We’re celebrating the ESSENCE Body Issue this month! In an effort to get our bodies and health in tip-top shape, we invited six ESSENCE staffers to try a 3-day juice detox. Here’s an update from day 3! (Be sure to read Day 1 and Day 2 if you missed it!)
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CLEANSES WE TRIED!
Name: Gwen
Cleanse: Organic Avenue Love Easy Cleanse
Day 3 Diary: I wake up feeling a bit sluggish. I’m missing my morning vice, coffee just a wee bit. Yet again, hot water and lemon to start my day. I continue to have the feeling of moving at a snail’s pace. Once at work, I skim through my welcome email from Organic Avenue, but realize my bags are MIA. After calling customer service, my final juices were delivered within the hour with apologies and a complimentary juice AND pudding! The day was pretty seamless after that, and wait…I’m also a bit sad that there wouldn’t be a day four. Who am I? Overall, I would have LOVED to have done this for five days! I even went a few extra days without coffee on my own and still drink juices at least five days a week. I’m also mindful of eating lighter for dinner. I can’t wait to do it again.
Name: Charlise
Cleanse: Urban Remedy Signature Cleanse
Day 3 Diary: I feel exhausted, like I’ve just pulled an all-nighter and my body ached. My stomach started seriously growling by 1pm. An hour before juice 3, I was the hungriest I had ever been while on the cleanse and kept watching the clock to drink my next juice. Also, smelling other people’s food did not help! I want to go downstairs and get a salad! Because it’s the final stretch, I stick it out and commit to the end. I finish my final juice, in bed, completely weak — and browsing the web for vegetarian meals for my first day post-cleanse. After all is said and done, the cleanse was not that bad, but I probably wouldn’t do it again. I’d rather eat healthier than deprive myself of food.
Name: Yolanda
Cleanse: Ritual Wellness Seasonal Reset Cleanse
Day 3 Diary: My belly is looking flatter and my skin is glowing. But my attitude stinks. I’m impatient and tired. And yet, I’m still not thinking about eating food. The thought of putting anything solid in my mouth by now feels almost sacrilegious. I’ve been at this for two days, and it’s kinda starting to feel like normal. Like, my body could really get used to this. Despite the low energy, I feel super focused. I’m like a machine at this point. I even start the day with a workout at the gym, though I only stay for 35 minutes because I fear anything too intense would throw me off. There goes juice #4 again! I could really get used to all this cleaning. At this point I’m asking myself, “how much food did you have in there, woman?” I never thought I would say it, but there will be many, many more juice cleanses in my future. I had an amazing experience. I actually think I may do a one-day juice cleanse every week.
Name: Chatel
Cleanse: Raw Cooler by Cooler Cleanse
Day 3 Diary: It’s day three and my body seriously feels pretty awesome. I’m also starting to believe my taste buds have morphed into something my Mum would be proud of. That green concoction is tasting like pure delight once I get to the office. I mention this to my co-worker, who is equally surprised. Is dandelion an acquired taste? I guzzle and can’t wait for the next juice. But hands down, the best part of this week has been sampling the yummy raw foods. Seriously, cashew cheese (which is not really cheese, by the way) and Live Pizza (your guess is as good as mine) are dishes I’m aiming to recreate at home. The raw food life may be calling my name…or whispering at the very least. Would I do this all again? Oh, yeah. My body needed a foodie recharge, and this jumpstarted the process. I felt leaner, cleaner and by day three, a bit nicer all around.
Name: Nicole
Cleanse: The DIY approach (made my own juices at home)
Day 3 Diary: I am not one who likes to fail so the frozen yogurt splurge from yesterday has me determined to be a juice master rock star on day three (or, really my day two). I get up, pull out my Omega juicer and make my favorite concoctions. One is made with cucumbers, parsley, lemon and green apple. The other is beet, carrot and grapefruit. I also take some of the pulp and make a green smoothie in the blender, adding in some organic spinach, zucchini and two green apples. My loot for the day fills up four 32-oz glass mason jars, and off to work I go. The day actually FLEW by, and since I’m still (partially) on a brain-break from a crazy month, I just take it easy and chug my juice throughout the day, but I get really hangry (a cross between “hungry” and “angry”) around 3pm. Part of me is proud that I got back on the wagon and part of me wants to eat this stapler on my desk. The latter really isn’t an option, so I suck it up, drink some water and pretend it’s a steak. Back to real, chewable meals tomorrow — whooop whoop!
Name: Akkida
Cleanse: Juice Press Alternate Cleanse
Day 3 Diary: Three words sum up day three (and day two, as well): bathroom, bathroom, bathroom. I never knew until now how small my bladder is. I’ve been chasing the juices with water and it shows. The past three days I’ve been drinking something nearly non-stop. The pace is somewhat exhausting. I can’t even blame my urge to purge on juicing; it’s all this water I’m consuming. I again fall behind in my timetable and am not able to finish all six bottles. Which is a true shame because they are supremely delicious. The appropriately named Fountain of Youth, Love at First Sight, Perfect Pear, Heaven on Earth — I’m talking to you. Overall, I haven’t been hungry or fatigued or energetic or happier or more irritable. Honestly, the frequency of my powder room visits is the only change I’ve noticed. I couldn’t take advantage of the prescribed rests during the day, so I just stayed in bed an extra 20 minutes to compensate. I’m not quite sure if that accomplished the intended goal and I don’t care. Any additional time with my pillow is a bonus in my opinion. Would I do another cleanse? Absolutely. I eliminated dairy, sugar, meat, ketchup and all things processed for a few days leading up to the big day. My pre-cleanse diet helped me to realize that I am not eating as healthily as I thought. This cleanse forced me to achieve more balance as well as drink much more water. Would I do this specific cleanse again? See my note about supreme deliciousness. I’m so proud that I completed this endeavor without cheating or hitting somebody or suffering any adverse effects. Ashley, I did it! As a side note, my PMS symptoms (bloating, heaviness, aches) were non-existent this month. For a repeat of that, I’d gladly drown in juice again.