A full body detox is great for overall health and longevity purposes once or twice per year. I'll get into how to do that later. Right now lets talk about a basic cleanse that is gentle enough to use every day yet strong enough to work. Here is this simple recipe:

1.2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar I've heard that “Braggs” ACV is the best brand. Honestly, I've had wonderful results and have only used a generic supermarket brand which is about a dollar and change for about a liter.

2. 1/8-1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda (This will neutralize the vinegar so you don't harm the enamel on your teeth, it neutralizes in your stomach anyway so you are still getting all the benefits of the ACV. It is actually easier for your body to absorb what it needs to from the ACV if you neutralize it first. By taking out that step, you saved your body that work (read: work = energy) and now it can use all of its energy to absorb what it needs. You want to get it to about a 7% alkaline level. The ACV you buy in a grocery store is about 5%. The more that acid bothers you (GERD, acid reflux etc) the more Baking soda you should use. Start with 1/8 of a teaspoon and assess your tolerance. I have found ¼ teaspoon to be the magic number for me. Remember Baking Soda is sodium based, you may find yourself retaining a good amount of water for the first couple of days until your body becomes accustomed to the additional salt. I am extremely salt sensitive and couldn’t get my feet in my heels the first night. Then again, you know me and my Jersey girl 6 inch stilettos!

3. ¼-1/2 fresh lemon juice

4. 1 Tablespoon Organic Honeyb

Add about 4-6 oz of water and drink 2-4x/day. If you can get it down once on an empty stomach, you're doing better than most people out there. I warm my water and make it into a tea. I find it to be a lot tastier when I throw in the additional (less palate pleasing) ingredients listed below.

ADDITIONAL INGRIDENTS - OPTIONAL:

1. 20 drops Ginger Extract. Ginger/Gingerol has TONS of benefits. Ginger –The Uber Herb. Carl Lenor explains all the benefits of Ginger better than I ever could!!! (Gotta plug your boy, Carl, he let NY/NJ speed talker rant on his show for an hour, sweetiepie...u know me, I NEVER forget anyone who has helped me in my career!!).

2. 1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper, if you can stand it. Go slow with this to assess your tolerance. I LOVE spicy food so the first day, brass guts over here decided to throw an entire teaspoon right into the mix. I thought my throat was going to close. Me and my daring (read: dumb) Rosanneisms! Heehee. Cayenne pepper heals and rebuilds tissue of the digestive system, increases the effectiveness of other foods and herbs when used with them, and is also linked to healing the heart and cardiac tissue. Cayenne has been known to stop heart attacks. Contrary to popular belief, it does not cause ulcers, it actually heals them. That’s if you can deal with the burn if you have one. Enough facts, lets get down the nitty-gritty of why everyone is reading this....cayenne is a natural thermogenic which has been proven to raise body temperature, boots metabolism and ultimately aid and speed fat loss. Just think increased circulation = increased lymph flow ( that means decreased cellulite ladies) = detox = ULTIMATE HEALTH, FATLOSS AND BODY WEIGHT MAINTENANCE (we'll get into that another time).

3. I've also been adding 1 Teaspoon of Turmeric Powder. It’s an extremely acquired taste. To be perfectly frank, this stuff is icky…and I can stomach most everything "nasty." It helps restore flora in the intestinal track. Turmeric has also been proven to clear the skin of those who suffer from acne and blemishes, help eliminate facial hair growth in females (not sure that this is proven internally, but I found a lot of stuff on using it topically). CAREFUL w/ this stuff, however....it STAINS!! After all, one of its main old time uses was as a dye in India, where it originates. I learned this the hard way. It stains EVERYTHING! And I mean everything from bed sheets, clothing, towels, down to the skin on my face. Its a nasty orange color but stains a fluorescent yellow color...think the color of a yellow highlighter exploding all over you!

OTHER HERBS AND SUPPLEMENTS TO AID IN DETOX:

1. Milk thistle - The liver is the most important organ of detox in our bodies. Milk thistle helps support liver detoxification and healthy liver function.

