What do you think of when you hear the phrase “on the juice?” If you’re like me, you’re probably picturing a professional baseball or football player with muscles the size of cantaloupes protruding from his arms, a neck that appears to have bloomed a small head on top, and thighs the size of telephone polls. I know, I know, not all professional athletes are juiced, but come on, you really think we believe your pecs got that big from bench-pressing alone?
Well, I’m pretty proud to say I went on the juice. Yep, three solid days of it. I’m not going to say it was easy, but I completed it and lived to tell about it, pretty much my motto for anything I do in life. I finished my first juicing cleanse yesterday. My motivation, you ask? To reintroduce healthy eating back into my life, to jump start my taste buds for anything and everything leafy, and let’s face it, to shed a few pounds. Since our move to Portland, my husband and I have tried as many restaurants as possible, eating out at least once a day. The variety of cuisine here is indescribable. With new eateries popping up each and every day, chefs have to add their unique flavor to even the most tried and true dishes. I have been in food heaven, which has wreaked hell upon my body!
Up until this point, I have been a very strict eater. I eat my fruit and nonfat Greek yogurt for breakfast every morning, raw almonds or an apple as a morning snack, protein shake for lunch, another handful of almonds or fruit for my pm snack, and a healthy dinner which always begins with a nice hearty salad. I ALWAYS have at least once glass of red wine (usually 2) and I stay away from processed foods, most red meats, and fatty foods at all costs. And, I don’t care for sweets, especially chocolate. The smell of it makes me gag! People often ask me, “How do you have such discipline?” For me, it’s easy. Food is an event to me. It’s not just about what I’m eating, it’s about whom I get to share it with and having the time to enjoy it. It’s not too much fun to eat gourmet sashimi in 15 minutes while elbow to elbow with 6 women talking about how many kids they sent home throwing up today, especially when the smell of cafeteria-style overcooked broccoli lingers through the air. (I’m a teacher, btw.)
In the nearly 3 months since I’ve moved, I’ve let go of the reigns and given myself a food freedom I’ve never allowed myself to before. I’ll admit, I even had buffalo wings at Gritty’s a few weeks ago, and they were incredible! The time had come, however, to tighten up my belt and clean my body so that I can be in tip-top shape for the herd of children I’ll be raising for the next nine months, therefore, cleanse time!
I chose to use the juice recipes made on the documentary “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead.” The idea for me was not to starve my body in hopes of achieving that Hillary Swank body we all desire (yeah, that’s sarcasm, folks). I wanted to make sure my body was getting an overload of vitamins and nutrients, something it had not received as much of lately. For three days, I drank 5 specially concocted juices, one each for breakfast, morning snack, lunch, pm snack, and before dinner, which consisted of, you guessed it, more fruits and vegetables. Day 1 was pretty difficult as I found myself full quickly and had a hard time getting all the juices in for the first day. I was too full to even eat dinner that night. Day 2 was the hardest as I worked in my classroom all day, exerting more energy than I had thought I would. The fullness of the juices ran thru me quickly and I found myself starving by the time I got home. Dinner that evening was a huge spring mix salad with lots of tomatoes and onions, no salt, pepper, or dressing and watermelon for dessert. Day 3 was the easiest, by far and I enjoyed roasted brussel sprouts, purple potatoes, garlic cloves, and red peppers, again, no salt, pepper, or olive oil.
The most difficult part of the whole process was the actual juicing. The first day, I spent at least 6 hours focused on this task between shopping for the ridiculous amount of produce it required and juicing them all. Though it wasn’t the easiest on the bank account, I would much rather have spent the money on this task than any kind of medical procedure, which could have been warranted upon continuation of this eating spree.
Today, I begin eating normal again, though with one small change, I have decided to give up red meat. It’s something I’ve milled over for quite some time now and after much research, I find it’s a great decision for me. While I am a huge advocate for animals, I’ll be honest and say it’s not because of the cruel ways animals are treated before they are slaughtered and consumed. I’m very in-tune with my body and have discovered that red meat makes me feel awful after I eat it. Why consume something that makes you feel bloated, sluggish, and slightly ill? I’m just one step closer to becoming meat free, Ashley! Soon, I’ll be calling you for vegetarian recipes.
You can find this cleanse by clicking on Joe Cross’ 3-Day Weekend Juice. Below is a breakdown of the produce I consumed in 3 days time.
12 carrots, 12 apples, 6 Golden Delicious apples, a huge ginger root, 9 cucumbers, 18 stalks of celery, 9 bunches of kale, 2 lemons, 3 limes, 12 plum tomatoes, 6 red bell peppers, 1 red onion, 6 cups of parsley, 3 sweet potatoes, 6 beets, 3 bunches of Swiss Chard, and 18 clementines, and this doesn’t include my dinners.
According to Holly 