Time for a 'spring clean'?

We're ten days away from the start of our annual 21-day 'conscious cleanse' on Little White Feather – join us, if you can – and so I thought it was about time to start talking about the rationale behind it.For me, lapses of energy for no apparent reason, pronounced mood swings, feeling uncomfortable in my body, aches and pains... can all be signs that I need to unburden my body-mind of toxins. If you're feeling any of these things on a regular basis, it might be a good time to cleanse.The detox programme I'm proposing – and which begins on Monday March 30th, on both our Facebook page and the Little White Feather site, is a relatively gentle one. It consists of gradually taking the main toxins out of the diet (and those foods and drinks that your system may be 'fighting' with) over a period of 21 days and living on a healthy, nutritious diet without these foods. Why now? Because early spring is often seen at a time when our liver energy is strongest (the liver being the main 'detox organ' of the body).The foods we take out are: meat and fish (as these often contain all sorts of additives and are quite tiring for the body to digest), artificial additives of any sort, dairy products, wheat and gluten, sugar, caffeine and alcohol.The effect? Though the withdrawal phase can be difficult, with 'side effects' such as tiredness and headaches – and, of course, food cravings – after a few days people often tend to feel renewed energy, vigour, mental clarity and a growing ease in the body, which, long-term, should you choose to remain on the diet (which many people do, as you feel so good), tends to resume its natural, balanced state and, as if by magic, on a physical level too, any 'lumps and bumps' caused by a build-up of toxins tend to fall away.This programme, however, is not for everyone. It does require a good base level of health. And a good dose of stamina. If you are a detoxing beginner, I recommend that you start by following a basic weekend detox – I'll be doing one (accompanied by a daily post on Facebook) in early autumn. Then you can do the 21-day programme later on, when your body has a better base level in terms of toxicity.And, though I am a trained complementary health practitioner, I am not a medical doctor and so would also advise anyone with any health issues to check with their doctor before beginning a diet like this.The 10-day countdown to the Little White Feather conscious cleanse begins on Monday March 30th. If you miss a day, you can find each daily post on the little white feather Facebook page. Click 'like' and you'll get each daily post in your news feed.