The weekend detox gives your liver, bowels and kidneys a much-needed rest and allows these valuable organs to do two full days of house cleaning. You'll see an improvement in your appearance, particularly in your skin tone and the sparkle in your eyes.


Step 1: preparation
A good cleanse needs a little planning. It would be a tragedy if you got all the way to Sunday afternoon only to succumb to that chocolate biscuit hiding in the cupboard. Solution? Clear your cupboards and your refrigerator of anything that you know in your heart is a poor food. Crisps, biscuits, cakes, oven chips, burger buns, and tinned custard have got to go. Remove all of the temptations so that you can focus on your detox.
Clean the house on Thursday night. Wash your sheets and air your bedroom so that you have a fabulous, clean bed to jump into on Friday. Make sure you have all your favourite clothes clean, especially some comfortable baggy pants and your favourite T-shirt. You are going to be a bit of a hermit this weekend so dress comfortably. The only time you'll leave the house will be to have a brisk walk in the fresh air.
Make sure you have all the props you need for a weekend of peace. Get some magazines and a few movies and make sure you have some candles to set the mood in your bathroom and bedroom. Turn off your cellphone and put on your answerphone.
A special note about breakfast: It is vital during the detox to start your day on the right note. Your body has been cleaning and detoxing during the night and so breakfast should facilitate this process. A good, healthy breakfast of pure foods helps the body to continue to clean out.

Weekend Detox Step 2: menu plan

Day one (see recipes) Cleanse:aid smoothie (first thing in the morning)Cleansing cocktail Breakfast Berry fruit saladLunch Garlic grilled sardines with pomegranate salsaDinner Roast salmon and beetroot (beet) salad; and for dessert a piece of fresh fruit eaten half an hour after your main courseBefore bed Max's detox herbal tea
Day two (see recipes) Cleanse:aid juice Hot lemon and ginger Breakfast Berry fruit salad Lunch Ginger chicken skewers with quinoa tabbouleh Dinner Three-bean chilli with avocado salsa; and for dessert a piece of fresh fruit eaten half an hour after your main course Before bed Max's detox herbal tea
Snacks and smoothiesSnacks are not banned on the detox, but restrict them to fresh fruit, raw vegetables, raw nuts, and seeds (such as sunflower and pumpkin seeds). Keep near you a small airtight container filled with vegetable crudités (such as cucumber, celery and apples), so that you always have something healthy to snack on. Try to drink at least one additional health-giving juice or smoothie each day.

Weekend Detox Step 3: Action

Aim to do 15 to 20 minutes of Breathing, Relaxing, Stretching (BRS) each day during the detox.
Breathing Oxygen energizes the mind and body and helps to burn off toxins, neutralizing them through a process called oxidation, and preparing them for elimination. Spend a few minutes each morning in front of an open window, inhaling air deeply into your lungs.
Relaxing Stress robs the nervous system of energy and this in turn retards its ability to oversee the elimination of toxins. There is a difference between true relaxation (yoga, a deep bath, meditation and so on) and 'participation' (such as dinner with friends, or a movie show). True relaxation leaves you with a renewed sense of wellbeing, charged up for the detox. Schedule in some form of relaxation each day. I suggest a long bath or a walk in the park. If at any point the detox makes you feel edgy (this is quite normal), practise the whole body relaxation on the right.
Stretching Prepare your mind and body for the day by gently practising the following stretch to wake up your body. In particular the stretch opens up the chest, helping you to breathe more effectively. Stand with your feet wide apart and breathe in. Raise your arms straight up and lock your fingers. Moving from your waist, bend the body first to the right and then to the left, exhaling as you bend and inhaling as you come back to the upright position. Repeat five times on each side.