Many of you have probably heard about juice cleanses; for those of you who haven’t, here’s a little summary of what it is:
Essentially, you drink five raw fruit and vegetable juices and one nut milk for three days (or so) to cleanse your digestive tract. During the cleanse, you can eat fruits, vegetables or nuts to hydrate yourself. From what I’ve heard, you’ll feel like a blob of liquid by the end of the day from all the fluids you’re taking in.
After a little research, I decided to try out this new diet. It can’t be that bad, right?
Day 1:
I was feeling a little nervous — but mostly excited — about my new diet for the next three days. The first juice I had was full of yummy fruits and vegetables, such as pears, cucumbers and ginger. I was feeling pretty good about this whole juice thing until I got to the third or fourth juice of the day. Most of the juices tasted amazing, but some of them were so awful that I couldn’t even get myself to drink them. I felt a burst of energy for about 20 to 30 minutes after drinking each juice, but a roaring headache and a rumbling tummy always followed suit. I was hungry, tired, sluggish and distracted. After three juices and lots of water, I decided to drink the nut milk. The nut milk I got was made of cashews, dates and filtered water. Although it doesn’t sound too appetizing, it was so amazing to drink something that contained some fat after drinking strictly fruits and veggies all day. The nut milk filled me up for the most part and got me through my first night of the juice cleanse. Overall, the first day was definitely the hardest of them all because I completely changed my diet; my body was trying its hardest to get used to absorbing only raw juices.
Day 2:
I woke up feeling pretty good despite a little headache. I decided to start out my second day with my least favorite juice — just to get it out of the way. I packed up a couple of my juices for a busy day of classes, and I drank a juice before each of my classes. The juices helped me concentrate, and they got me through classes without creating a rumbling tummy. School, homework and club meetings kept me busy that day, so I didn’t have time to focus on my hunger; it made the day fly by! I also made sure to hydrate a lot throughout the day because I didn’t want to become dehydrated on a busy day like that. I was exhaused by the time I was done with classes. As usual, I saved the nut milk for last. At this point, I was counting down the hours until I could eat solid foods again! I was so excited; I was already planning out what my first meal would be. I was craving food so much that I realized depriving my body of whole foods wasn’t for me.
Day 3:
I woke up feeling rested and rejuvenated, and I was ready to get through my last day of juice cleanse. I had less of a headache, and I wasn’t extremely hungry throughout the day anymore. The exhaustion persisted, but my excitement for actual food overpowered my need for a nap. I soaked up as much of the last day of my juice cleanse as I could. Of course, I finished my day off with my favorite nut milk.
Three takeaways:
- You’ll have to pee so much because of how much liquid you are consuming! Be prepared.
- You’ll most likely be very tired and drained throughout the day because you’re taking in less calories than usual. It’s therefore important to get a lot of rest during your cleanse (I took two naps on day one). Maybe even consider taking a break from working out.
- If you do plan on doing a juice cleanse, be sure to prepare your body. Cut out junk foods, and eat mostly fruits, vegetables and nuts a couple days prior to the cleanse.
Overall, the juice cleanse was a memorable experience that affected my body in both good and bad ways! I enjoyed the experience, but I wouldn’t consider doing it again because I felt that it had no long term effects on my body or lifestyle. If you’re about trying out new diets, go for it! But always be sure to do your research first and make sure it’s right fit for you!