Four Day Juice Cleanse

Okay, this is a little late as I did this juice cleanse two weeks ago. However, I promised a post would be coming on it, so here it is! :)

Once in a while I realize I need to detox and reset myself.
Usually, I push myself extra hard in the gym, yoga studio, and kitchen. This time, I decided I would try something new. I really wanted to flush as much processed sugar, preservatives, and bad food cravings out of my system as possible. For that, this was pretty awesome!

For four days my diet consisted 90% of blended fruit, veggies, herbs, water, pom juice, and coconut water. 

Below is the exact cleanse I used. (Compliments of the Pinterest search engine...) 

It was SO convenient to have the shopping list attached!

Now, this cleanse was not cheap! This much fresh produce, pom juice, and coconut water can really add up! If I recall correctly, the whole bill came out to about $80. 

(I bought some groceries for Clynn at the same time, so I don't know the exact number.)

However, the bill was still much more affordable than most (if not all) 3-4 day juice cleanses you would buy from a juicing bar or online store.

Also, I understand that what comes out of my Vitamix is not the same thing as what comes out of a juicer. My thought was that it is pretty much the same thing, only plus the fiber. (Please, correct me if I'm wrong!)

You may look at this and think that it's not enough calories for a day! Well, my dear reader, you may change your mind once you see how much juice one of these recipes produced at once.

The following photo is a picture of what my typical breakfast looked like 

(after I drank half a glass).

This was lunch.

Pretty much the same thing went for dinner. 

Each recipe produced about 58 ounces of blended fruits and veggies. 

(Varies with preferred consistency. ie: how much water/coconut water added.) 

(Approximately 1100-1400 cals/day. That's quiet a bit more than HCG;) )

Now, lets talk Pros and Cons!

Pros. 

• This detox was GREAT for de-bloating and re-hydrating!
• I rarely felt hungry making it easy to stick to. 
• The rules were plain and simple. I can drink my juice, water, or coconut water.
• The recipes are fun and different.
• It worked for what I wanted it to do. (I knew the detox was doing its job when, on day three, I found myself craving honey instead of carbs!)
• Clearer and happier looking skin.
• On day four I noticed my ability to handle daily challenges was much more efficient. My entire demeanor was more calm, happy, and controlled. I believe this was a direct result of being hydrated and filled to the top with fresh food vitamins. 

Cons.

• Expensive.
• Whereas I felt perfectly energized for day to day activity, I did not have the calories to spare for a work out!
• Any juicing cleanse means lots of sugar. Natural sugar, but it's still sugar!
• On day three and four, I NEEDED PROTEIN!!!!! (This is why I say my diet 90% consisted of the juicing cleanse. On day three I had a veggie, rice, and bean burger patty and avocado after a smaller version of my dinner drink, and on day four, I had a protein shake and veggie burger patty after another smaller version of my dinner drink.)
• Some of the drinks I had to choke down. (YUCK!)

My absolute favorite thing about doing this juicing cleanse was that it got me more creative with my smoothie/shake making! I now regularly use assorted herbs, beets, pears, lemons, cucumbers, and ginger in various morning mixes, rather than constantly referring to my fall back recipes and bases! 

I am now more willing to try new things and my diet has more fresh food variety.

Would you recommend it?

Yes. If you are feeling you could benefit and can stick to it, if you're not diabetic or have problems processing sugar, if you don't mind taking a four day break from your work out, and as long as something like this won't throw you into a binge eating spiral when it's over. (I stayed strong on this one for about six days post cleanse...and now I'm needing some more gym butt kicking action and inspiration. It's all a work in progress. Forward movement is what's most important!) 

Would you do it again?

Hmm....I would. But I would do it differently next time. I would not use it to shock my body into being healthy, but maybe two or three months into already having a generally healthy life style. This would prevent any post spiraling and I could use it as a way to re hydrate, unbloat, and really pack on the fresh food vitamins. 

Happy Cleansing!

Jackie

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