Spring Clean with Pears!

Despite the chilly temperature, birds were busy chirping in the trees this morning; it’s the first definitive sign that spring has arrived in Denver! This time of year makes me want to open the dusty closets and start spring cleaning. But it doesn’t have to stop with the cobwebbed spaces in the house. How about spring cleaning your daily routine? My introductory nutrition students always ask questions about cleansing and detoxifying the body. Although popular topics in the media, cleanse or detox diets are a bad idea. Most of these plans rely on unhealthful methods to remove “toxins” from the body, often encouraging tactics that eliminate calories, entire food groups, or rely on nutrient-deficient beverages. The truth is, the body has its own caretakers in the form of the liver, kidneys, lungs and gastrointestinal tract, the body’s filtering powerhouses driven Continue reading