As I mentioned yesterday, I'm doing a raw food and juice cleanse this week. (And somehow I managed to convince Chris to do it with me--yes, the guy who stashes Pop Tarts in his desk drawers has agreed to raw food and juice for a week and a half.) So why a cleanse?
1. I wanted to see if I could do it. A few months ago, I read an article in Harper's called Starving Your Way to Vigor, which piqued my interest in fasting. I didn't think I could go without eating anything (and I definitely didn't think I could last more than a few days), so juice and raw food seemed like a more moderate approach that I could tackle.
2. I needed a break. I love food and eating; that's why I have a food blog. But now food is my job. My days are planned around my meals and food sometimes feels like work.
3. I'm trying to eat better and I've heard these cleanses help people kick bad food habits. I believe in moderation, but I think maybe I have a little too much moderation in my diet. Is small piece of organic candy or an all-natural cookie made with whole grains after dinner a bad thing? Nope. But just because something isn't necessarily unhealthy, doesn't make it healthy. I know better than to treat natural and organic food as health food and I don't, but I still use those labels to justify an indulgence that I don't always need.
4. I'm hoping that the cleanse will help my eczema. I get it on my hands and at times, it's difficult for me to cook and type without pain. (Cooking and typing are pretty important when you're a food blogger!) And yes, I would love to lose a little weight on the fast too, but I'm not holding my breath on that one.
After reading posts about raw food and juice cleanses on Spabettie and Averie Cooks, I decided to stop thinking about doing a cleanse and just do it. Because really, what's the worst that could happen? If I got so hungry that it completely enfeebled me and I had no energy to function, I could just eat!
So I formulated my plan: 3 days of raw food, followed by 3 days of juice, followed by another 3 days of raw food. Since raw cooking requires a lot of special ingredients and equipment (and this was supposed to be a break for me, remember?), we ordered a few meals, snacks, and desserts from Triangle Raw Foods. (Post-juice cleanse, I'll be making my own raw foods--I have a feeling they won't be nearly as tasty.)
And then because I didn't want to do juicing for two people six times a day (and because Averie recommended them in her juice cleanse post), I ordered the juice from Urban Remedy.
The first three days of raw eating were a breeze. We had raw Pad Thai, raw tacos, the tastiest kale salad ever, and I tried jicama for the first time. I have a weird thing about crunchy textures, so the jury's still out on that one. But my favorite part were the desserts. Of course!
Every weekend, I let myself get a treat of some sort--a brownie, a slice of cake, a chocolate bar, whatever.
And then I feel sick after eating it. I didn't feel sick after eating raw desserts; I felt good and energized, not stuffed and sluggish. Raw desserts? Totally doable.
And then it was onto the juice fast! Which I am almost in the middle of right now. Coming off of the raw food days, I figured that the juice would be almost as easy, but I find myself thinking about food. A lot.
Working on blog stuff has been pretty much unbearable (because: FOOOOD!), so I've been taking some time off from it and reading books, celebrity gossip, and anything else that I think will distract me.
I figured Chris would be the one who'd crack, but he's feeling wonderful and I just want to order a pizza. Oddly, I feel so full I could burst (I'm pretty sure if I were to jump up and down, my stomach would sound like a water balloon), but still incredibly hungry.
We decided to go with the intermediate level cleanse, which might have been a mistake since I suspect the beginner cleanse might be a little bit less healthy tasting.
Because these juices taste really healthy. I'm used to drinking juices with more fruit than veggies in them, so these are taking some getting used to.
I'll post about the last half of the cleanse and my overall thoughts about the whole process next Tuesday. Wish me luck!
JulieD says
Can't wait to hear your overall impression...I could NOT do it. I have to eat and my blood sugar gets tooo low and I get shaky, when I fast for blood tests in the mornings, it can get way bad. I think it's kinda funny that Chris is doing great and it was your idea!
Kiersten says
Well, you still get a fairly reasonable amount of calories on the juice fasts, so I actually didn't feel shaky or anything. That surprised me!
Puja @ Indiaphile.info says
Oh Wow! I've been wanting to try a raw diet/cleanse for a while now, but haven't because I don't think I'd last very long. I love to eat! Your post is giving me courage.
I'd get to eat raw desserts? That actually sounds delicious!
