Surprise! I’m going on a juice cleanse.
Don’t worry – it’s only three days. I’m not that crazy. I solemnly swear I won’t whine, complain, or list off the types of food I’d rather be eating in alphabetical order (animal crackers, bruschetta, cashews, donuts….). I’m going to take this juice cleanse like a man. I bought a three day package from Peeled, a Chicago-based juice bar located in Lincoln Park. Six juices a day for three days, totaling eighteen bottles of juice over the course of three days. No caffeine (kill me), no food (KILL ME), and no alcohol (I’ll survive). I’m allowed green tea, which I’ve never been the biggest fan of. But to be honest that’s probably because when it’s a choice between coffee and green tea it’s not even a competition. Today, Tomorrow and Thursday are the big days! Just in time for date night. So without further ado, let’s get a closer look at the six daily drinks I’ll be guzzling:
Drink 1 Green Lantern: Cold pressed and chock full of chlorophyll rich kale, romaine lettuce and spinach, iron-packed parsley, alkalizing celery and lemon, immune-boosting ginger, vitamin C rich cucumber and naturally sweet apple, this is the most essential drink of the cleanse program. Green Lantern is a liquid multi-vitamin with the combined nutrienst of 5 servings of raw, nutrient-rich vegetables.
Drink 2 Haute Lemonade: The alkalization continues with spicy Haute Lemonade. It’s naturally sweetened with agave nectar and organic Grade A maple syrup. Lemons diminish the oxidative effects of nasty free radicals, and this tangy blend not only fires up the metabolism, it cleanses the intestinal walls of the digestive tract.
Drink 3 Maroon Five: Beet, carrot, apple, lemon, and ginger move quickly through your bloodstream, liver and kidneys for continued detoxification
Drink 4 Green Lantern: This is your body’s opportunity to absorb the greatest quantity of nutrients. The further we cleanse, the more easily the vitamins from whole foods infiltrate our system.
Drink 5 Maroon Five: Water-soluble vitamin C continues to neutralize free radicals in the blood, kidneys and liver.
Drink 6 Cashew Dream: At the end of the day, your body’s energy is in its most natural state. This deceptively decadent cashew milk is the perfect nightcap to a day of healthy drinking.
So what’s the point? Let’s get a few things straight.
Why I’m Doing a Juice Cleanse
Not to lose weight. Not because I think it will detox my body of all my “toxins.” Not because it’s May and I still feel like I have that extra layer of love all over my body. So why am I doing it?
- To give my body a break. Do you realize how hard your body works to digest food? And not that it’s a bad thing, I mean, that’s its job, right? But I want to give my digestive system a break and see how it feels.
- Because I’m curious, alright?
- Groupon.
- Because my life revolves around food. And while that’s not necessarily bad, I wonder what my life will be like when I’m not planning meals, prepping food, snacking and eating. And dreaming about eating. Food is the center of my life, and it will be a nice break to have six “meals” ready for me every day.
- Because I love fruits and veggies. So why not?
What do I want to get out of this?
- Eat slower and with more purpose. I’ve been eating WAY too fast lately, to the point where I have indigestion after almost every meal. That’s not okay.
- Discipline. I want to finish something I start.
- Focus on things other than food for a few days.
- “Start Over”. I know what clean eating is. I used to be MUCH better at it. It sounds like a lame excuse but these past few months have been rough. Between the weather and the stress of having two jobs (one being an unpaid internship) for almost a year I’m lucky I didn’t gain twenty pounds. But I definitely feel heavy, clunky, puffy. It’s time to start over. Spring cleaning, if you will.
Questions:
- Ever done a juice cleanse? Any advice for me?
- Would you ever go on a juice cleanse?
i had a big lunch 
LET’S NOT. This would make me an insufferable person. I’ve done a juice cleanse before. It’s called colonoscopy prep. Not a great look on me 😉 But I admire your dedication and determination, I am simply not strong enough….Good luck!
I definitely feel like I’m prepping for a colonoscopy right now…..lol tmi?
With me? Never
Love beets in juice form!
That one’s up next! Fingers crossed I’ll love it too!
haven’t done one but def would. good luck!
