My Own Experience: Juice Cleansing For Breastfeeding Mothers

I will be the first to tell you that a good colon and internal systems cleanse is a great idea. However, I can also tell you that as a mother who is nursing a baby, colon cleansing is not an easy venture. Most colon cleanses are made with all kinds of herbs. But the possible danger to the baby is not only the unknown effects that herbs might have on the baby, but all of the toxins that can be sifted up as they are working their way out of the body. So I have been on a quest to find a cleansing method that is effective, yet gentle enough to do while breastfeeding my baby. The following is my conclusion.

I call this "Nursing Mama's Gentle Cleanse" The concept is not original. The other titles for this type of cleanse would be a "Juice Cleanse." However, I feel that my version has a few additions that make it easier to follow week to week. It is also created for a nursing mother's calorie requirements.

The guidelines are very simple:

• Start the morning off with water and a fiber supplement such as Colonix Intestinal Cleanser or Metamucil (if you want to steer clear of herbs). Also, take your high quality vitamin supplements including an Omega 3 supplement.
• Throughout the rest of the morning and afternoon snack on juices, water, rice cakes, and nuts. I suggest both fruit and vegetable juices. When I say Juice I mean 100% juice with NO added sugars whatsoever such as the brands NAKED, Odwalla, Dole 100% Juice, V8, etc. In order to fulfill your breastfeeding calorie needs you have to be consuming at least one serving of juice every hour.
• By dinner time you will be ready for more substance then Juice. I recommend having soup for dinner. Vegetable soups with only a little bit of meat (if any) and no cream soups. And more water.
• Close your day with another round of fiber supplement and water.

I noticed the effects of this cleanse within the first day of following these guidelines. I followed this for one week. I found that I enjoyed it so much that I followed it for another week. This is a good way to help the body regulate itself and be nourished as well. I felt my body cleansing itself of built up waist as well as added energy. I would recommend following this cleanse for two consecutive weeks and then alternating weeks as long as you feel the need. The nutrients that are found in fruits and vegetables are truly remarkable. I have added a few of the main ingredients that are included in many of the juice drinks that I use. This can give you a small glimpse of how these fruits and vegetable really work to cleanse your body as you drink them. All references are from http://www.whfoods.com/ (World's Healthiest Foods.)

Blueberries

Healthier Elimination
Blueberries can help relieve both diarrhea and constipation. In addition to soluble and insoluble fiber, blueberries also contain tannins, which act as astringents in the digestive system to reduce inflammation. Blueberries also promote urinary tract health. Blueberries contain the same compounds found in cranberries that help prevent or eliminate urinary tract infections. In order for bacteria to infect, they must first adhere to the mucosal lining of the urethra and bladder. Components found in cranberry and blueberry juice reduce the ability of E. coli, the bacteria that is the most common cause of urinary tract infections, to adhere.

Grapefruit

Protection against Colon Cancer
Not only are grapefruit rich in vitamin C, but new research presented at the 228th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society provides two more reasons to drink grapefruit juice: protection against lung and colon cancer.
In humans, drinking three 6-ounce glasses of grapefruit juice a day was shown to reduce the activity of an enzyme that activates cancer-causing chemicals found in tobacco smoke. In rats whose colons were injected with carcinogens, grapefruit and its isolated active compounds (apigenin, hesperidin, limonin, naringin, naringenin, nobiletin) not only increased the suicide (apoptosis) of cancer cells, but also the production of normal colon cells.
Researchers also confirmed that grapefruit may help prevent weight gain by lowering insulin levels.

Raspberries

Phytonutrients for Antioxidant, Antimicrobial and Anticarcinogenic Protection
As an antioxidant food containing ellagic acid, raspberries help prevent unwanted damage to cell membranes and other structures in the body by neutralizing free radicals. Ellagic acid is not the only well-researched phytonutrient component of raspberry, however. Raspberry's flavonoid content is also well documented. Here the key substances are quercetin, kaempferol, and the cyanidin-based molecules called cyanidin-3-glucosylrutinoside and cyanidin-3-rutinoside. These flavonoid molecules are also classified as anthocyanins, and they belong to the group of substances that give raspberries their rich red color. Raspberries' anthocyanins also give these delectable berries unique antioxidant properties, as well as some antimicrobial ones, including the ability to prevent overgrowth of certain bacteria and fungi in the body (for example, the yeast Candida albicans, which is a frequent culprit in vaginal infections and can be a contributing cause in irritable bowel syndrome).

Strawberries

Potent Antioxidant Protection from Phenols
Strawberries, like other berries, are famous in the phytonutrient world as a rich surce of phenols. In the strawberry, these phenols are led by the anthocyanins (especially anthocyanin 2) and by the ellagitannins. The anthocyanins in strawberry not only provide its flush red color, they also serve as potent antioxidants that have repeatedly been shown to help protect cell structures in the body and to prevent oxygen damage in all of the body's organ systems. Strawberries' unique phenol content makes them a heart-protective fruit, an anti-cancer fruit, and an anti-inflammatory fruit, all rolled into one. The anti-inflammatory properties of strawberry include the ability of phenols in this fruit to lessen activity of the enzyme cyclo-oxygenase, or COX. Non-steriodal anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin or ibuprofen block pain by blocking this enzyme, whose overactivity has been shown to contribute to unwanted inflammation, such as that which is involved in rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, asthma, atherosclerosis, and cancer. Unlike drugs that are COX-inhibitors, however, strawberries do not cause intestinal bleeding.

Bananas

Improving Elimination
Bananas are a smart move if you suffer from elimination problems. A bout of diarrhea can quickly deplete your body of important electrolytes. Bananas can replenish your stores of potassium, one of the most important electrolytes, which helps regulate heart function as well as fluid balance.
In addition, bananas contain pectin, a soluble fiber (called a hydrocolloid) that can help normalize movement through the digestive tract and ease constipation. Bananas also contain resistant starch, but this amount varies depending on their degree of ripeness. In their lesser ripe stages, bananas score as low as 30 on the glycemic index (below 50 would be considered low). In their riper stages, this number usually rises to a moderate level in the 60's. All of the above features help place banana in a more favorable digestive light than might otherwise be expected for a sugary fruit.