This time of year, it just feels natural to open all the windows and let in the fresh air, go through your summer clothes and decide what you still want and what no longer floats your boat, and maybe even organize your whole house from top to bottom. But what about your body? Turns out it’s also a great time of year to do what I think of as a Spring Cleansing—especially if you’re trying to conceive.
There’s a mountain of evidence showing why detoxing yourself and your space is critical to your health, and your fertility health in particular. (“Scientists estimate that at least 30% of childhood asthma and 5% of childhood cancers are a result of chemical exposures…”) However, I’m not a fan of the word “detox,” despite the popularity of the term and all the detoxing methods touted as diet miracles. YOU are NOT TOXIC. This is about giving your body a chance to do what it naturally does anyway—and prioritizing yourself and your health.
So this is my gift to you: an invitation to cleanse your body and your life as an act of powerful self-love! ❤️
The first thing you’ll want to do is reduce your exposure to everyday toxins as much as possible. Second, you’ll nourish your body with satisfying, healing foods and beverages that will leave you full of energy, clear headed, and happily sustained throughout the day.
Here are my top recommendations for your own personal Spring Cleanse:
Clean Up Your Environment
Make the switch to non-toxic cleaning products, non-toxic personal care, and clean make-up. Avoid antibacterial soap, chemical-laden body care products, tap water, and canned food or food packaged in plastic. Drink clean, filtered water from reusable stainless steel beverage containers, and store your leftovers in reusable glass or stainless steel.
Say “NO” to Nonstick
Many of the chemicals used in cookware are considered xenoestrogens, chemicals that mimic estrogen and interfere with thyroid function, fertility, fetal development, cell growth & repair. Teflon is the commercial name for the chemical polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), which has shown to be carcinogenic. It’s linked to cancers, endocrine disruption, and fetal development. Cast iron is safe, affordable, and lasts forever if well-maintained—you can usually even find it in thrift stores for next to nothing! Enamel-coated cast iron is also safe, and the enamel coating makes it much easier to clean and maintain. Ceramic pans are made from pure glass, contain no toxic metals or chemicals, and are easy to clean and maintain. Stainless steel is a good option if you purchase a reputable brand—low-quality stainless steel sometimes contains metals like nickel and chromium. When shopping for stainless steel, look for the equivalent of surgical stainless steel and pans with heavy bottoms..
Filter Your Water
Be sure to use a high quality water filter to remove toxins, heavy metals, fluoride, herbicides, disinfectants, and other municipal “additives” from your drinking water. Alternatively, you can choose spring or mineral water that is bottled at the source in glass bottles. I also recommend installing a shower filter.
Go Organic
Whenever possible, eat organic foods that have not been treated with chemicals. Most importantly, this means always choosing organic, grass-fed and pasture-raised animal foods. Animal products are the single most important food to purchase organic, because animals absorb and accumulate significantly more toxicity than plants do. If you do need to purchase non-organic fruits and vegetables to go easy on your budget, I recommend at least purchasing the ‘Dirty Dozen’ fruits and vegetables organic whenever available. This will help to decrease 90% of your pesticide exposure. (If you’re not familiar with the ‘Dirty Dozen’ – the twelve most heavily sprayed fruits and vegetables, you can learn more here.)
Eat Naturally Detoxifying Foods
Rather than a traditional detox or cleanse, your goal is NOT to limit the amount of food you eat—you should NEVER feel deprived or hungry. Instead, you want to make sure the foods you DO eat are whole, real, organic foods you cook yourself. You do want to avoid foods that stress the liver and that create a lot of unnecessary inflammation in the body. This will give your entire system a much needed break. Foods to avoid include: gluten (for more detail on why to avoid gluten, read How Does Gluten Affect Your Fertility), dairy, sugar, fried foods, vegetable oils, alcohol and caffeine.
Here are some liver-friendly foods to eat a lot of during your cleanse:
Leafy greens like chard, spinach, kale, mustard greens, beet greens, arugula, romaine, etc., as well as berries like raspberries, blueberries and blackberries contain B vitamins, bioflavonoids and antioxidants that help transform the chemicals your body has absorbed into less toxic forms. They also protect your cells against oxidative damage. Smoothies are a GREAT way to get your berries and greens in!
Cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussel sprouts are a good source of vitamins and minerals (especially vitamin C, vitamin K and folate), and they contain sulfur, which is critical for supporting the liver during detoxification. Cruciferous vegetables also contain a compound called indole-3-carbinol, which our bodies metabolize upon digestion into diindolylmethane (DIM). DIM is well-known for supporting healthy hormone levels in both men and women. In women, it favorably influences the ratios of estrogen metabolites, while in men, it helps reduce the conversion of testosterone to estrogen.
Pastured meat, whole pastured eggs, and organic nuts contain branched chain amino acids like glutathione, which help bind and flush toxins from the body. Glutathione is one of the body’s most important and potent antioxidants—it helps the liver transform toxic forms of chemicals being eliminated by the liver into less toxic forms. Aim for at least two whole eggs per day and a satiating protein at every meal.
Green tea extract, curcumin (found in turmeric), milk thistle, and artichoke extract can all also help support your body’s natural detoxification processes.
Because it can be difficult to get enough of these important liver-supporting nutrients from food alone, high-quality, effective supplements can be really helpful and important.
Here are my top supplement picks to add in while doing a pre-pregnancy Spring Cleanse:
Fired up to do your own Spring Cleanse but feel like it’s a little daunting? Don’t worry, I’ve got you. Make sure you’re signed up for my email list, and then check your email soon for details about something awesome I’m doing at the end of this month to get your fertility in prime time condition!
Let’s Talk!
I want to hear from you—leave me a comment below!
Are you trying to reduce toxins in your environment before you get pregnant?
What are some of your favorite “clean” products?
Which products have been hardest for you to find non-toxic versions of?