Thanks! Halfway through day one and pushing through…it’s definitely not a picnic (no pun intended)
I don’t know if I could do it but those juices do sound delicious! At least it is only 2 days but I bet you will find out so much more about you and your body for doing it – good luck! Look forward to seeing how it goes!
We’ll see if I make it more than a day 😉
Oh cool, I’d definitely go on a juice cleanse!! I’ve heard it’s great to do!! I haven’t tried it yet, though!! Excited to hear about your experience!! The juices sound really yummy!!! XOXO! Have a great Tuesday!
I was really happy that I found a deal on Groupon! Keep your eyes peeled for deals like that because it makes much more affordable.
Oh yes, SO true!!! Thanks!!!
Eeesh, I don’t think I could ever do a juice cleanse. I like eating my food way too much haha. But good luck to you! If nothing else, at least you’ll be able to say you’ve done it and see what its effects are on you.
Yeah I just keep looking to the future when it’s all over lol. I miss food and it’s been less than a day!
I like that you’ve got solid reasons for wanting to do the cleanse and solid NON reasons why you’re doing it.
I did one here (our place is also called Peel’d! They’re too cool for the 3rd E though, haha) and I really liked it because you get 2 juices and a smoothie every day, but you can eat as many fruits and veggies as you want. That being said, I was still pretty hungry. But I liked that I was still allowed to eat!
I’m jealous you got a smoothie AND permission to eat fruits and veggies! I might have to make my own rules and eat some veggies later. How many days was yours?
It was 3 days, but the normal program is 5 days. One week per month they throw in a daily soup as well. Pretty friggin sweet! It was interesting what a big difference I felt just cutting out caffeine/alcohol/gluten/dairy.
I admire you for doing a juice cleanse! I tried too last year after I bought a juicer and was having digestive issues but I couldn’t even make it one day. I last until 5pm but I felt so weak and dizzy I couldn’t take it so I just listened to my body and ate dinner. So sadly no advice if it works out for you I would love some advice! I would love to actually complete one and give my tummy a break!
Yeah I 99% sure some carrots or something are gonna happen at some point today this is crazy! haha
I have absolutely NO self control otherwise I’d be all over this juice cleanse thing!!! Maybe someday…. I feel like I would try it but fail miserably haha. I would also become a raging B I get so cranky when hungry. Good luck, love!!!!
Lol thanks. I’ll write the update soon but long story short CRANKY is right!
i did a 3 day juice cleanse last year –i didn’t like it! there was sooo much sugar in the some of the juices that it really made me sick to my stomach (so much fruit so little time) I ended up buying a juicer so i could make green juice so it wouldn’t be as sweet! now I just replace meals here and there with juice. be sure to tell us how it goes for you! good luck!
Where did you get yours from? This one had NO sugar. It was VERY veggie-heavy. I really need to invest in a juicer!
I ordered through BluePrint. They were super tasty but too much fruit! I think it was meant more for people who don’t eat healthy foods so they were trying to trick them into liking it. I was looking for more greens!
I hope you are still alive when you read this. You will have to keep us posted on how this goes! I have always been kind of interested in this, even though the likelihood (sp?) of me wimping out is extremely high. Way to go!
Hahaha alive and well! I’ll write a recap asap. It was “interesting” to say the least 😉
Haha no thanks. Juice cleanse is not in the cards for me, but since yours is only three days, that’s totally safe, and I am interested in hearing the results of yours!
Three days was two days too long. Recap to come 🙂
I totally wouldn’t blame you if you did start a list of all the foods you’d rather be eating – it’s totally something I would do! Good luck on the cleanse – you’re a stronger woman than I am for doing it! I would turn into a raging b&$#* in about 2.5 seconds! Ha!
I literally had dreams that I was on Chopped so I woke up even hungrier. Not to mention the countless daydreams of Chipotle…
I would totally do a juice cleanse. I eat really clean (aside from some of my treats) but I think this would be awesome.
You’re a rockstar. I can totally see you loving the cleanse I did. I’m going to recap soon but let’s just say the three day cleanse was two days too many haha.