So, I did a juice cleanse

It’s review time!

 So, I did a juice cleanse.

 I have heard so much about juice cleanses – how amazing they are and then some talk about how horrible they are.  If you know me, you know I had to find out for myself.  I can never just take someone’s word for it.  So I did some research to find a local Juicer – I wanted my first juice cleanse to be excuse free, so I wanted someone else to do the juicing.  I came across Total Cleanse out of Toronto and they had a 14% off New Year deal so I jumped at the opportunity. 

I am going to review the experience as well as a quick review of Total Cleanse.

Juicing Experience:

I ordered the following juices for 5 days – Green Energy, Very Berry, Red Energy, & Lemon Rush.

Green Energy - Includes: Fresh cucumber, celery, kale, lettuces, parsley, lemon, apple, romaine lettuce

Very Berry - Includes: Strawberry, pineapple, blueberry, apple, lemon

Red Energy - Includes: Beet, carrot, cucumber, apple, lemon, ginger

Lemon Rush - Includes: Lemon, cayenne, maple syrup, filtered water

The juices were pretty tasty, but I have definitely created better juices at home.  The Green Energy was very green.  For me it was just too much – I would’ve really appreciated more apple and less cucumber.  The Very Berry was FANTASTIC!  It tasted like pink Starburst.  However, after day 2 – it became WAY too sweet!  Red Energy was pretty hard to get through – the beets tasted like dirt.  Ick!  Finally, the Lemon Rush was very refreshing but way too spicy.  I really enjoyed the maple syrup – it was a really nice aftertaste. 

Day One – I was very excited to get started.  Green Energy #1 – down the hatch!  Lemon Rush #1 – OMG SPICY!  Very Berry – Delicious!  Lemon Rush #2 – Still REALLY spicy!  Green Energy #2 – I miss hot food…

When I started the day I was very excited to do this!  Totally pumped and ready to go!  By the end of the day the withdrawal symptoms began to set in and it was horrible.  I don’t mean “wahhh I want chocolate…”  It was BAD!  I had a nasty headache, bad mood, intense cravings for anything and everything, and I wanted to give up.  I knew that it was going to be hard but I had no idea I would go through sugar withdrawals.  I had the sweats and I looked like I belonged in a detox room at rehab next to Lindsay Lohan.  I pushed through and made it to day two.

Day Two – Ugh.  I am the type of person who loves (temperature) hot food.  I hate cold food.  So waking up to a cold glass of grass juice was not my idea of fun, but I had a goal and I was determined not to give up.  I powered down my first juice and made it through to the third juice, Very Berry.  After that one, I just didn’t want to eat/drink at all.  It wasn’t fun and exciting and I didn’t feel like the benefits would outweigh the challenges.  I kept pushing through!

Day Three – Meh.  I didn’t really want to juice, so I just didn’t eat or drink anything.  I had a few sips here and there.  That was it.  It immediately brought back those familiar demons… “Don’t eat food, it will make you fat”, “As soon as you start eating again you are going to gain 50 lbs… better get used to feeling hungry”… Thankfully I was able to recognize that slippery slope and I cut the cleanse off after that.  Saturday morning I woke up and had breakfast – real, hot, delicious healthy food :)

Now – I know that all sounds really negative… but I did learn/experience a few things that made it worth it for me.

1)      Foods that my body doesn’t respond well to

a.       Gluten sucks.  That is all.

 

 

b.      Dairy – we aren’t full out enemies, but I really dislike you.

c.       Sugar – It’s over!  I’m sorry, it’s not me.  It’s you.

2)      Mental Strength

a.       Even though I wanted to throw in the towel, I kept pushing and I showed myself that I can take myself as far as I want to!

b.      On the flip side, I also recognized that I can stop myself from going down a slippery slope.  I don’t need to give in to those food issues – I am stronger than that.

3)      10 pounds GONE!

a.       I thought for sure this would come back as soon as I started eating solid food again, but I have managed to keep it off!  It’s a pretty sweet way to end a pretty tough challenge!

