Juice Life

Juicing has never been a part of my life.  I’ve never really owned, operated or seen a legitimate juicer.   With that said, I recently had the experience of taking part in TomGirl’s full-day juice cleanse, drinking only various types of juice for the day.  This is a synopsis of my experience.  

6am: Warm water with lemon

Appetite: Strong. I normally eat within the first few hours of waking up which means my appetite is in full swing during my morning routine.  While the lemon water helped, it didn’t recreate the feeling of a full breakfast. 

7am: Matcha tea

Appetite: Weak. After being up for an hour and mentally commiting to no food, my body seemed to adapt to the idea.  If anything, I felt energetic, strong and somewhat more focused than normal.   

8am: Healing Heart - cucumber, chard, collard greens, kale, apple, etc. 

Appetite: Gone. Something about this drink made eating seem completely unappetizing.  While my energy stayed fairly consistent, my interest in food felt like it was gone for good.  

10am: Greens and Ginger - more cucumber, chard, collard greens, kale, apple, ginger, etc.

Appetite: Still gone.  Juicing was starting to feel doable at this point as my energy levels were solid, appetite felt manageable and my focus was still above my normal levels at 10am.  So far, so good.  I did finish drinking my matcha tea at about this hour, leading to my caffeine intake halting for the day.   

12pm: Peruvian Ginger Maple Limeade 

Appetite: Back with a vengeance.  At this point, I felt ready to eat anything.  Once I allowed the idea of food back into my head, it felt like I had no other option than to stuff my face.  Drinking the juice at this hour was nice, as it had a little sweetness to it with the maple syrup.  I was simply praying the carbohydrates were going to keep me going.   

2pm: Carrot Apple Ginger

Appetite: Disappearing.  As I started to drink the carrot apple ginger juice, my appetite vanished, leaving me with some pretty solid energy (something that had been gone for awhile) along with a return of my morning focus.  It seemed that the maple syrup from the 12pm juice brought me back to life.  Us Vermonters can do anything with enough of that stuff.  

4pm: Beet Apple Lime & Cayenne 

Appetite: Gonzo.  After drinking the beet juice, my interest in food evaporated, leaving me with some pretty solid energy although more of the excited, jittery kind.  To be totally honest, the flavor didn’t do it for me either on this one but alas, we don’t do a juice cleanse for the flavor… do we? 

6pm: Almond Milk 

Appetite: Coming back.  This one tasted so good that it drove me to want more, making it a difficult drink to finish the day with.  The almond milk from TomGirl would definitely be my pre-bed drink of choice moving forward as it’s combination of sweetness and drinkability really hits the spot.  It would be far better following a nice hearty dinner but beggars can’t be choosers on juice cleanse day.  

All in all, the juice cleanse was challenging to adhere to, as it drove me to be at my hungriest at the end of the day but aside from that, I avoided any GI issues or fatigue that commonly come with juice cleanses.  Next stop.  Soup cleanse!