Happy Monday (oxymoron?). In honor of Earth Day this weekend, I purchased a one-day juice cleanse from JuiceWell, my local juicery. I was excited to kick start my week off right, especially after a week filled with many plans, unhealthy food, and vino.
In my head I created a preparation over the course of Sunday, I had delusions of grandeur. I planned a day of vegetarianism, lots of hydration, and of course being a teetotaler. HA. Instead my day of prep involved cheesy eggs with sautéed veggies and toast (not so bad you say, just wait), three slices of an assortment of pizza, barely any water, oysters, garlic shrimp (Gwyneth would be disappointed), kale salad (yay) with Pecorino and candied pecans (hm), skirt steak, and three glasses of wine. And ice cream. Real healthy, right, I basically had put my body into shock but don't worry, I've done a juice cleanse right before New Year's Eve and I survived!
So this Monday morning I woke up fatigued, but chugged my warm lemon water, which I love. I have six juices that I'm supposed to drink every two hours. The support email from JuiceWell states that I start drinking at 8am and finish by 6pm, but I know myself, and watching my husband scarf a roasted chicken salad from our fave middle eastern joint at 7pm while I have nothing won't do at all. So I'm going to space out my juices a bit more.
I pack my bag, add in five juices saving my "dinner" of cashew milk for consumption at home, and in case of utter failure, a bag of raspberries and celery. Here's hoping.
9:30am
For my first juice I begin with Sweet Tart, a mix of grapefruit, apples, lemon, ginger, cinnamon, and maca. I like it. It's a bit tart, but the cinnamon adds a sweet and satisfying flavor. The bottle looks so small, so I purposely sip it. It takes me an hour to finish.
11:38am
I have a little headache now from caffeine withdrawal. Time to drink a new juice. My second juice is Manna, a cucumber, apple, swiss chard, collard greens, parsley, lemon, lime, ginger, and cinnamon juice. This juice is surprisingly sweet with a little kick from the ginger. It's not my favorite green juice, but it's not the worst either. The sweetness is kinda throwing me off.
1:30pm
I'm hungry! And my head has a slight ache and my mouth feels dry. I guess it's time for the third juice, which is Cocao Royale, coconut, raw cocao, and vanilla. It looks like a milk shake so that's promising. I'm hoping it will be more filling than the other juices. After the first sip, it reminds me of Ovaltine (remember that?) only with a more healthy kick. I like it. It's no chocolate milkshake, but it's comforting and that makes me happy.
4:20pm
Doing pretty well today despite my binge eating yesterday. I do feel a little lightheaded but not too bad. I do have a weird taste in my mouth so it's time for another juice. My fourth juice is called Rock You (yeah, I rock) and consists of cucumber, celery, orange, lemon, and echinacea. This is one of my favorite juices because it's not as sweet and really tastes "green." The celery notes really make me feel healthy. Yes, I'm almost there. Can't wait to pass out at 9pm tonight.
5:46pm
I'm feeling a little "high" from the juice. I made it through four juices during the workday. I'm hungry and my stomach is growling. Time to head home soon for my juice "appetizer" and "entree/dessert." Fainting not allowed.
6:34pm
I'm walking home now and re- read my support email from Donald at JuiceWell and I love the quote at the top “It’s not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.” - Edmund Hilary.
Edmund, I say to myself, I'm trying! My next juice aka my "appetizer" for the evening is good for digestion and elimination so that's exciting. I may cheat and eat a celery stalk, especially while I pass a hot dog cart. Damn, why does nitrate-rich foods smell so tempting. Stop luring me, hotdog man.
6:57pm
I'm home and in my cuddle duds. It's time for juice number five, Rose with pineapple, beets, apple, lemon, and ginger. This is one of my favorites. I love the balance and smoothness of the beets and ginger blended together. A subtle tang, but I like it. I'm still hungry, but trying to sip it slowly before I go for a stroll.
8:30pm
This is it. Time for dinner and dessert in one with Cashew & Hemp, which consists of cashew, hemp seed, cardamon, spring water, date, cinnamon, and vanilla. I am starving, especially after my walk by restaurants and tempting odors (also my husband is chowing down on a chicken Caesar-avoid, avoid). The milk is good; it's pretty thick and I'm hoping it will fill me up because it has 32 grams of fat. Bottoms up! OK, going to finish this milk, head to bed after an episode of True Detective, and sign off for now. Will post more tomorrow with my well-being/cleanse update
