DIY winter juice cleanse

Earlier this week I decided to try my very first 3-day juice cleanse! 

I followed figgy & sprout's juice cleanse and also used one of Dr. Oz's juice cleanse meal recipes.

Now, before I share my experience... allow me to make a few disclaimers:

1. DON'T LET THE PRETTY COLORS FOOL YOU. pretty color does NOT mean pretty taste.

2. This is hardcore. I totally overestimated my ability, as a foodie, to go without chewing for 3 days.

3. Do this on a weekday when you are busy. Not a weekend when you are laying around, relaxing and used to eating yummy food. 

4. If you've never done a juice cleanse before, try a 1 day cleanse first. 

It still has great benefits but not as intense. 

5. Juicing takes a LONG time. Well, to make one drink it's relatively quick. But to make 6... means you have to peel about 10 oranges, 20 lemons, chop things up, and assemble all the ingredients before you even start juicing. Then there is the tedious clean up. & the fact that you spent all that time and effort making something you probably won't like the taste of. You could always buy the juices, but expect to spend atleast $60 a day for about 5 drinks. 

DAY 1: "Woohoo! I love juice! This is going to rock!"

I was super excited to start but by the time I got all of the juices prepared I was already super hungry. I drank the Orange Dream drink which was actually my favorite so that helped fill me up. However, come drinks #2 & 3, I realized how hard this was going to be. I pushed through the day with a lot of complaining about the green drinks and ended the day with a pretty bad headache (sign that your body is getting rid of old toxins). 

DAY 2: "Seriously. It's only the second day? :/"

I woke up bright and early feeling a bit more energized and able to focus than normal. However, within a couple hours the detox lethargy set in. Now here's the main problem I faced... I'm a baby. I could not get the green drinks down anymore. No matter how much I held my nose... I couldn't do it. So I drank the ones I could, but by the end of the day realized I was weak. So I tweaked the plan of just liquids and made one of Dr. Oz's juice cleanse meals. Stuffed Acorn Squash with a couple carrot and sweet potato fries on the side. It was DELISH. Went to bed feeling so much better!

DAY 3: "Holy. Cannoli."

Realizing I couldn't go another day with drinks I couldn't get down, I guess I started to cheat by making my own drinks. I had mostly orange, apple, and pear drinks. I felt the same minor detox symptoms such as headache, achy-ness, and lethargy. By the end of the day, I was starving. & I was done. Absolutely done! So I had pizza. It wasn't juiced. It wasn't healthy. But it was a good reward for trying my best and seriously the best meal of my life. 

Though the detox stuff was good for my body and I definitely have felt like my digestive system is performing more regularly, what I learned most about this juice cleanse is how I am a slave to food. I seriously love it. I focus too much on meals and recipes that eating becomes such a main part of my day. Though this is ok sometimes, it can be really unhealthy because I seem to lean on it as a crutch. 

Therefore, after the holidays, I've decided it's time for a lifestyle change! I've done a lot of research, talked to several friends, and feel that the Paleo Diet will be great for me. I have trouble with gluten and dairy anyways... so cutting this out while still being able to enjoy creative cooking and clean eating will be a fun, new adventure. The juice cleanse was just the wake up call I needed to realize how important healthy eating patterns are. & Besides, Paleo will seem like a candy shop compared to those green drinks!!! #jambajuicealltheway

Have you ever tried a juice cleanse?

Think you ever will?

Feel free to ask any questions about it!

ronnie