A few weeks ago I experimented with a 3 day juice cleanse ala the Blueprint Cleanse book.
Day 1
I started out like gangbusters on Day 1! Excited to do something good for my health and actually liking the green juice. Really liking it…way more than I thought possible. I went to my Pilates mat class in the morning and felt great; lean and light and not just a little virtuous. Look at me! All health-trendy! You poor souls who need food…I pity you!
By 3 pm I was listless, yawning and needed a nap. Too bad I was at work…they frown on that there. The light-headedness and headache was also setting in. Juice#4 – a beet-based experiment – didn’t help. It was too, too sweet and the flavor just didn’t do it for me.
I went scrounging for some almonds, feeling like a failure already, but luckily didn’t find any. Disaster averted!
Juice #5 was supposed to be another green concoction, but I just couldn’t stomach it, so I skipped it. Not exactly according to plan, but I felt like I would throw up if I had to swallow more of the green gunk – yes, the same green gunk of which I’d been singing the praises earlier that day. My thoughts and emotions were on a roller-coaster ride.
Then, like a cozy blanket on a cold night, came the cashew milk. I swear angels from heaven were singing as I drank the last ‘juice’ of the day. Lifesaver! The raw cacao nib/cashew nut concoction refreshed and revived me completely. I was back on the ‘Yes, I CAN do this!’ bandwagon.
Overall, the day was both easier and harder than I expected. Easier in that I (mostly) really liked the juices and looked forward to them. Harder in that I craved real food – a feeling not helped by my co-workers who chose that day to have an ongoing discussion about which Chipotle burrito was the best. Throughout the day I strangely felt both full and hungry at the same time.
Stay tuned for Day 2…
