One of the most valuable things Debbie Kim, an acupuncturist, herbalist, and nutritionist, has taught me is that a purification process (what others may refer to as a cleanse or detox) can be a glorious recharge button that wipes the slate clean of any unwanted graffiti that cover your true masterpiece. When someone does a more traditional cleanse, they may live off juice for ten days, only to go bulldozing back into a burrito because they’ve felt so deprived. A purification process doesn’t deprive you—it simply gives your regular eating choices a much-needed makeover.
This five-day* purification features five meals a day that you can drink and chew—and it even includes snacks! I recommend using all organic ingredients and fresh herbs when and if possible. You can use protein powders, too. [Budig recommends chocolate and vanilla Sun Warrior Protein Powders.]
Debbie Kim’s #1 rule to a successful purification process is this: Take it slow. Be sure to do that. The recipes in the process are quick and easy, but they do require daily cooking. Switching up your routine may not be convenient or easy, but it’s one of the best ways to wipe the system and reboot in order to perform to your ultimate ability. If that doesn’t fit with your schedule right now, focus on adding more servings of vegetables to your daily diet. Think of the purification process as a way to truly connect with what you’re putting into your body and how it makes you feel. Ideally, you’ll feel so much better that you will start craving the clean food from the purification process!
This is an excerpt from Aim True by Kathryn Budig. Copyright © 2016 by Kathryn Budig. Reprinted by permission of William Morow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
*This is day one of the cleanse, for the other days as well as yoga sequences and way more, pick up Aim True on sale now.
1. Breakfast: Baked Avocado Egg
Makes 1 serving
Preheat the oven to 425 ̊F. Halve 1 avocado and remove the pit and a bit of meat from the center of each half. Lightly salt the avocado and place each half into a small ramekin. Crack 2 small eggs, placing one into each avocado half. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the egg whites are cooked. Season with sea salt and black pepper to taste and add fresh herbs (such as chives, parsley, cilantro).
2. Snack #1: Apple Pie Smoothie
Makes 1 serving
Combine 1⁄4 cup protein powder, 1 apple, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 cup water, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 tablespoon raw honey, 1 tablespoon coconut oil, and the juice of 1 lemon in a blender. Blend until smooth.
3. Lunch: Crunchy Root Salad
Makes 1 serving
Finely slice or shave 3 radishes, 1⁄4 yellow beet, 1⁄4 red beet, 1⁄2 fennel bulb, 1 apple, and 1 carrot. Mix well and place over a bed of radicchio and arugula. For the dressing, combine 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 minced garlic clove, and 2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon. Drizzle the dressing over the salad.
Carrot Soup
Makes 2 to 4 servings
In a frying pan over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons ghee or butter. Add 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 diced sweet onion, 2 chopped celery stalks, 5 chopped carrots, and 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes and sauté for 10 minutes. Drizzle 1 tablespoon maple syrup over the vegetables and sauté for another 3 minutes. Add 4 cups vegetable broth and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in 1⁄4 cup canned light coconut milk. Transfer the soup to a blender and carefully puree it until smooth.
4. Snack #2: Classic Green Smoothie
Makes 1 serving
Blend 1 cup kale, 1 cup romaine, ½ apple, 1-inch piece peeled fresh ginger, the juice of ½ lemon, a handful of basil, 1 tablespoon coconut/ omega/flaxseed oil, and 1 cup raw or unsweetened coconut water until smooth.
5. Dinner: Stuffed Bell Peppers
Makes 4 servings
Preheat the oven to 375 ̊F. Bring 1 cup jasmine rice to a boil in 2 cups chicken broth, 2 teaspoons sea salt, and 1 tablespoon ghee or butter. Stir well, reduce the heat to low, and cover the pot for 20 minutes, or until the rice is fluffy. In a frying pan over high heat, brown 1⁄2 pound ground buffalo or turkey with 1 teaspoon seasoned salt. Dice 1 mango and stir it into the meat. Chop the tops off 4 red bell peppers, remove the seeds and membranes, and fill the peppers with the rice and meat mixture. Place them in a baking pan and roast for 20 minutes.
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