While it's not technically summer yet, most mark Memorial Day weekend as the start of the summer season. Time to get beach ready!
I'm not one for diets, or for juice fasts, but now that I'm done breastfeeding my 2nd child and with summer around the corner- it was time for to jump start something. I usually eat pretty well, but as a foodie, I love to indulge in great food and have a sweet tooth. I was feeling blah- it was time for a change! Many of my friends and family have been talking about juice cleansing and how good they felt after. So I decided to do some research. Which cleanse is better? Do I do buy a certain system or should I just juice myself
?
?What Is A Juice Cleanse?
Typical cleanse plans last from three to 14 days. Cleanse advocates claim that toxins from food additives and preservatives, pesticides, hormones, pollution, tobacco use and other environmental sources accumulate in your cells. These toxic chemicals cause a variety of health problems, including low energy, fatigue, gastrointestinal distress, skin problems, irritability and depressed mood. Cleanse diets purportedly draw toxins out of your cells and clear them from your body, improving overall health.
Types of Cleanses
There are all kinds of cleanses out there. The Master Cleanse is popular-you drink only lemon juice, pure maple syrup, cayenne pepper and filtered water. I wasn't into that. Other cleanses restrict meals to only juices. The Ritual Cleanse is also popular right now.
Ritual Cleanse
My friend Jennifer did the 5 day ritual cleanse - here's her take:
"This was my first cleanse, and it was incredibly invigorating! I did the 5-day seasonal cleanse with shred all 5 days so I could work out. I doubted whether I would feel anything but hunger, but on the second day, I all of a sudden had tons of energy, and my mood was fantastic (in spite of my 3-year old and 1-year old). Mild hunger set in around Day 3, but I was drinking the juice so often that it never got bad until the very end. Day 5 was by far the hardest day. I hit a wall on Day 5 - totally drained and starving. This change was probably because I had worked out hard the previous day and had not gotten as much sleep as I would have liked (for reasons unrelated to the cleanse).
The day after finishing the cleanse, I craved grilled veggies similar to the way I craved apples when I was pregnant! I also missed the green juice. Since returning to solid food, I have noticed a difference in my energy levels after I eat a plate full of veggies versus a bowl of oatmeal. I fell totally revived after the veggies and sluggish after the oatmeal. I'm also surprised by how little food it takes to satisfy me now.
There are 6 17-oz juices/drinks per day, plus 2 more (the shred) if you workout. The only juice I really couldn't stomach and didn't drink much of was the pre-shred. Here are the ingredients:
1: spinach, romaine, kale, celery, cucumber, green apple, lemon (the first sip was a bit of a shock, but I ended up loving this juice)
2: apple, grapefruit, celery, cinnamon for first 3 days; strawberries, watermelon, young coconut water for last 2 days
3: spinach, romaine, kale, celery, cucumber, green apple, ginger
4: filtered water, lemon, agave, cayenne (this was very light, but the cayenne woke up my senses!)
5: spinach, romaine, kale, celery, cucumber, green apple
6: cashew, alkaline water, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, agave (very tasty, and satisfied the need to "chew" something because of the small bits of cashew, but it left my stomach a little unsettled because it was so rich in fat)
pre-shred: carrot, beet, celery, apple, pear (I barely drank this, it was too sweet for me)
post-shred: almond, alkaline water, vanilla, cinnamon, agave (really yummy and surprisingly creamy - satisfied my milk fix)
The green juice was actually tasty and satisfying and became one of my favorites as the days progressed. The biggest problem I had was drinking water - just couldn't stomach any more liquid with everything I was already drinking. The program isn't cheap, but if your spare time is sparse (as mine is), it's probably worth the money than if you were to buy all of the organic ingredients, clean them, and then juice them, particularly if you don't already own a juicer.
I truly feel like my body was "reset" after completing this cleanse. I am loathe to put anything into my body that is processed, I have recommitted to fruits and veggies, and I am trying to eat organic whenever possible. Ritual Cleanse reminded me that we are what we eat."
Juicing Yourself
I have a Champion Juicer so I decided to try to juice myself. Or actually my mother in law was planning a juice cleanse so we decided to do it together. It's a lot of work. You have to juice most of it in the morning so you have all the juice fresh and ready or you may give into food. The 3 green juices have the same base so in the morning I added lemon, for lunch I added ginger and dinner I drank it plain. Juice 6 and the Post Shred-I soaked almonds and cashews and used a Magic Bullet 
blender right before I needed the drink.
I have a Champion Juicer
so I decided to try to juice myself. Or actually my mother in law was planning a juice cleanse so we decided to do it together. It's a lot of work. You have to juice most of it in the morning so you have all the juice fresh and ready or you may give into food. The 3 green juices have the same base so in the morning I added lemon, for lunch I added ginger and dinner I drank it plain. Juice 6 and the Post Shred-I soaked almonds and cashews and used a Magic Bullet blender right before I needed the drink. Day 1 was fine. I felt really energized and since I was working out in the morning I had more juice than I could drink with the pre and post shred. Surprisingly I wasn't starving, but it was hard when I walked into my pantry and when I was making the kids dinner. I realized how I unconsciously put food into my mouth throughout the day. Like when they want a cracker or when I taste test their food. I had to stop myself several times.
Day 2 was a little harder. I didn't workout so I didn't have the 2 extra juices. By dinner I was hungry, but still feeling good. I couldn't wait for juice 6 just so I could chew the cashews.
Day 3 I still felt good even thru my workout. I had made it thru and was really enjoying my juices. Food sounded good, but I was okay not to eat.
Day 2 was a little harder. I didn't workout so I didn't have the 2 extra juices. By dinner I was hungry, but still feeling good. I couldn't wait for juice 6 just so I could chew the cashews.
Day 3 I still felt good even thru my workout. I had made it thru and was really enjoying my juices. Food sounded good, but I was okay not to eat.
So after 3 days of just juice, what was my first meal? Guacamole. I was craving something flavorful, yet didn't feel like eating anything heavy. I think I needed the fat. It was nice to chew again, but I didn't really feel like eating alot. I probably could have made it thru the 5 day cleanse. In fact, I really wanted more green juice. I had some left over so I also had that for breakfast and continued to drink the green juice for 2 more days.
So that's the upside of having a juicer. Now I can make more green juice whenever I want. In fact, I think I'm going to make it a part of my regular diet. So was it worth it to juice myself? Yes, if you have the time and have someone doing it with you. But it is a lot of work and a lot of clean up for a 3- day or 5 day cleanse.
Bottomline-I'm really glad I did the juice cleanse. I feel good and I'm eating a lot less. I did lose a few pounds, but for me it's not about losing weight-its about being more aware about what I put into my body.
So that's the upside of having a juicer.
Now I can make more green juice whenever I want. In fact, I think I'm going to make it a part of my regular diet. So was it worth it to juice myself? Yes, if you have the time and have someone doing it with you. But it is a lot of work and a lot of clean up for a 3- day or 5 day cleanse. Bottomline-I'm really glad I did the juice cleanse. I feel good and I'm eating a lot less. I did lose a few pounds, but for me it's not about losing weight-its about being more aware about what I put into my body.
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