2. DHEA – Caffeine addicts, fat burner fanatics, diet pill poppers....they don't work for you anymore for a reason. Most people just say, your body gets "used to them" which is medically known as "Adrenal Fatigue." Your adrenals are little glands located on top of each kidney. They are the major players when it comes to hormone secretion. Too much stress, not enough sleep, too many stimulants are all a big cause of adrenal overload. When they get overloaded, they do not function properly. DHEA helps "clean them out". If you can get your hands on Rx DHEA, I'm jealous. Seriously, if you go that route, please be carefully monitored by your physician. If you can't, regular drugstore DHEA is fine. Also, the only way to fully clean them out is to eliminate your stimulant intake (I know, I just went through my caffeine withdrawls last week...no fun but soooo worth it), eliminate the stress in your life and get your sleep.

3. ALOE VERA - Aloe Vera gel is one of the best digestive cleanses out there. I’ve been using it for a week both internally and on my skin and have noticed major differences. It is sold as a ‘Detox’ in most heath food and vitamin shops and also at your local grocery store as juice. You probably want to mask the taste, the plain juice tastes like dirty shower water.

4. Caster Oil - NOT TO USE OFTEN...stimulates spasm of your upper intestines, not just the lower intestine (like most other herbal or chemical laxatives) therefore, will clean out your entire intestinal tract. It will typically be effective w/ in 5 hours of taking and is so effective you may not pass your bowels for 3 or so days afterwards b/c you are so "cleaned out" (SORRY graphic I know but detoxing can be nasty!)

5. Psyllium Husk and other fiber supps – We want to eliminate everything in your digestive tract. Fiber helps this moves everything along more quickly.

6. Digestive Enzymes - You can get at your local vitamin store.

7. Papaya is the best natural digestive enzyme out there and its only a couple dollars at the grocery store. A delicious Brazilian shake, compliments of my sister in law: 1/2 papaya, 1/2 pineapple, Ice and water. Blend to desired consistency. DELICIOUS!

8. 1 serving of Greens Supplement (I've tried many, evidentially Greens Plus is the best but I've gotta say Greens First is much better as far as taste. There are tons of brands out there and I’m not too sure if it really makes too much of a difference which you use). Mix your greens w/ 2 tablespoons of ground flax (either grind your flax seeds in a grinder, I use an espresso grinder or just buy "Flax-o-meal" at your local grocery store. STORE IN THE FRIDGE. Add to a large glass of water. This will naturally flush your system more quickly than anything I've tried thus far.

9. Fish Oils - Cod liver oil is awesome for detox but anything w/ EPA and DHA (is that right, don't have a bottle in front of me and don’t have time to look it up as I am typing this out quickly to you.)

KEY ELEMENTS TO REMEMBER WHEN DETOXING:

1. Drink TONS of water, obviously we are trying to flush your system

2. Limit sugar, sweetener, caffeine etc. Anything toxic to your system needs to be omitted or at least used very sparingly.

3. Exclude or limit dairy intake, it does not work well with cleansing. I didn't research this further, I will eventually, I just read it multiple times during my research and figured it to be a valuable point.

4. Limit intake of meats...ok very quickly, meat isn't digested and literally rots in your belly....ok, I'll stop there...u get my point!

5. Fiber, fiber, fiber. While you're detoxing the free radicals and toxins from your liver, kidneys and lymph will be released into your blood stream/lymph system and you want them OUT. The addition of a herbal laxative or fiber supplement is quite common in most detox programs.

6. Dry brush your stomach in a circular motion (15 times clockwise/15x counter clockwise) upon first waking to stimulate your bowels. Again, more on dry brushing later. It is very useful but too long to go into detail in this email.

7. The more RAW foods you can eat over cooked, the better. Raw fruit and veggies are all game. Don't worry about the sugar in fruit, you will not gain fat from eating fruit doing this. The best line from a weight watchers meeting one time....a girl said she was afraid of the sugar in fruit and a 300 pound lifer turned to her and said, “Honey look at me, do u think I got like this by eating too much fruit!” Raw nuts, beans, sprouts and fish are great protein sources. I am a physique competitor and wasn't worried about my 5 meals when I did my 2 week cleanse, but I did include whey protein because I wanted to keep protein intake slightly higher than carb intake. Remember whey protein will have sweeteners in there unless you use the unflavored kind so use it use it sparingly.

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