Juice Cleanse-Day 1

My trip to the west coast was a gluttonous one. At some point during the trip, I realized a juice fast would be the only thing that could restore balance to my body after the West Coast Eating Extravaganza. I ordered a 3-day supply of HOHM juice from American Yogini, a retreat space on the North Fork of Long Island that specializing in raw cleanses. The juice would be Fedex-ed and ready upon my return. Today is the first day. No food, no coffee, just juice.

Juice 1: SECURITY [beets, celery, apple, lime, ginger]

Juice 2: CREATIVITY [carrot, orange, celery, yam, apple, lemon, ginger]

Juice 3: CONFIDENCE [pineapple, celery, cilantro, lemon, ginger]

Juice 4: LOVE [romaine, celery, green apple, lime, ginger]

Juice 5: COMPASSION [collards, kale, lime, green apple, celery, ginger]

Juice 6: COMFORT [almond mylk-almonds water, raw honey, vanilla]

Day 1 Reflections: The cleanse started easy. Cravings for solid food became strong as the progressed but it was bearable. But then came some irritating aches and pains. Then came some feverish bouts and some strong nausea, along with stronger aches and pains–and all-around general malaise. Eek, what was happening here? Several things really.

One is likely caffeine withdrawal. Headaches are the most common symptom of turning off, suddenly, the caffeine fix. I am not a huge coffee drinker but it seems I am certainly addicted.

Number two, I needed a lot more water. With so many toxins being released, I need to drink more water to flush them from my system. The process is called a cleanse for a reason. As I am detoxing, the toxins flood the blood causing these aches and pains. The stricter the cleanse, the stronger these symptoms occur. It seems as if my symptoms indicate a strong and fast detox… and if they become unbearable, which they did, I should slow the cleanse by nibbling on some cooked–veggies, grains, nothing processed. The point is to maintain the cleanse-a nibble on something to soothe these detox headaches and pains is better than giving up the cleanse completely out of growing physical discomfort, which I was ready to do.

I also need to understand what I am ingesting and what it is doing to my body. The juice portions are “one-size-fits-most.” As a petite woman I may not require the entire bottle of juice as a serving. It may be too much. The fruit and vegetable combinations pack a powerful punch, especially without the body multi-tasking with digestion. They help purify the blood, detoxify the liver, and draw toxins from the G.I. tract. I need to adjust how much I ingest as a full bottle may quicken my detox too much, bringing on adverse symptoms.

I need to help my body detox better by drinking more water, having a vigorous shower (as many toxins leave the body through the skin), mild yoga, and, most importantly, listening to my body. If I need to nibble on something to slow the cleanse down, I can’t feel like I am failing. (Or that I wasted a huge chunk of money on this juice!)

All-in-all, the discomforts of a cleanse are indicative of the need for the cleanse. Our bodies adapt to our environment, even if that means operating imbalanced and toxic. The longterm toxicity of our lifestyle choices are related to a whole assortment of cancers and heart disease–the deadly duo responsible for most of the deaths in this country. There will be no miracle pill to end the death toll of these conditions. No quick fix. Eat better and you’ll live better and longer. Of course, I’m no doctor. But then again doctors thrive on treatment (not prevention) so…

For further reading on detox side effects: read this article. It is a bit of a crazy rant but thought-provoking at moments… then crazy again.

Here’s to an easier day 2.