How to cleanse.

This cleansing process may seem counter intuitive.

Instead of cleansing and then changing your diet, we recommend starting with eating foods that prime your body for your cleanse.

Eating a healthy balance of antioxidant-rich fruits, vegetables and fish, along with poultry and wild red meat, feed your body a lot of the nutrients it needs. When cooking protein, consider using vegetable, chicken or beef broth. You get a more flavorful meal with less fat.

Less fat is healthier for your body, and better for your liver. Your liver is responsible for processing your body’s fat. Helping your liver, along with the rest of your body, supports your cleanse.

Prebiotics and probiotics also play important roles in your body’s health. Prebiotics literally feed probiotics, and both together help support a healthier gut, which supports a healthier body. Consider incorporating both into your diet:

• Prebiotics are plant fiber found in fruits and vegetables that are complex carbohydrates. You will find prebiotics in tomatoes, artichokes, bananas, asparagus, onions, garlic and oats. The prebiotic fiber isn’t digestible, making it food for probiotics.

• Probiotics contain live organisms, often bacteria strains, that add to the health of your gut. Probiotics are found in fermented foods, such as kefir, kimchi, kombucha, miso, live-cultured yogurt, tempeh and sauerkraut.

Drinking plenty of water is always recommended. Doing so keeps you hydrated and supports your body’s natural elimination process.

Cleanses support the removal of wastes from our bodies. There are as many reasons to cleanse, as there are ways – including using herbal formulations, such as Essiac Tonic.

So, act counter intuitively. Eat right, then cleanse.