After nearly 2 weeks of eating out, eating on the road, and/or eating crappy hospital cafeteria food... I was feeling, well, crappy. I was sluggish. My head hurt. And my GI tract was staging some kind of revolt. I've been eating pretty well since early February, so if nothing else, this was proof that my body actually liked it! But I needed to do something to get myself back on track. I needed a reset of sorts. I needed to purge out all the nastiness and restore the natural organ systems and functions that the human body is already equipped with when it isn't overloaded with junk and stress. So I decided it was time for a detox. I prefer the word "detox" over "cleanse" but you can call it whatever you want.
There are plenty of commercial plans and systems out there, numerous websites and books, countless opinions and so-called expert advice about how and where and when to do this kind of thing. Frankly, a lot of it seems kind of sketchy to me. I find it hard to believe that switching to a liquid diet or cutting out entire food groups for several days to a week at a time is truly healthy. I'm aware that there are special situations in which such extreme measures might be necessary, and in those cases, I think it's especially important to be under the care of a health or nutrition professional. But that's not me, and I was not interested in anything extreme. So I went with something that I was comfortable with and thought I could handle: a modified 24-hour juice detox.
We have a juicer (that my husband bought off an infomercial) and we go through various phases of using it. It actually works quite well and is relatively easy to use, so I'd like to get back in the habit of using it more consistently. Nathan doesn't really drink juice, but you can use it to make homemade popsicles, which I am hoping will be a big hit over the summer. Anyway, because we have the juicer we also have a couple of recipe/idea books, one of which includes sample plans for a 24-hour juice detox. I chose recipes from this book and then modified them a bit. Mainly, I tried to incorporate more protein and some healthy fat into the day but adding things like Greek yogurt and some avocado. I also allowed myself some hard boiled eggs (NOT mixed into the juices). I just felt like it was important to have something to balance out the natural sugars in the fruit. I scheduled my detox for a day that I was working from home (it would NOT have been practical for me to do this at work). I did still have coffee before getting started, but I limited myself to just 2 cups (you aren't supposed to have any caffeine, but I refuse to give that up completely!). Nathan was with me in the morning and evening, but went to daycare during the day. Paul was also on shift all day, so it was nice to have the house to myself and not be tempted by anyone else's food! Here's how my day looked:
Breakfast
I chose a citrus blend (oranges, lemon, and lime) and blended the juice with some Greek yogurt to thicken it up, add a little protein, and fill me up more. It was thicker than regular juice, but not quite smoothie-level. The citrus made for a pretty tart but very refreshing taste, which definitely perked me up. Citrus juices provide vitamin C, as well as some of the nutrients needed to help absorb it. Furthermore, these juices are a great source of citric acid, which is great for pulling toxins out of the body.
Lunch
For lunch I went with a savory-herb tomato blend. The juice base was just tomatoes and then you mix in freshly chopped basil and parsley. I put the tomato juice in the blender and added 1/2 an avocado before stirring in the herbs, which made it a little thicker and quite filling. The book recommends adding a dash of Worcestershire, which I forgot to do, but it was fine without it too. Tomatoes are a great source of antioxidants; and the parsley also adds some nutrients, in particular iron. I also had a hard boiled egg for lunch, mashed up with some dill, paprika, and a dash of onion salt for flavor.
Dinner
I went with a mix of veggies and fruit for dinner: apples, green grapes, fresh ginger, and beetroot. This was the most fun to make and it smelled great (fresh ginger is potent!). It was actually pretty tasty too. Beets are really good for detoxing the kidneys (and have many other benefits). I'm not typically a big fan of them, but in juice form I don't mind. Grapes are a good source of vitamin E, which acts as an antioxidant. Apples have potassium, more vitamin C, and are also useful for lowering cholesterol. And of course ginger is great for settling the stomach. I also had more hard boiled egg with dinner, which helped fill me up more.
Nighttime Tea
My recipe book included herbal tea blends to make and drink before bed. I went with one that used lemon zest and mint leaves. This was probably my least favorite of the day - it just didn't have much flavor, and what flavor it did have was kind of bitter. Maybe I made it wrong? I drank it anyway, but I'd probably try a different one next time.
So now for the results...
Yesterday
I felt pretty good all day yesterday, and by early evening I could honestly say I felt fantastic. I had energy, but not the bounce-off-the-walls kind. It was more of an "absence of fatigue" kind of energy, sort of peaceful and calming actually. I was never really hungry except at lunch, but that may have been because I lost track of time and made my lunch juice kind of late. And who knows - I might have felt it more if I hadn't supplemented my juices with eggs and whatnot. My stomach definitely felt more settled than it has been, and I didn't miss the sluggish feeling that often comes from eating a heavy dinner.
Overnight
My juicing book suggested that drinking the right juices at dinner and before bed could help improve sleep. I've been sleeping pretty poorly lately, so I don't know if it was the detox or the relaxed evening (I skipped working out because they don't recommend it while on restricted calories, plus I took a nice bath and read a magazine), but either way I definitely slept great last night! I had no trouble falling asleep, and the only time I recall being awake was when my dog was snoring loudly :)
Today
I woke up feeling pretty good this morning too. I wasn't starving, by any means, but I was definitely ready to eat solid food again. The book cautions against extending the detox beyond 24 hours, so I was happy to comply and made myself a toasted mini bagel with whipped cream cheese and a spicy vegetarian sausage patty for breakfast. And yes, I had my coffee as well :) It's still early in the day, but I think I'm going to go ahead and call this experiment a success. It was fun and easy, and I really do feel pretty great. I definitely want to try doing more juicing on a daily basis - maybe even replace 1 meal or snack a day with juice. My recipe books also give suggestions for what to do with the pulp (both fruit and veggie types) so I will try to plan accordingly. I've already been mixing some into Nathan's yogurt for added fiber and I'm going to use the tomato pulp in a pasta recipe this weekend. I feel that I accomplished what I set out to do, which was to "reset" my body and it's natural detox systems.
And now... time to enjoy this holiday weekend! Well, after I get through the workday, that is...
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