Can't wait to read more on this. 🙂
Kiersten says
I found that the raw cleanse was pretty easy. I got to eat a variety of foods and the desserts gave me something to look forward to. 🙂 Even if they were all made with some combination of nuts, dates, and fruit, they tasted amazing to me!
Anne says
I tried a juice cleanse about a year ago, but I only lasted 2 days. I just missed eating too much.
Kiersten says
You lasted longer than I did! 🙂
ashley - baker by nature says
I've been thinking about doing a raw food cleanse for a while now. I know juicing alone would never work (I am a super crank when I'm not fed), but raw foods I think I could swing for a few days. Great inspiration reading this!
Kiersten says
Definitely give the raw foods cleanse a try! I loved it and felt so good. It really changed my outlook about what I eat.
[email protected]'s Recipes says
Have a stomach problem, can't live just with juice...it didn't kill me, but I suffered..I guess it's not for everybody. Good luck!
Kiersten says
No, it's not for everybody--that's for sure! I quit on the second day.
Crystal says
We followed a 3 day cleanse in late January, found the idea here: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-7519/your-3-day-winter-detox.html
It was nice because it was clean eating, but still really filling. We learned after day 1 that plain, steamed tofu wasn't a good fit for us so we compromised with half tofu & half tahini dressing- it really helped to up the tastiness. :)Afterwards, we felt pretty good & we still enjoy fresh juices, although we're hoping to start including them more regularly. We'll do it again soon (we're aiming for 4 times a year).
Good luck with your journey!
Kiersten says
Oh, I couldn't do plain tofu either! But adding tahini sounds delicious. 🙂 I don't think I'll be attempting a juice cleanse again, but raw and whole foods are definitely more doable. Thanks for the link!
morningwithoats says
i just came across your blog and I love it! can't wait for your end results! 🙂
Kiersten says
Thank you! 🙂 I will be posting more about the cleanse tomorrow!
Mum's the word says
I've been wating to do this for a long time!!
Natalie says
I don't think I could ever have the will power to get trough something like this but I've always wondered what sort of effects it has on the body and whether it's worth it.. Good for you for trying to find out and also for ordering food - no sense making it harder on yourself than it already is!
Kiersten says
My husband loved it, but I don't think I'll be doing a juice cleanse again anytime soon. 🙂
Kerry Scherer says
I successfully finished a 10 day all juice cleanse in February that was really awesome - the first 3 or 4 days were pretty hard because I am a coffee drinker and I didn't drink any coffee. The toxins stored in fat are released into your blood stream as you detox, which is why you get headaches and achiness, but after 5 days that trails off. I ended up losing 18 pounds and have gained about 1/3 of that back once I started eating again. I know that the idea of not eating that long sounds crazy, but the type of hunger you feel is different - your body gets used to it pretty quickly, and I work at a bar and had to be around burgers and wings and fries the whole time! Give it a shot, and good luck!
Kiersten says
I ended up quitting because I got physically ill from it. Like, I could handle (and expected) headaches, but I was throwing up pretty much non-stop the entire morning on the second day. Not sure what happened, because my husband felt amazing. I guess something in those juices just did not agree with me. It sounds like your results were awesome, though!
Sandy says
Could have been toxins being purged that made you sick.there is always a period of time you feel crappy during a cleanse. The build up of proccessed sugars, oils, and all the chemicals gotta come out some how. That's why many don't do them. Once you get past that, you feel lighter and more energetic I think 🙂
Kiersten says
There was no way I'd continue a cleanse when it was making me throw up like that--that's not normal. I eat clean, so it's not like I went from burgers and fries to doing a juice cleanse. Something about it didn't agree with me.
Letitia Elizabeth @ Lillie Magazine says
Oh woo hoo!! Join the club. I did a raw cleanse last year, and doing just regular whole foods detox as we speak. Did a post about it too. Let's keep tabs! 😉
Kiersten says
I loved doing the raw food cleanse--I am definitely incorporating more of them into my diet now!
Kathy says
I would love to do this, but I am not sure I have the willpower!
Kiersten says
The juices make you feel really full, so you're not hungry, but you do still crave food. It's very odd!
Sandy says
Craving is the addiction to certain additives, sugar is like cocain, no joke. It's in everything. The same with dairy, addictive. That's why baby cows always come back for more 😉 will power, support groups and finding alternative ways to create your favorite comfort foods are key! 🙂
Kiersten says
I was craving solid food--not sugar or dairy.
debra pearlstein says
I'm interested to read the rest. I have tried different cleanses and fasts. Just juice was really hard - especially veggie juices :/
Kiersten says
Yeah, I've discovered that apparently I don't like vegetable juices. Which is weird because I put veggies in smoothies!
