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?