We are a part of Nature, and if you look back at our evolutionary history, we once participated in the natural rhythms and seasonal cycles of Nature. Our diet, wake and sleep rhythms, and even the microbes in our guts shifted effortlessly with the seasons—there was no other way. We feasted on berries in the summer, ate an abundance of squash and nuts in the fall, and slept longer in the winter, giving our immune systems time to fortify.

Today, most of us do not rise with the sun and go to sleep with the rise of the moon as those times change throughout the year. We also take advantage of the year-round availability of all our favorite foods instead of following local, seasonal harvests. In fact, the typical fruit or vegetable on an American plate has often traveled some 1,500 miles from where it was picked (before it was ready to be picked), according to Michael Pollen’s book The Omnivore Dilemma. 

We have become unsynchronized from Nature. This is problematic because our bodies evolved to be in harmony with Nature, and disharmony is the seed of disease. Fortunately, it is never too late for a reset, and fall is the perfect time for a detox. 

Ayurveda and a Fall Cleanse

Ayurveda is an ancient Indian healing system that advocates holistic lifestyle interventions and remedies that cultivate a balance between the body, mind, spirit, and Nature. This 3,000-year-old system pays special attention to living and eating harmoniously with the seasons. According to the Ayurvedic text, the seven days leading up to a seasonal change and the first seven days of the next season are considered vulnerable periods for health and well-being. Changing your diet and lifestyle with the seasons is necessary for balance and digestive power.

Ritucharya, the Sanskrit word for “seasonal regime,” is a prescription for diet and lifestyle for each season. However, a seasonal cleanse is recommended to shift from one season to the next. As Ayurveda expert Dr. John Douillard explains, “at the beginning of each season, the qualities of that season begin to accumulate, and by the end of that season, those qualities can become aggravating.” 

For example, an accumulation and aggravation of summer qualities can cause indigestion, irritability, and inflammation. Therefore, an ayurvedic cleanse (fall detox) is recommended to expel the excess attributes of the past season to prepare for the future season.

Traditional Chinese Medicine, biological medicine, and functional medicine philosophies also understand the importance of adjusting diet and lifestyle with the seasons in order to maintain harmony and health. We are cyclical beings, but our modern global economy, technology, and society have caused some major disruptions to our ancient and innate cycles. A fall detox can help you reset those cycles and reestablish equilibrium.

The Benefits of a Fall Detox

Are you always tired? Has a thick wave of brain fog rolled in? Is your sleep-wake cycle out of whack? And how’s your gut these days? If you listen closely enough, you’ll realize your body is constantly sending messages. We each have our own very incredible team that works together to detoxify the body without us really even doing anything—thank you, lungs, liver, kidneys, skin, colon, and lymphatic system. However, when toxin build-up exceeds our toxin elimination rate, toxic overload occurs, which creates an inviting environment for dysfunction and disease.

Unfortunately, we live in a world where toxins are all around us. They can be found in the water we drink, the food we eat, and the products we use. To avoid toxin overload, the best thing you can do is make a conscious effort to eliminate as many voluntary toxins as you can so that your body can focus on removing the toxins you don’t have control over. A fall detox is an opportunity to hit the reset button and get back on track to support your body’s natural detoxifying and healing capabilities.

Following a fall detox, you might experience:

• Increased energy levels
• Better digestion
• Enhanced cognition (clarity, creativity, concentration)
• Improved hormone function
• Lightness, both physically and emotionally
• Return to a natural state of balance
• Boosted immunity
• General sense of well-being and vitality

How to Do a Fall Detox

You can think of a fall detox as a way to support and enhance your body’s natural detoxification system, prepare your mind, body, and soul for winter, and restore your Nature-set rhythms. The wonderful thing about a fall detox is you can do it for the entire season if you want!

Change Your Diet to Match the Season

Eating seasonally and locally means that your fruits and veggies will be tastier, more nutrient-dense, and less environmentally taxing (what’s good for Nature is good for us). Locally grown produce (like you would find at your local farmer’s market) versus commercially produced fruits and vegetables typically means less exposure to harmful pesticides and other chemicals, too. It is always a good idea to seek organically grown food when possible.