Sandy says
The key to juicing it to figure out the right combo & quantity, I juice carrots and apples together. Also watermelon and mint. I'm still figuring out what to peel and only use tiny amounts of ginger, learned that one the hard way. 🙂
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says
I need to do a cleanse as well -- excited to read more about your experiment 🙂
Kiersten says
I'm posting about it tomorrow. It did not go well!
shelly (cookies and cups) says
Can't wait to hear how you did on the juice..
I need to try a raw dessert! Does that mean like instant pudding? I kid, I kid.
Kiersten says
I failed. Failed, failed, failed. My husband felt amazing and invigorated, and I spent the morning throwing up.
Dianna says
I have been thinking about a juice cleanse, but I cannot do all that juicing myself. I will look into Urban Remedy.
Kiersten says
My husband loved it, but I got really sick. I'm posting about it tomorrow, so you might want to read that before you decide. 😉
Stephanie @ henry happened says
You are such a trooper Kiersten! And I love your "tasting healthy" euphemism, haha. We started getting fresh juices a couple of months ago and I've thrown in the towel. Tastes way too healthy for me. Can't wait to hear how it all turns out.
Kiersten says
I quit. Apparently my body rejects healthy juices. 🙂
Alanna @ One Tough Cookie says
Oh my goodness, you're so brave! I've become a little overly addicted to desserts (haha, as you mentioned, there's maybe been too much of the 'if it's made with spelt flour, it doesn't count!' mentality going on lately). Maybe I'll give this a try! Can't wait to hear how it works out!
Kiersten says
Oh, I know. "Well, sure, this brownie isn't the best thing I could be eating, but I made it with applesauce, so it's not the worst either!" I'm trying to get out of that. 🙂 I liked the raw eating part of the cleanse, but I got super sick on the juice part.
janet @ the taste space says
Can't wait to see how you enjoyed all the raw foods. I don't think I could go all raw for that long... and definitely not that many days of juice alone!
Kiersten says
The raw food was awesome and very easy. Much easier than I thought it would be! But the juice, I ended up quitting.
Kelly @ A Girl Worth Saving says
Good luck! Years ago, I did a summer raw vegan and I lost a ton of weight. I gained it back lol - then lost it again being Paleo but it was fantastic. I stopped because it was too much sugar for me though. Oh wait, I just saw it made you sick! Yikes! Maybe just do one?
Kiersten says
Yes, it made me crazy sick. I FELT sick the entire first day, and then I actually GOT sick the second day. Chris felt awesome and lost over 10 pounds though. :/
Amanda says
Curious to see how it goes!
Tamar Genger says
I commend you for trying and writing about this, I recently did something similar and my husband found it much easier than me too, it must be a guy thing. I didn't get sick though, but I did find the juices too sweet so we made raw pureed soups for dinner and I enjoyed that more, but really only lasted 2 days on that alone, then I added salads, I need to chew. Then went back to normal, but it did help me lose a few pounds I gained over a holiday and get me back on track. I also just started incorporating some raw recipes and I love them.
Kiersten says
I've heard from quite a few people saying they did cleanses with their husbands and their husbands did much better than they did! Isn't that funny? I've been eating a lot of raw foods this week and feeling great--I'm definitely glad I got that out of this experience!
Kelly @ Texas Type A Mom says
I already told you this but my husband managed this for 10 days. TEN! And that's with making his own juices and us eating regular dinners. I didn't try tempting him with anything and tried to be as supportive as possible but I don't know if I could do one day let alone 10. I have to eat. I think the action of chewing must have some soothing effect on women, that and my low blood sugar would never mix with juicing long term. That dessert looks pretty awesome though - i think that's something you need to recreate!
Kiersten says
When I decided I was done with the cleanse and started eating again, Chris wasn't even tempted either. I thought for sure when he saw me eating, he'd want to eat too, but nope.
Liz says
This all looks amazing! Sorry if I missed the answer in an earlier comment but do you have a link to the recipe for the raw Pad Thai? I really want to try making it!
Kiersten says
Sorry, it's not a recipe--I bought the Pad Thai from a local raw food truck. 🙂