Cleansing: A Reflection
Holy moly. I cleansed for over 2 week. 15 days of juice, smoothies, and lots of lot of water.
I never thought I'd be able to do it, but was really shocked at how easy it was. Day 3 and Day 11 and 12 were probably the most challenging. After Day 10, I started to feel the emotional ramifications of not eating. However, when I started to get upset over something it was often because I needed my next juice! I loved the simplicity of my life. I didn't have to think much about what I wanted to "eat" or about preparing food. The difficult choices were which juices to buy! I learned to love some new Juice Press flavors (Gravity, Simple Green, Anti-Aging, The Meal - only sometimes....)
and some of my tried and true favorites were too sweet or lost their charm (Love at First Sight, Doctor Green Juice). Chia seeds were super helpful in keeping me feel full longer and I was seriously never without a water bottle. I drank herbal tea some days which was a nice change to water, but I didn't crave caffeine (or coffee!)
I felt alive. My dad kept telling me I was "glowing". I definitely could have gone 3 or 4 weeks total. What's interesting is that in the 2nd week, I became much more sensitive to sugar. I was less a fan of the green juices that had apple or pineapple or grapefruit and liked the simple "all green" versions (with a little lemon and ginger, of course). That is also when I began craving more of the hearty juices -- the Black Labels of the world where I got some nut milk and coconut meat and/or oil. At the end of the day, these really satiated me.
Rarely did I feel hungry. A few times my stomach would grumble, but I came to see that not as a sign of hunger, but just as my body speaking to me in some way or another. I felt very "full" and there were not 1 day when I finished all 6 juices and wanted more.
One of the most difficult parts of the cleanse was keeping my daily juice menu interesting! I didn't want to drink the same things over and over again and I wanted to keep it exciting and fresh. Luckily, Juice Press has such a wide range of juices that, depending on my mood, I could find anything I wanted! Smoothies were also really really good. Usually if I had a smoothie, I could stick to 4 juices for the day.
Will I do this again? Yes. Absolutely.
As I transition back into real food I'm already feeling the burden. This morning I woke up lethargic and tired. During my cleanse I went to bed because it was late and I wanted to, not because I felt like my body could not stay awake for another minute. I'm certainly more concious of what I am putting into my body and realize how little I like "eating on the run". Grabbing a juice is much easier and so much more satisfying. Eating a meal (or a snack) should be a ritual and something that we appreciate. If you're lucky, the food before you at a meal is something that was not taken out of a package. I think it's important that we "honor" that food and try not to just scarf it down. I believe in eating for nutritional purposes and eating (not over-eating) for pleasure, enjoyment, entertainment, gathering of community.
Breathe. Look around you. Be happy. Eat.
I never thought I'd be able to do it, but was really shocked at how easy it was. Day 3 and Day 11 and 12 were probably the most challenging. After Day 10, I started to feel the emotional ramifications of not eating. However, when I started to get upset over something it was often because I needed my next juice! I loved the simplicity of my life. I didn't have to think much about what I wanted to "eat" or about preparing food. The difficult choices were which juices to buy! I learned to love some new Juice Press flavors (Gravity, Simple Green, Anti-Aging, The Meal - only sometimes....)
 |
| Gravity |
I felt alive. My dad kept telling me I was "glowing". I definitely could have gone 3 or 4 weeks total. What's interesting is that in the 2nd week, I became much more sensitive to sugar. I was less a fan of the green juices that had apple or pineapple or grapefruit and liked the simple "all green" versions (with a little lemon and ginger, of course). That is also when I began craving more of the hearty juices -- the Black Labels of the world where I got some nut milk and coconut meat and/or oil. At the end of the day, these really satiated me.
 |
| Chia seed filled Glo |
Rarely did I feel hungry. A few times my stomach would grumble, but I came to see that not as a sign of hunger, but just as my body speaking to me in some way or another. I felt very "full" and there were not 1 day when I finished all 6 juices and wanted more.
One of the most difficult parts of the cleanse was keeping my daily juice menu interesting! I didn't want to drink the same things over and over again and I wanted to keep it exciting and fresh. Luckily, Juice Press has such a wide range of juices that, depending on my mood, I could find anything I wanted! Smoothies were also really really good. Usually if I had a smoothie, I could stick to 4 juices for the day.
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| Smoothie in the making! |
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| The Guru. Love love looooove the Hemp seeds! |
Will I do this again? Yes. Absolutely.
As I transition back into real food I'm already feeling the burden. This morning I woke up lethargic and tired. During my cleanse I went to bed because it was late and I wanted to, not because I felt like my body could not stay awake for another minute. I'm certainly more concious of what I am putting into my body and realize how little I like "eating on the run". Grabbing a juice is much easier and so much more satisfying. Eating a meal (or a snack) should be a ritual and something that we appreciate. If you're lucky, the food before you at a meal is something that was not taken out of a package. I think it's important that we "honor" that food and try not to just scarf it down. I believe in eating for nutritional purposes and eating (not over-eating) for pleasure, enjoyment, entertainment, gathering of community.
Breathe. Look around you. Be happy. Eat.
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