Currently the most popular conversation I am having with people is about poop. Seriously, bowel movements and the lack of them occurring. It sounds like many people overindulged in glutenous (see the word glue in there) binding treats, meats that are backing things up, and combining foods that have caused bloating & discomfort because it’s the holiday season.

Temptation, memories, addiction, rituals, culture…there are numberous reasons why we feel obligated to overeat, “cheat” on a diet, or feel like we just have to eat one more serving. Just because it is a new year does not mean wellness, health and conscious eating can only occur now. Every day is a new day, every meal is a chance to feed your body live delicious nutrients.

I’ve had people ask me advice about laxatives in pill form and teas. Honestly, forget the pills and go grab some fruit! Laxatives, all natural or not, can easily become familiar to the body. They can be too harsh for some people and for others there are zero results. For something with a consistent result try some of these fruit juices I will be mentioning shortly :D!

These tend to produce the best results meaning it doesn’t 10 hours or a day for a bowel movement to occur. Also, the stool produced should not be very loose.

All fruits and vegetables are cleansing, don’t get me wrong 😉 But these are simple, quick, tasty juices that may be easier for some to start off on. Usually sticking to just one fruit in a meal results with amazing detoxing results.

Here are some fruit juices in no special order that have laxative like effects. They have the ultimate results on an empty stomach.

• Apple
• Pear
• Lemon
• Cucumber
• Grapes (Black & Concord have the highest medicinal qualities)
• Watermelon

I like to mix things up, not always juicing or eating the same foods since this also is a massive help with getting enough nutrients, fiber, and having a lovely balance with cleansing. Our bodies can get use to having the same foods all the time, at a point it reaches a cap, and we no longer can get much more from that item. I’ve also noticed with my own personal body, this helps keep me regular.

If you are sensitive to high sugar foods Cucumber is the route to go!

Most of these fruits get juiced at my house everyday. I really enjoy drinking any of these straight up. If I had to pick a favorite it would be Pear juice, the creamy sweet thickness is satisfying and the flavor even now is unique to me.

One drink I like to make that I am sure I have posted about in the past is an Apple Flax Lax consisting of 4 of your favorite apples, 2 TBS ground flax and if you’d like 1/2-inch or less of ginger.

One organic Bartlett Pear typically makes about 1/2 a cup of juice for me. I like the sweetness of Bartlett Pears and how they have a banana thickness to them. Another type of pear I enjoy in juices are Asian Pears.

Below is a photo of one Bartlett Pear juiced.

I absolutely love cucumbers! They are hydrating, cleansing, and have lots of water so one organic cucumber typically makes a cup or a little more of juice for me. Have you ever noticed when you cut a cucumber and let it sit for a few minutes that this glue like coating starts to form that feels like glue? This helps me remember how healing cucumbers can be for our body 🙂

Below is a photograph of one organic cucumber juiced peel and all since many of its healing qualities are from the skin.

I have written numerous articles on the health benefits of lemons, watermelon and cucumber so please feel free to roam around my archives. Many of my recipes have used these ingredients before except for grapes. It is extremely difficult for me to afford organic grapes 😦 They are a special treat for me, but I will do my best to find some, write-up some recipes, and an article with the health benefits.

I hope this gives you all some ideas on how to naturally cleanse without harming your body. Almost all fruits and vegetables have the vitamins we need to help ourselves with our everyday issues. Try looking at your produce differently, notice the shape of it, what happens when you cut it and so on…it’s trying to show you just how helpful it can be.

A few other things to consider if you are not having frequently bowel movements is making sure you are eating fiberous foods this isn’t much of a problem for living vegans but when dehydrated nutty treats appear it’s another story. Drink plenty of water and may be even add some chia seeds or ground flax to drinks to help pull everything out. I stress ground flax because whole flax is too difficult for the body to fully absorb thus when you have a bowel movement you will be able to see full flax seeds in your stool. It just went right in and right out of your body 😉 Working out, especially yoga for me personally is helpful to get things moving different, twist, cleanse and massage all of my organs. Seriously, it’s the best personal massage I will ever be able to give myself!

Much love ❤ and raw power 😉 xoxo Jess