Natural Detox Solutions + Low Sugar Smoothies for a Healthy Gut

Most of my clients want the same things when it comes to their health: 

• More energy
• Weight release
• The reduction of pesky digestive or other recurring systems

Whatever health challenge you want to solve, the solution is simple: The GEMM Method. The GEMM Method outlines the only 4 things you need to focus on! I know that might sound counterintuitive considering all the other health advice you can find online or that you hear about on TV. But truly, there are only 4 factors you need to think about.

What is the GEMM Method?

The acronym “GEMM” makes it easier for you to remember where to focus when your health is out of balance:

G: Gut Microbiome According to ancient medicine, the gut is the center of all health and healing. It’s connected to your brain and all your other organs.  And today’s latest scientific breakthroughs are backing up what wisdom traditions have taught us for centuries: the bacteria in your microbiome play a critical role in everything from your energy levels to your mental health to predicting whether you’re likely to develop diseases ranging from Alzheimer’s and MS to heart disease and cancer!  Our microbiome functions as the engine of the body. That’s why focusing on healing the gut is so critical to staying healthy, preventing disease, and boosting your energy naturally.

E: Environment By environment, I’m talking about your IMMEDIATE environment. Your home, the air you breathe, the water you drink, the food you eat, and the hundreds to thousands of chemicals and toxins you put in and around your body every day.  Many of us think that detoxing is a major endeavor – requiring 7-day juice fasts, magnesium baths, or spending thousands on retreats to detox “the right way.”  But nothing could be farther from the truth! There are plenty of great ways to detox daily – which we’ll explore in just a minute.

M: Mental-Emotional How we think about ourselves and the world around us is just as important as what we put in and around our bodies. You could do everything else perfectly, but you won’t stay healthy if you still battle stress, self limiting beliefs, self-sabotage, low motivation, unhealed traumas, etc.  That’s because our mind is intertwined with our physical body. If you are not feeling healthy and balanced in your body, your mind is likely to suffer as well – and vice versa.  Often, our lack of energy doesn’t stem from the body… it’s in the mind. Our mental and emotional states cause us to feel fatigued, burned out, and unmotivated.  So if you notice consistently low energy levels, it’s wise to conduct some self-assessments about the quality of your thoughts and mental state.  You can also explore bringing more self-care practices into your daily routine to help restore your mental-emotional balance.

M: Mitochondria This one may surprise you – maybe you’ve never even heard of mitochondria. Or, at least, not since high school biology! Mitochondria are the little powerhouses within our cells that are responsible for cellular energy production. If these aren’t working well, our physical and invisible energy will be less than optimal.  Mitochondria need healthy fats to thrive. So an easy way to boost your healthy fats is by working foods like avocado, extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), and walnuts into your meals daily. One thing to note with the GEMM Method… if your body has too many toxins, it can be difficult to achieve the energy levels you desire. So let’s talk about toxins – and why it’s important to detox our bodies daily.

Natural Detox Solutions for the Body

Our bodies take in toxins every day. The biggest sources include:

• The air we breathe
• Our food
• Cleaning products
• Personal hygiene products
• Our water 

Sometimes they even come from things we don’t expect.  For example, we could end up with metals like lead in our system from living in a house with old pipes, serving food from old pottery, playing with certain toys, or wearing costume jewelry. Even a substance like radiation from medical testing or treatments can lead to toxic build-up in the body. Here’s the good news… The body has a built-in detox and cleansing process it performs at the cellular level to rid itself of unwanted substances.  This process supports the M in our GEMM Method (mitochondria) as it lowers the adverse effects of poisons, pollutants, and toxins – and restores the cells to higher levels of health.  There are 2 easy ways to detox your body naturally: with exercise and food (particularly low-sugar smoothies).

1. Detoxing with Exercise Exercise has been shown to improve the function of your brain’s mitochondria and even increase the creation of new mitochondria in the brain. Said in simple terms: moving your body can improve your mental energy, stamina, and clarity. This means you can MOVE your way to more energy!

Notice I’m saying movement and NOT crazy workouts. Intense workouts like boot camps or super high-intensity workouts can be more harmful than helpful if you’re not a trained athlete. The stress these intense workouts puts on your body actually hinders your healing. These types of activities are better suited to professionals!  I recommend moderate to low-intensity workouts while you’re healing your body… like spinning, pilates, barre, jogging, walking, weight lifting, and yoga. Some of these you can easily do at home right now! These types of workouts HELP you heal your gut. Here are some other simple movement-based exercises you can do to support your body and increase your energy and stamina:

• Going for a walk outside
• Taking the stairs instead of the elevator
• Playing outside with your family, kids, or pets
• Parking in the back of the parking lot
• Riding a bike or hiking
• Dancing (yes, even around your house!)

When you focus on the concept of movement vs intense workouts, you may become less intimidated or overwhelmed – and are therefore more willing to do it!

2. Detoxing with Food One of the best ways to support your body’s detox process is through your diet. Even though your toxins may not be coming from your food, eating a diet full of foods that naturally help your body detoxify is a smart move! Healthy no bake snacks are a super popular trend right now. And lots of people (especially parents) are looking for creative, natural solutions to energize their children and fill up their cells with nutrients – while ensuring their children actually eat the foods!  I know so many parents looking for a healthy alternative to Gatorade – especially for children involved in athletics and extracurricular activities. I love the effect of organic fruits and vegetables on the body because they naturally contain fiber, phytonutrients, vitamins, and minerals that help the cells clean out the gunk, resulting in more energy for you.

My favorite recommendation for boosting your fruit and veggie intake is through smoothies!  Smoothies are amazing because you can jam pack a lot of nutrition into one drink. AND you can get vegetables in without really tasting them. Plus, they’re a healthy alternative to energy drinks. Here’s one of my favorite smoothies that helps fight bloating and is full of healthy fats (great for sustainable energy) and natural sugar (which is more stable than processed sugar). 

BELLY LOVE SMOOTHIE RECIPE (Healthy Gut Recipe)

• 1 ½ cups dairy free milk or coconut water
• ½ cup spinach
• 1/2 cup strawberries
• 1/2 avocado
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• Dash of cinnamon
• Stevia, monk fruit, 2 dates, or raw honey to sweeten (optional)

You can also add chia seeds which are high in fiber and have been shown to help release weight, fight inflammation in the gut, and improve blood sugar levels. Download 6 more low sugar smoothies in my free healthy gut recipe guide here.  Inside you’ll find all my top tips and strategies for making great smoothies, including my favorite blender recommendations – and tips to work more high protein low carb smoothie recipes into your daily routine, so you can experience more natural energy, detox your body, and heal your gut microbiome.

Take Good Care,