This weekend I did a juice cleanse. I can already feel some judgment from typing that, so let me explain why a girl who loves food deeply voluntarily chose to drink all of her nutrients for three days. Get ready for a long post!
A couple weekends ago, John Paul and I went to a dinner party. Well, he went for dinner while I ran some errands, and got there in time for some dessert and wine. At the dinner part, he ate such a huge hunk of steak that it made him sick the next morning. On the other hand, I had a small, meatless dinner and woke up feeling fine. Something's weird there...I started thinking about my body, and how great a mostly plant-based diet makes me feel great, whereas a very meaty meal completely zaps my energy. I'd also been feeling really overwhelmed with wedding and social stuff, and I needed to get back to my center.
Some of the food blogs I read had tried a
BluePrint Cleanse for a long weekend, and I figured
Why not? I had some birthday money to help pay for it (totally not cheap), and would use this weekend to not focus on my food cravings and what people wanted to do; I would just drink what they sent me, what my body needed to energize itself, and make me time a priority. (It helped that John Paul was out of town on business.)
Before starting the cleanse, BPC recommends that you pre-cleanse. This means that for 3-4 days beforehand, cut out meat, dairy, caffeine, and no grains the day before. I ate lots of salads and fruit, along with some quinoa and brown rice. Already I felt really good; sleeping really well and feeling great about what I was putting into my body. The picture above is my last meal: spinach, avocado, and red onion with lemon juice and pepper. Simple and tasty.
On Thursday afternoon, my juices arrived in a cardboard box with lots of ice packets. I put them right into the fridge; this is what I would grab when I got hungry over the weekend. Six juices per day for three days. Before you start thinking I'm going to pass out from lack of nutrients (my mom called a few times to make sure I was still among the living), let me tell you that each day is full of 20 lbs. of fruits and veggies.
I did the Renovation cleanse, which had 2 green smoothies (kale, apple, lemon, etc.), and 4 other juices which you drink in a specific order. Start of the day and lunch on green juice, and then sip on the others 2-3 hours apart from each other.
This one was perfect for a mid-morning pick-me-up: pineapple apple mint. Sweet and refreshing.
No. 5 was a little tangy, with beet, apple, ginger...this was basically dinner, and it hit the spot.
This cashew milk was dessert: water, cashews, agave, cinnamon and vanilla. I was so sad to drink my last one on Sunday night! It was perfectly sweet and filling to tide me over until morning.
I'm happy to report that I had tons of energy this weekend! Summer and I went on a 4.5 mile walk on Friday, Mia and I jogged 3.5 miles on Saturday, and I did an intense yoga class Sunday morning. I slept deeply, no headaches, no fatigue...just lots of time to relax and do my own little projects.
Monday, it was back to the real world and real food. I'm not craving brownies and burgers, just brown rice and arugula. I know I'll be back to baking soon, but I'll be looking into healthier ways to sate those sweet cravings, and you might see some vegan recipes on here (sorry, Aunt Nesi!) among desserts and chilis. All in all, a great experience, though definitely an indulgence.
