Juice Cleanse Diary

Back in the 80’s when my dad was a full flying, surfy, veggie eating hippy, he completed many juice detoxes. His lasting for up to six days. There was no luxury of pre-packaged juices and flavoursome soups. Just a good old fashion juicer and some fresh fruit and veg from the garden. To this day he will rave about how great it made him feel. From having clear skin & eyes, bounds of energy, and a strong immune system - the long-term effects of his constant practice went on for years. Therefore for a long time I’ve been wanting to attempt a juice cleanse. During my three day Karmic Juice Cleanse (Skin & Immunity) detox I had five juices and three soups a day. Although having the luxuries of pre-packaged juices, it was still no easy ride!

Day 1

I was feeling as per normal for the first half of the day. My body was still probably burning up the huge meal I had eaten the night before in preparation.. ha ha! I caught myself mindlessly opening the fridge looking for food, regardless of the fact I wasn't hungry. When I realised that I couldn't eat anything in front of me, I had a big wake up call - showing me how unconsciously dependant I am on food.

At about 3pm exhaustion struck and by 4:30 when I was home, I collapsed on the couch in a tired heap. I slept for two hours, not even waking up when people came home. When I finally arose, I had one more juice, followed by bone broth and…desert!!! Which consisted of an almond milk & bee pollen drink… Which I would soon learn would be the highlight of my days. Heading back to sleep at 9:30pm, I slept solidly until 6:30am the following morning - wow my body must have needed to rest!

Day 2

Day two was a busy day at work and thank god for that. I was worried that I would suffer detox symptoms such as lethargy and headaches, but I managed to push through the whole day. Lucky I had had a big rest the day before. My brain, however, defintey felt like mush. The distraction of working hard was probably vital for me to get through this day, as by the time I got home I was incredible ‘hangry.’ Not only complaining about missing food, I felt emotionally strained, feeling agitated and grumpy. I was no fun to be around!

Day 3

Almost there…! I got up. My energy levels were high all day. My eyes were bright and white. And, my thoughts of food were clearly fading away. I had juice #1 as I woke up and didn't end up having another until about 11:30am. My body was starting to let go of it’s food cravings. By the end of the day there’s not doubt I still missed food, but the emotional attachment was nothing like the previous.

(However, I ended up at the movies that night and being around an overwhelming smell of rich, buttery popcorn was definitely a struggle!)

Day 4

Hoorah! I ate food today! However, as much as I had been craving it, I actually wasn’t all that hungry and the excitement had worn off. I felt a little ill after my breaky, I think it was too big! Classic me being greedy. This was great to learn though, that my body doesn’t need to consume the amount of food I put in it. I definitely over eat, so I’m hoping this has taught me to monitor what my body really needs. I feel better for it and now I’m only craving fresh foods - and my skin is very clear!

I think overall it’s really just a mental challenge. The hardest part for me personally was the social side. I eat out a lot - I only just realised how much these past few days! Food is a big part of my life, as I have a personal interest in cooking and good foods. I really missed solids, to the stage where I felt almost depressed! It sounds crazy saying it now. Coming out of it though, I think the mental strength will have aided my small food addiction, for the time being anyway! I also started the week with a light cold, which has actually improved significantly over the past few days.

If you’re game - I would definitely recommend trying it. Challenge yourself. :) But surround yourself with supportive people and plan to keep yourself busy… as well as allowing for deep rest time.

Tess xx