If you want to release weight, clear up your skin, cleanse your liver, alkalise and disease-proof your body and relieve toxic mucous conditions, the green diet is for you! And spring time is the time to do this cleanse.

Ditch anything that’s not green (‘green’ doesn’t include green M&Ms or Green&Blacks chocolate) for up to 40 days. Ideally do this cleanse in the spring, eating only green foods like salad leaves, steamed greens, avocados, sprouts, mung beans, green fruit and (wahey!) yogi tea. 

I tried this fast for 10 days. Initially my imagination with regards to what food I could eat was quite limited. What happened as the cleanse went on, though, is I started exploring different ways of preparing green foods. It was a real exercise in creativity and it really opened my mind to what was possible on this cleanse – it really is generous!

Olive oil is green as are limes, so there’s your salad dressing right there. Then there are pistachios, pumpkin seeds and even some raisins, so you can make energy bars! As well as the usual spinach, kale etc there are Brussels sprouts, mung beans, green lentils, asparagus. Wowee, I had so much fun buying new veggies! Here’s an idea of what I ate and how I got on…

TYPICAL DAY

Breakfast: A bowl of chopped apple, pear and avo topped with a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds or a bowl of mung soup with avo

Snacks: Sugar snap peas, pistachios, apple with pumpkin seed butter, peppermint tea

Lunch: Tossed salad with kale and cos, avo, artichoke, edamame, broccoli, cucumber, dressed with lime and olive oil

Dinner: Mung salad with chopped cucumber, avo, coriander, green chilli, lime juice

DIARY

The first two days I suffered with detox symptoms: headaches, moody, exhausted, scattered and unable to focus, emotional, unsettled. By day three, the symptoms started to subside. I found I was eating A LOT!!! 

Something that was highlighted was how stressed I’d been. My body felt like it really needed to relax, but was struggling with letting go. Particularly on day 4, I felt very stressed and anxious, which continued into day 5 when I felt very ungrounded, especially after some sugary green raisins. By day 6 things started to calm down and I was starting to get into my sattvic groove, and it was a happy journey for the remaining days. 

I can highly recommend the green diet as a way to spring clean your body and support your liver. Be present with whatever emotions bubble up to the surface – some of them may not be so comfortable! – and keep a diary to check in with your ‘before’ and ‘after’ selves. It’s well worth the effort.

ps Carefully does it! Use common sense and stay tuned in to what your body needs if practising this fast for more than three days. You know your body better than everyone, so stay connected and listen to its needs.

Sat nam x