Pink Kitchen

Have you been feeling sluggish? It may not be the summer sun that’s making you feel that way. We can feel sluggish whenever our bodies are not getting rid of toxins properly. Anyone who takes medications on a regular basis is more prone to feel sluggish. While it’s true that medications can be helpful, they also make the kidneys and liver work harder to keep the body clean. In addition, medications make the body pH more acidic, which makes us tired and more susceptible to stress and illness.

Other things can make us feel sluggish, too – for example, all those picnics, barbeques, and summer vacations loaded with bad-for-you goodies. Not only are those foods harder for our bodies to digest, but we gain very little nutritionally from these foods. As a result, the nutritional deficit may prevent us from sleeping properly, as well as affect our mood and attention span.

To get out of your sluggish summer slump, you can detoxify. There are many great reasons to detoxify your body in the summer. For one thing, we sweat more in the summer. Sweating may not make you feel your most attractive – but it is good for you. Sweating helps you get rid of toxins through the skin.

Another way we can get rid of toxins is internally. We do this through the foods we eat. The more often you eat foods that rid your body of toxins, the easier it is to recover when you have an occasional treat. Notice that I said occasional. The purpose of detoxing is not to give you a green light to eat junk more often; but rather, a way to create a healthy balance. If you bring more veggie-filled meals into your life on a regular basis, the nutrients in those veggies will bring you energy, health, concentration, and more regular moods and sleep patterns. Therefore, when your body is more balanced and full of good things, those occasional treats will not be a major problem. Make sense?

Beets are a wonderful veggie for detoxification. They help to clean out the blood, the liver, and the kidneys. Lemon, which we will use as our dressing, is another great detoxifier and helps make the body pH more alkaline. Cardamom, which gives this salad a sweetly-spiced flavor, helps to detoxify the body when we’ve had too much caffeine.

Sunny Golden Beet Slaw
1 large golden beet
1/2 of a sweet onion
1 medium pear
juice and zest of 1 medium lemon
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. cardamom
1/2 tsp. ginger
1 packet NuStevia

Chop beet, onion, and pear into large pieces. Place in food processor with remaining ingredients. Pulse until beet, onion, and pear are shredded.