Our Family Parasite Cleanse
As many of you already know, cleansing is a regular thing for me. Just as we clean our house, I clean my temple, regularly. Our bodies take on a lot from the outside world and cleansing was always a part of life and somehow we have lost that practice along the generations.
I cleanse at every change of season, but as a family we may do only one gentle cleanse every year. Our kids are still quite young, Leo is 8, Leila is 7 and Luna is still 2. Their little bodies are not as full of toxins as my husband and I who have accumulated toxins over the years. Luna is also very young and lucky for her, our lifestyle before and after she was born was much cleaner and less toxic than with our other two kids. Therefore, it was really only Leo and Leila who participated fully in the cleanse.
It was not difficult for us, since we have, over the years, incorporated a fairly plant based lifestyle. We already don’t eat majority of the food we would eliminate from a cleanse, such as dairy, pork, beef, and chicken, so it did make it easier for us. There are other inflammation causing foods you eliminate as well such as wheat or anything with gluten, corn, soy, and of course sugar in its many processed forms. The key is to eat a whole food, plant based meal!
When cleansing, the best way to set yourself up for success is to prepare— especially with kids. You need to prepare the fridge and pantry, but also the mind of everyone who is participating. Getting yourself into the mindset of clearing, releasing, and letting go as well as knowing this is a choice and you are in control is super important for things to flow.
We sat the kids down a few days before the cleanse and explained to them, fully, the why, how, and benefits of our cleanse. We allowed them to choose if they want to participate and made sure each kid felt included and, in a sense, responsible for helping each other heal! This helps them feel important and dedicated to this journey!
Since this was a parasite cleanse we did it at the change of season from Winter to Spring as well as starting a week before the full moon, so that at the peak of our cleanse we hit the full moon. Parasites are most active during a full moon, so this is the best time to kill and release them.
Our cleanse was 21 days long (3weeks) with the formula created by Sprigs called “Shoo”. Sprigs is an amazing company I work closely with that creates herbal remedies and super food shakes for holistic families like ours. They have powerful formulas in their tinctures, capsules, and shakes which are sourced properly with effective outcomes. I chose this formula for our family parasite cleanse because they have an adult size and a child’s size, and the child’s size is available for children at the age of 2 which is perfect for Luna!
This formula follows the Dr.Hulda Clarke's guide of using wormwood and black walnut hull, which are both powerful parasite killers. For a more powerful cleanse you can also get mimosa pudica seed (for adults only).
As you’re starting your cleanse you want to make sure everyone is going 💩 at least 2x a day. Yes, your bowels need to be moving to get everything out. Start a week before the cleanse, incorporating more fiber into your family’s diet. This can look like psyllium husk in the morning, or drinking some prune juice throughout the day, or even taking it in capsule form like Reset & Go (again from Sprigs.life). We did fiber filled smoothies for the kids (and hubby) and psyllium husk for me.
Opening up the drainage pathways is THE most important part of cleansing. If your drains are clogged nothing will leave and will just re-circulate in your body. Creating a Herx (Herxheimer) reaction where the body develops cleansing, or “flu-like” symptoms. The reason I put that in quotations is because when you experience a cold or flu your body is literally just cleansing all the toxins out of you. Therefore, these symptoms are natural, but can be easily be avoided by opening the drainage pathways of the body and aid the body in its natural detoxing systems.
After we had removed the processed and inflammation causing foods, added in the delicious, whole, plant foods (and eggs), and started eating more fiber to open the colon and intestines, we then started our cleanse by adding in 3x a day the Shoo formula and 2x a day some binders.
Binders are substances that literally bind to toxins in our bodies to help flush them out. We used psyllium husk, chia seeds, activated charcoal, and spirullina. We switched them up daily sometimes also switching our spirullina for chlorella. We also made sure everyone was refueling their electrolytes by drinking plenty of water and organic coconut water throughout the day.
I made a little PDF chart for the family, which we stuck to the fridge to help us keep track of our progress! The kids loved being able to check off what we’ve done and stay on top of their Shoo drops! I’ll provide a Canva link below for you to create your own family chart! Here is a sample of what our chart looks like:
Click here for template to create your own from Canva!
When it comes to cleansing with kids, less is more, being prepared is everything, and be ready for challenges and lenience! Sometimes we have to let go! Like when I needed grandma to watch the kids and she was at a birthday party, my kids had cake. I wasn’t going to say “No” because that would make them resent cleansing. I allowed it but made sure they drank a big glass of spirullina smoothie to clear their guts of the processed ingredients from the store bought cake. So, don’t be so hard on them. Prepare for moments like this and allow them to still be kids. The idea is to help their little bodies rid of parasites that may be harming them while also teaching them that cleansing is a natural part of life. We want to avoid being too strict and cause more harm than good.
Energetically it’s also important they are relaxed and not stressed because stress causes us to hold it in, we need to be able to go 💩😅! So, let it go!
Are there things I wish we could have done better, absolutely. Like planning out days and meals better (like I do for my clients). But that wasn’t the case, I was winging it for the most part. Only because I felt overly confident that I would just “know” what to make for dinner. I realize now that I completely draw a blank when the time comes 😂! Next time I will create a full dinner meal plan like I do for my one-on-one coaching clients!
