With the approaching season change from Summer to Autumn, it's especially important to physically, emotionally and spiritually shed the skin of the past few months and move into a new phase. A wonderful way to facilitate this change is to do a Philosophie cleanse. 

What can I expect during a Philosophie cleanse?

During the cleanse duration (either 5 days or 14 days) you can expect to experience a challenging first 2-3 days. Most of our Philosophie cleansers get headaches between days 1-3. Some only experience them for 1 day and then it goes away. Others may feel it in their body or feel overly lethargic as the toxins are moving out of the system. I call Day 3 the *Magic Day* because this is when you really feel an energetic and physical shift. You feel more energy, more excitement, more focus and notice your skin is glowing and your body feels overall much lighter. Clothes feel looser. If you can get past day 3, you will fly to through the rest.

What if I get hungry in between the meals and snacks on the cleanse menu?

No problem! This cleanse is NOT a fast. It's not a deprivation but instead, a SATURATION of nutrients. It's much more important to snack on foods from the cleanse (have another helping of soup/smoothie/salad or have an additional smoothie) rather than feel hungry. That's not the point. We encourage you to eat as much as you want to feel satisfied and to allow the body to recalibrate. By the 3rd day your body will be regulated and only crave what it's truly hungry for nutritionally. 

A few extra tips for the Philosophie Cleanse:

• try and plan your cleanse when you don't have evening plans (i.e. dinner plans, social events)
• if you do have social events, eat your Philosophie cleanse food/meal BEFORE going and BRING your snack of juice, smoothie or trail mix in your bag so you a can nosh while you're there. If there's a veggie platter or fresh fruit, you can snack on that, too!
• Make sure you get EXTRA sleep. Go back to sleep in the morning if you have the ability to. Call in sick to work. Take a vacation day if you need it. Take a nap. Your body will be working extremely hard to cleanse the system, so be sure to nurture yourself. 
• drink half your body weight in ounces EVERY day. This helps accelerate the cleansing process and speeds up the painful first few days ;) 
• find a friend and do the cleanse together. If you live with someone else, have them do it too or give up something that's difficult for you to watch or be around. If your husband/girlfriend/mom won't do the cleanse with you, have them give up coffee and processed food and sugar for the duration of your cleanse. If you gather 3 friends to do the cleanse with you (co-workers, friends, family, neighbors) you not only get a really amazing discount but you can cook together, have get togethers, support each other!  
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• join the facebook Philosophie Cleanse group! email us for the invite. 
• Journal. Stream of consciousness. Do art. anything to let whats going on inside come out. Although eating food appears to mostly be a physical act, it's actually very tied in to our emotional and psychology. Work through what's going on within your heart and mind. Let go of what isn't serving you to allow space for what WILL work. 

For natural energy, I try and chose natural and healthier options. I have begun thinking about this daily energy as a process of ups and downs, rather than something continuous and constant. It's more natural to have a low period or two during a day versus constant up because of band aids and quick fixes (coffee, stimulants, etc).

Move over, wheatgrass. There's a new superfood in town.

I have been adding blue green algae to my routine for about 2 years now and I've really noticed a difference in my energy level.

There are two kinds of blue green algae: that from fresh water and that from the ocean. The fresh water blue green algae is from a lake in Oregon called Klamath Lake. The blue green algae from the ocean is termed Spirulina and comes in a powder/flake or tablet form. I add spirulina flakes to smoothies and juices or sprinkle it onto a salad. I take blue green algae in liquid form and usually take a shot of it in the morning and mid day during my energy shift. Lately I've been putting the liquid algae (I use E3 Live brand) into an ice cube tray and dropping it into a glass to melt so that I have an ounce or two at my finger tips instead of freezing and defrosting the whole bottle once or twice a day. I found that I got lazy and would rather not go through the process before I was putting it in an ice cube tray.

The technical term APHANIZOMENON (genus) and FLOS-AQUAE (species) are actually zoological terms of classification that literally mean "invisible living flower of water" in Greek.

Algae capitalize on the direct energy of the sun more than any other food. Primitive as they may appear, most are highly efficient photosynthesizers. Algae utilize light energy from the sun, carbon dioxide from the air, and hydrogen from the water to synthesize its bio-chemicals. Klamath Blue Green Algae is unique among all food grade algaes in that it also metabolizes molecular nitrogen directly from the air to produce proteins and other nitrogen containing bio-molecules.

What are the benefits to adding this to your diet?

• increase in mood and mental clarity
• Immunity booster
• for healthy hair and skin
  
• fights off aging (powerful antioxidants-fight free radicals)
  
• feel good food-helps with serotonin
• detoxifies our bodies: liver, GI Tract
• Green Foods in general help with cholesterol problems (regulates gallbladder and liver)
• 10-30x more nutritious than land vegetables

You can begin feeling the effects of blue green algae by trying Spirulina in your smoothie at a juice bar (most have it) or you can try a shot of E3 live. I would suggest trying it a few times before purchasing it to see how it works with you and if you like the effect on your body. I've tried several supplements or superfoods some people LIVE by, only to find out it makes me feel off. These are all suggestions, find what works with your body, experiment with many options, and ask lots of questions!!