluten free, non-acid forming, easy to digest and a natural ant-acid. It’s high in B Vitamins and minerals such as iron, magnesium and potassium.

LUNCH & DINNER

You’ll be alternating between cooked vegetables and soups, but lunch & dinner are interchangeable depending on what is most convenient for you in terms of meal prep. These are the 2 soups I like to do in this programme but if you have a favorite, vegetable based soup (no grains, animal products or legumes) feel free to substitute.

Cream of tomato soup

· 2.5lbs of good quality, sweet tomatoes

· 4 cloves garlic

· 1 yellow onion

· 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

· 4 cups vegan, msg-free vegetable broth or water

· 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

· ½ cup fresh basil, chopped

· 1 cup cashews, soaked overnight or for at least 3 hours

· 1 tsp sea salt

· fresh black pepper

Cook onion, garlic, and tomato on low heat for about 15 minutes with 1 tbsp of olive or coconut oil, apple cider vinegar and salt. Add the stock to the pot with the tomatoes and simmer for about 30 minutes. You can add any herb or seasoning that you like - I love bay leaves and a few sprigs of rosemary, but make sure you remove them before you transfer to the blender. Rinse the cashews and blend with a little stock and some water, just enough to make into a cream. Add to the pot and then using an immersion blender or Vitamix, blend until smooth. Season to your liking and add basil as a garnish.

Simple asparagus soup

· 2 bunches asparagus

· 3 handfuls organic spinach

· 1 large white onion

· 1 leek (optional)

· 4 cups vegan, msg-free vegetable broth or water

· 1 tbsp coconut oil

· salt & pepper to taste

· lemon to taste

· 1/4 cup pine nuts

Sauté onion & leek with coconut oil until translucent. Add the asparagus and stock and cook for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and add pine nuts, spinach and seasoning. Transfer to the blender and blend until smooth. Add lemon to taste. I also love this soup with a whole bunch of fresh parsley (add at the blender phase) which strengthens its nutritional status and also gives a bright fresh flavor.

Cooked veg lunch or dinner

On days 1 & 2 stick to green vegetables, carrots, mushrooms and brassicas. On days 3 & 4 you can add in more root veg and/or a baked potato. Stick to simple sauces & flavours – lemon, lime, EVOO, tamari sauce, liquid aminos and apple cider vinegar are fine. All herbs and spices are allowed.

SNACKS

Aim to be snack free for the duration of the reset. If you’re really struggling, you can have raw celery and cucumber, both great for electrolyte balance and help address cravings, or make an extra helping of cooked vegetables or a light smoothie, if the smoothie is at least 50/50 vegetable to fruit rather than all fruit. You can also have another helping of your soup or a cup of broth, depending on what you need for your activity level. Drink 1.5L of the lemon cayenne drink per day - the cayenne will help you with cravings and energy and is also a stimulant -and stick to green or herbal teas over coffee. The amount of food is light, as it's important not to overwhelm the digestive system. You can drink as much of this in the day as you'd like (the only caveat is if you have an ulcer, in which case avoid the cayenne!) Enjoy any herbal teas and drink lots of the tonic.

SUPPLEMENTS

There is no need to purchase supplement for this short reset however they can enhance your experience. Probiotics, Vitamin C, Magnesium and a liver complex are my favourites to take alongside this programme.