 

Days After the Cleanse – Pumped.  I’m glad that I did the cleanse but I don’t think I would recommend it.  It is almost more of a mental challenge than physical and I don’t think it is a healthy choice for women who are on their journey to a healthier body.  I DO, however, highly recommend including juicing into your everyday lifestyle.  Juicing (or making smoothies) is a fantastic way to get in a lot of nutrients that can be a bit of a challenge to do when eating them whole.  Plus I love having juice with my breakfast and I can do it guilt-free when I make it all myself.  I don’t have to worry about added sugars and/or concentrated juices from the grocery store.  I know exactly what is going into my juice :)

Total Cleanse:

I wasn’t blown away by Total Cleanse.  Without getting into all of the nit-picky details, I would suggest looking into all of your options (if you are interested in trying a cleanse) and asking a lot of questions.  Make your own informed decisions :)

Bottom Line:

I would not recommend a juice-only cleanse, but I would recommend including juicing/smoothies into your daily routine!

What the Heck is Gluten and Why Did I Go Gluten Free?

Definition of Gluten:

“In the simplest terms, what is gluten? Gluten is a protein composite, meaning it is a substance made up of several different proteins, in wheat and related grains in the triticeae family of grassy grains or cereal grains. These grains include barley, bulgur wheat, durum, einkorn, farro, graham, kamut, rye, semolina, spelt, triticale and wheat.” (http://gluten-intolerance-symptoms.com/what-is-gluten/)

I think this website does a pretty good job of explaining gluten, so check it out if you have any additional questions.

My reason for going Gluten Free (hereafter referred to as GF) was to jumpstart weight loss, initially.  Bread, pasta, and all things carb-a-licious aren’t good for you anyway so I thought I would cut those out of the running and eat things that were better for me.  I was shocked at how quickly I felt the difference.  The first difference I experienced was the lack of bloating and gassiness.  Not a fun topic, but it is the truth.  I hadn’t realized how bloated I had felt, until I didn’t feel it anymore.  Another positive change was my energy levels.  I didn’t feel bogged down or sluggish anymore; I felt energetic!  I wake up before my alarm clock 95% of the time now.  In addition to these great things, I’m also steadily losing the pounds!

I started looking into where gluten can be found and I was shocked to say the least.  Did you know you can find gluten in:

-        Stamps

-        Envelopes

-        Sunscreen

-        Shampoo

-        Medicine

-        Toothpaste

-        Lotions

-        Makeup

Gluten is everywhere!  So if you are in fact sensitive to gluten or have Celiac Disease, you need to be very careful!

I stuck with my GF Diet because eating any gluten now makes me very ill and it’s just not worth it!  There are so many GF versions of everyone’s favourite foods, there is no reason to sabotage your body if gluten isn’t your friend.  GF pizza from Boston Pizza is absolutely delicious and rice pasta or corn pasta is fantastic!  You will not run out of delicious things to eat, I promise!  You just have to be more diligent about reading labels and asking questions!  The extra effort is well worth it :)

I am not promoting a GF lifestyle; I am not a professional so I do not want to promote anything I am not educated to.  However, I am just sharing my experience.  I would suggest that if you are interested in changing your diet, you look at Canada's Food Guide and make sure you are eating a well balanced diet!  You can dowload a copy of the Food Guide here. 

If you are considering going GF I highly recommend that you speak with your doctor and/or nutritionist first.  It is not healthy or practical to make a dramatic change to your body without consulting a professional first.  If you Google the symptoms of Celiac Disease or Gluten Sensitivity and you believe you might have the disease or sensitivity, please contact your doctor immediately and request a blood test.  This is not covered by OHIP if you live in Ontario, you will have to pay for the cost of the test.  But it is better to find out early, rather than increase the risk of damage to your body.

I hope you enjoyed this post and I will talk to you all very soon!

K