Shifting your diet to a fall-friendly diet (hello, root vegetables!) is easy and delicious. Fall is synonymous with apples, arugula, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, cranberries, fennel, kale, leeks, lentils, pears, quinoa, shallots, spinach, squash, sweet potatoes, and turnips. As the weather cools down, it is time to shift from cold dishes like salads to warm dishes like vegetable stews.

There is a reason Nature produces these hearty and nourishing types of food in the fall; they have everything we need to prepare us (and our immune systems) for the immunologically-challenging conditions of winter. Eating a plant-rich, seasonal whole food diet will support your natural detoxification processes and promote rejuvenation.

Start the Day with Warm Lemon Water

On an empty stomach, first thing in the morning, try drinking a glass of warm water with fresh-squeezed lemon juice (you can also add one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar for an extra boost). This simple practice helps stimulate the liver and gallbladder to release toxins. It also stimulates digestive enzymes and peristalsis (a series of wave-like contractions that help move food through the digestive tract) in the gut to improve digestion (goodbye, bloating!) and aid the elimination of toxins through bowel movements. Lemon is also packed with antioxidants, which are great for immune support.

Adjust Your Wake-Sleep Cycle

In our most synchronous state, we would start sleeping more hours as the days get shorter and the nights get longer. Longer periods of restorative sleep during the late fall and winter have been linked to enhanced immune function. Because we have artificial lighting in our homes and are watching television, mindlessly scrolling on our devices, or working on our computers into the night, our natural and seasonally-linked sleep-wake cycle gets disrupted.

As part of your fall detox, try and reset your wake-sleep cycle closer to the natural day-night cycle. This will require doing less at night, sacrificing some nighttime activities in order to get more sleep. This is also an excellent opportunity to make your bedroom a technology-free zone, which will better support your ability to fall asleep. When resetting your sleep cycle, consistency is key.

Start a Breathwork Practice

Can detoxing this fall be as simple as breathing? Yes! Conscious breathing exercises can boost immunity, cardiovascular health, self-awareness, creativity, energy, productivity, and happiness. A regular breathwork practice can also promote better sleep, an essential part of detoxification. It can curb chronic stress, anxiety, and anger, too, which are emotional toxins.

Most of us are shallow breathers (only breathing into the chest). While this type of breathing keeps us alive, it doesn’t provide the cleansing and calming benefits (the return to a parasympathetic nervous system state) of belly-deep breathing. There are dozens of different breathing techniques to choose from: alternate nostril breathing (Nadi Shodhana), Buteyko breathing method, box breathing, and the Wim Hof method, just to name a few.

Adopt Some Detoxifying Self-Care Practices

As mentioned earlier, the most effective way to detoxify your body is to adopt practices that support your natural detoxification processes. Fortunately, there are all sorts of wonderful detoxifying self-care practices that you can do throughout the week, such as dry brushing and bentonite clay baths. A little (and regular) self-care will go a long way!

Dry brushing: By brushing your skin with gentle strokes toward your heart, you can stimulate your lymphatic system, which transfers your body’s waste and toxins to the blood for filtration and then elimination. Activating your lymphatic system will help your body do what it was designed to do, but better. This enjoyable practice is simple and includes the added skin-glowing benefits of an exfoliation treatment.

Bentonite clay baths: Bentonite clay has been used throughout history and across cultures for a variety of healing modalities, including detoxification. This particular clay that forms from volcanic ash contains a negative electromagnetic charge, which, when mixed with water, acts like a magnet pulling positively charged toxins from the body. It is also loaded with magnesium, calcium, iron, silica, and sodium, which can facilitate a wide range of metabolic processes.

A warm bentonite clay bath is detoxifying, relaxing, and skin smoothing making for a perfect weekly fall detox ritual.

Feel Fantastic This Fall 

Summer is behind us and winter is just ahead—making fall the perfect transitional season to detoxify your mind and body. The beauty of a fall detox is that the practices you incorporate can become part of your regular wellness routine. Remember, detoxification is really just about supporting your body’s natural processes, and the process can (and should be) enjoyable!