Feeling Sluggish and Heavy Post-Festive Season? Try This 7-Day Cleanse

Luke Coutinho · October 28, 2022

Feeling Sluggish and Heavy Post-Festive Season? Try This 7-Day Cleanse

By Luke Coutinho 2022, Lifestyle 7-day cleanse, acv concoction, acv with the mother culture, Apple cider vinegar, circadian fasting, cleanse, Deep sleep, fasting, heavy, natural fasting, nuts, post-festive cleanse, raw fruits, raw until lunch, raw vegetables, rejuvenation, sattu, sattu shake, seeds\, sluggish 4 Comments

I hope you had a great festive season. I have messages pouring in, saying, “Luke, I overate and drank too much. I am feeling sleep deprived, heavy, and sluggish. My skin and hair are looking and feeling dull. What should I do to cleanse my system?”

It is all in the past. It was the festive season, and you enjoyed your time. You don’t have to feel guilty or low about it. What is important is what you do now to get back on track. It isn’t just the festive season, some of us have weekend socializing, birthday parties and weddings to attend that can slow us down the next day.

To help you clean your system out, I am sharing with you a simple 7-day cleanse.

Try this with discipline and consistency for the next 1 week. I do it myself every year and recommend it to my clients around the world. And it has worked beautifully for us.

Before I share this, I want to make it clear that there is no magic cleanse. Nothing works as brilliantly as deep restorative sleep and fasting. But we are going to make little changes and add powerful ingredients that can make this even more effective. It will help you rev up your metabolism and aid your liver and kidney clean your system.

Step 1 – Natural 12-hour fasting/Circadian fasting

Aim for a 12-hour fast. Eat your dinner as close to sunset as possible. For instance, if you eat at 7 pm this evening, break your fast the next morning at 7 am. If you are comfortable extending it, slowly build it up to 13, 14, or even 15 hours. Do what suits you. Don’t chase a magic number. 12 hours is the minimum fasting period.

Step 2 – Drink this ACV concoction

The next thing we are going to do is have this concoction on an empty stomach.
Mix 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with the mother culture in a tall glass of water (~250 to 350 ml). Ensure the water is at room temperature or warm.
Add a pinch of dry ginger powder, a dash of Ceylon/Sri Lankan rolled cinnamon powder, and a pinch of black pepper. Squeeze in a few drops of lemon juice.
Sit down and slowly sip this concoction. If any of these ingredients do not suit you, don’t do it.
Once you have finished this ACV concoction, follow it up with a glass of plain water (~200 to 250 ml). By this point, you would have already consumed 500 to 600 ml of water.

Disclaimer: Do it if it suits you, if it doesn’t avoid.

Step 3 – Go raw until lunch

From the time you break your fast until your lunch, go raw.

What can you eat?

Have raw veggies like washed and peeled cucumbers, carrots, and beetroot.
Have a portion of one fruit of your choice. Try to keep it seasonal. (apple, pomegranate, kiwi, whatever you like)
Have a handful of unsalted nuts of your choice. The size of your fist is your portion size. I like to mix it up by adding almonds, cashew nuts, pistachios, pecans, walnuts, 1 Brazil nut, and so on. Add a teaspoon of pumpkin seeds and flax seeds. It goes without saying: Soak your nuts overnight before consuming them. This will help you with protein and good fats. Don’t overdo this.

Get your source of protein:

You have heard me speak about this superfood for the longest time. I try to get my source of pure protein from it. I am referring to sattu, which is nothing but shade-dried and roasted Bengal gram powder. You can shop for it here.

Add 6-7 tablespoons of sattu to a glass of water. Mix it well. This simple portion gives you 24 grams of clean protein. You can do 3 to 4 tablespoons of it too. If you like it plain, that’s okay. I like to improvise my sattu shake by adding ½ teaspoon of moringa powder and 1 teaspoon of raw cacao powder to get all my superfoods in and diversity for my gut.

Have your regular lunch and dinner. It is up to you.

How does this help?

When you follow this for the next 7 days, you will have successfully woken up in a fasted state and eaten raw until lunch without feeling deprived or ravenous. Your portion size will automatically be smaller. Check how you feel.

Within 2 days of following this:

You will feel lighter
Your body feels cleaner
You will feel focused and have better clarity of mind during the day
You will want to make a lifestyle out of it

Try this for the next 7 days. Add discipline and consistency.

Can you have black tea, black coffee, or green tea? Yes, you can. No milk, no sugar.

For people who do not have access to sattu, you can do 2 to 3 boiled eggs. Or you can even have steamed sprouts with peanuts (if they suit you).

Can your kids do this? Absolutely yes. If you live in a place where you have access to clean raw milk, boil and have it. Ensure it is free from any hormones. You can even have a bowl of homemade yogurt because it is full of live bacteria that are good for your gut.

What if I cannot fast or have ACV?

If you cannot fast, it is okay. Try to follow the other steps. If ACV does not suit you, omit that step. Break this plan down and do what works for you. Some of you may struggle with following this 100%. Just do your best. That is what matters.

Deep sleep and fasting are magical. All we are doing is adding a diversity of ingredients to amplify the cleansing process. Ensure you get back to your activity levels and workouts, and manage your emotional health alongside this too. Remember, small wins every day, and simplicity is gold.

All the best. Let me know how this works for you.

Disclaimer: Always make an informed choice. If you have a medical condition or are on medications, please consult your healthcare practitioner before trying anything new.

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Feeling Sluggish and Heavy Post-Festive Season? Try This 7-Day Cleanse

Feeling Sluggish and Heavy Post-Festive Season? Try This 7-Day Cleanse

To help you clean your system out, I am sharing with you a simple 7-day cleanse.