It’s spring. This is traditionally a time for cleaning out the stagnation from the winter – cleaning the closets, shaking out the bedding, sweeping out the corners, discarding old junk. The same can be done with our bodies. Traditionally in Chinese medicine, spring is the time of liver/gallbladder; therefore a cleansing and detox program at this time of year is a good idea.

This is also a time for eating freshly growing greens. You may have noticed that at the market, the leafy greens are becoming more aromatic and brighter. These vegetables in general are good liver tonics, as are lemon, garlic, and olive oil. Here are some ideas to incorporate fresh greens into your daily diet, and a green drink if you want to do a few days of cleansing.

1.  Eat a daily salad with leafy greens, including some parsley, and a dressing of 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, and 1 small clove garlic (crushed through a garlic press).

2.  Make or purchase some good basil pesto. Recipe: 2 cloves garlic, 4 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves, ¼ cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (use same amount of barley miso for a dairy-free version), ½ cup walnuts. Run the blender or food processor, drop in the garlic until minced and splattered against the wall of the container. Add the basil, olive oil, and miso or Parmesan, scrape the garlic down the wall to mix, and process for 2-3 minutes or until pureed. Add the walnuts and puree a minute longer. Put on pasta, rice, or even in soups.

3.  Green drink:

1 garlic clove

2 cups lettuce (leftover salad works fine)

2 cups parsley leaves

1 celery rib, cut up

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed

4 cups spring water

1 cup fresh orange juice

1 tablespoon olive oil.

Process in blender or food processor until smooth. Keeps in the fridge 3-5 days. Makes about 6 cups.

This is a great liver cleanser. Try having two cups for breakfast every morning. For a really good general spring cleaning, follow with vegetable soup and salad for both lunch and dinner. Do this for 3-5 days. It will make a nice difference, I promise.

Let us know your experience.

Annemarie Colbin, Ph.D.

ANNEMARIE COLBIN, Ph.D., CHES, is an award-winning leader in the field of natural health   She founded Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts (TM) in New York City in 1977, and is adjunct professor of nutrition at the city’s Empire State College. She is the author of four books, including The Book of Whole Meals (Autumn Press, 1979; Ballantine Books, 1983), The Natural Gourmet (Ballantine Books, 1989, 1991), and Food and Healing (Ballantine Books, 1986, 1996).  Her website is: www.foodandhealing.com