The key here is to add in more cleansing foods, add in more water, add in more daily exercising like walking, and get a good nights sleep. When we sleep is when out bodies are detoxing, it’s also when the parasites are most active. Taking a binder right before bed and getting in at least 8 hours is most beneficial.
Other things to incorporate:
Exercise, or just sweating, is super important, too. Whether it’s just a brisk walk, yoga, play, or anything involving jumping (or rebounding) is excellent to help the lymphatic system drain!
If the kids are ok with drinking teas you can add in dandelion root, milk thistle, burdock root, clove, turmeric or ginger teas. All are excellent in aiding and supporting the detox pathways.
At bath time we added epsom salt to their baths to help their lymphatic system once again. I also did a couple of epsom salt foot soaks (the kids find it fun, too) which help the lymphatic system flow by a good 70% !
Since it is Spring and we are in Florida, we enjoyed a lot of a citrus. Citrus is a powerful cleansing food, and best eaten alone. The kids would snack on clementines or mandarines all day as well as drink lemonade. We made it with organic lemons, filtered water, and raw, organic honey to avoid anything processed.
Juicing and smoothies was a regular part of our day. Our breakfast or lunch always had a smoothie, and interchangeably we made a veg and fruit juice of the day.
Plan snacks for the kids that are similar to the processed snack bars and treats they are used to! We made snack balls, bars, and cupcakes with simple ingredients like dates, bananas, nut butters and seeds & nuts! Check out these two recipes below:
For both recipes you just throw everything in a food processor and process away until well blended and thick enough to either roll up or press down onto a baking dish. Use parchment paper to keep from sticking to the dish. For the matcha bites, once you’re done processing, grab one tablespoon scoops and roll it into a ball, then roll over the matcha powder to coat. Place in fridge for 2-4 hours or overnight and enjoy a delicious treat! Can be stored in fridge for up to 5 days!
Planning healthy, homemade snacks like these are great for when you’re out with the kids and they get hungry. Instead of buying something, you can just grab your homemade snacks! We also packed berries, grapes, apples, bananas, celery, carrots, and seeds whenever possible. This helps us avoid buying something that isn’t aligned with the cleanse and falling back into processed foods!
But don’t worry, we didn’t miss out on eating out. You can still go out even on a cleanse. It’s about being conscious of where you eat and what you order! We took the kids to our favorite juice place, Clean Juice, and ordered their choice of smoothie, Acai bowl, or juice!
Hubby and I also enjoyed a delicious dinner date out. We chose a local mom n pop restaurant with authentic Italian cuisine. We ordered the mushroom bruschetta, and chose not to eat the bread (luckily it came separate) as an appetizer and a big entree salad as dinner. We were actually amazed at how satisfied we were by the end. Which, you will notice: a cleanse will make you feel full sooner than usual. Maybe it’s your stomach that shrank or the parasites are what make you eat more, or you‘re just more in tune with your body, or all three!
Ending the cleanse
Unfortunately, at the last week of our 3 week cleanse Luna caught a stomach bug. This was actually the first time she has ever gotten sick, but we knew the reason. My husband had taken the kids to a bouncy house (which I won’t name here) and that very night Luna was puking for the first time in her life. It was so sad to watch but she beat it like a champ! The cleanse did help and like I mentioned before, cleansing is your body’s natural way of removing toxins like a stomach bug, so it really helped her get over it. Of course it passed to each kid and even hubby and I felt it a little. Luckily, we have pretty strong immune systems, and the cleanse helped to lessen the sick time!
During those days the kids slowly started to “cheat”, as they called it. They ate bread and skipped their Shoo drops once or twice. We lost momentum, basically. Looking back I know that next time I need to prepare for things like this. I now know to explain better how the body needs to cleanse even more when you’re sick so we have to stick to it and push through. As well as, keep them motivated through it all— including hubby! He too fell off the wagon a few times! It was harder for him because he works nights. So, coming home late and having a late dinner isn’t ideal when cleansing. He would have to grab food at work and luckily it wasn’t often. I’m really proud of him for trucking through, but it all comes back to planning and preparing!
We ended strong though, everyone took their last Shoo drops together and were all ready to enjoy Easter the next day! The best part about it all was the fact that we continued juicing and drinking our smoothies daily! Our fridge is still stacked with fruits and vegetables and everyone feels results!
I feel more energized and my sleep is regulated (I was going to bed at 2am almost every night prior), I also feel more creative. Hubby lost a couple pounds, says he feels “cleaner” and more energized. The kids are a lot calmer and also had their sleep regulated again!
Overall I feel like this was truly a successful cleanse. It’s the best one we’ve had yet! I truly recommend every family try one. Start slow, gentle and easy. It might even be better for you to try a cleanse for yourself first, then do the whole family.
I am actually in the process of creating an amazing online cleanse program where you will get daily step-by-step actions, support, and accountability! This cleanse program, called NOMastè, is a protocol I have been using with clients that works— except now it’s completely accessible online where you check in everyday and do the day’s action steps, which includes exercises, yoga, meditation, recipes, and journaling. In there is a plethora of resources and educational videos I created to help you understand how the cleansing process works! This program is still in the works so keep an eye out for the launch date! 👇
I hope this post has inspired you to take on a cleanse of your own. I loved sharing about out journey and will continue to share as we grow!
so much love,
Tati