The words “cleanse” and “detox” have become such loaded words in the health and wellness world in the past 5 years, that they literally make my skin crawl. When I hear them, my mind is flooded with images of crappy marketing schemes hammering home how we’re all going to die if we don’t cleanse all the toxins out of our system in “3 easy steps.” Or I think of some cliche wellness blogger telling me about how a 3-week-retreat-juice-guru-detox cleanse completely rid her of all negativity from her life and now she’s perfectly balanced in all things.
Needless to say, I had a thick forcefield of skepticism around any mention of the word juice cleanse. But if you’ve been following my Snapchat, Instagram or read last week’s post you already know I gone went and done it anyway. You can read why in this [POST]. But today I wanted to share with you how it all went down and what I came away learning about cleansing, myself, and the all important question: would I ever do it again?
Breakfast:
Smoothie: vega, banana, raspberries, spinach, coconut milk
I think a lot of people would (naturally) assume the juice cleanse it’s all about the juice, but personally, these five days were all about a mental “detox” if you will. For me, this was a lot less about a physical detox, because honestly, I’ve been feeling great. I’m not perfect, but I didn’t feel like I needed to overhaul what I was eating. But I definitely felt like there were toxic thought patterns building up. The juice was just a great physical reminder of what I was trying to.
Ok, so isn’t that a bit extreme to drink juice for 5 days just to clear your head?
Yeah, maybe.
But like I mentioned, I’m both curious and stubborn to a fault, so I really wanted to see if connecting something like a juice cleanse to a more spiritual detox could help me dive deeper into issues I’ve been trying to deal with.
Reflections From Drinking Just Juice for 5 Days
1.) I was hungry, but not that hungry
I was seriously shocked how little I thought or cared about food for 5 days. Like couldn’t believe it. Sure I definitely had moments where I was hungry, but nothing crazy. The hunger didn’t build either. It was just a low key thing buzzing in the background.
This actually really helped me deal with something I’ve felt since recovery: a fear of hunger. In my mind, I’m petrified of being hungry because I think my body instantly takes me back to days when I wouldn’t eat and was living in that starvation mode.
Lunch:
Barley, arugula, sweet potato, cucumber, tahini
I definitely don’t think anyone who is in recovery or struggling with disordered eating should do a juice cleanse because it could be very triggering. However, I feel really confident about my recovery, so this actually helped me a lot. In the past, I’ve let hunger carry a lot of extra emotional baggage and I think these five days helped me understand what hunger actually means and knowing I’ll survive.
2.) The Caffeine Was the Killer
Hands down my body reacted strongest to caffeine withdrawals over anything else. I’m glad that I stopped drinking coffee 3 days before the cleanse started or else I don’t think I would have made it. The first three days without coffee felt the same at the first three days of the cleanse. First, I was just tired all the time. Worse was the feeling of being foggy and groggy. I just felt slow. I’m a pretty high energy person (or so I thought). So having that piece of my identity taken away was both physically and emotionally distressing.
Since last Thursday, I’ve started waking up before my 6am alarm, which is a first for me.
Obviously I don’t want to give up coffee forever, I mean, hello, I’m not a monster, but I do want to be way more mindful in how I consume it.
Snack:
Toast with nuttzo & dates + a squarebar
3.) I Love My New Morning Wellness Rituals
As part of the cleanse we were encouraged to start tongue scraping, oil pulling and drinking warm lemon water before we had our first juice. (you can click through to learn little more about each one)
I tried to go in with an open mind, but I was pretty much sure I wouldn’t oil pull. Swish melted coconut oil in your mouth for 10 minutes? How about gag me with a spoon. Until I tried it. And got hooked. It’s way easier than I thought it would be and it could just be a placebo thing but I love how I feel after I’ve done all three of these things together.
4.) It Gave Me a Chance to Slow Down
Part of the reason I decided on doing the cleanse was because the timing was right. I would not, I repeat WOULD NOT recommend this to anyone who had to be extremely or even very active during the week. This came right after our big BGB course launch (high stress) so I was able to actually take some real time to slow down and be ok with taking naps, walks and literally just listening to music and thinking, instead of trying to get 1000 things done at once. When it comes to the mind-body connection, I think the relaxing was one of the most beneficial physical things I did for my mental health.
This was one of the hardest parts of the cleanse for me.
As someone who has a 40-hour job and two businesses on the side, I don’t know how to not work. And I’m not saying that like it’s a good thing. Luckily I love everything I do, but never the less, it’s work and it takes a lot. To have a day off from the coffee shop and not spend it on blogging felt really effing weird.
I took a nap on a hammock instead listening to Harry Potter. I’ve literally never done that in my life.
I’m not hear to preach that everyone has to relax X amount of hours every day or every week or even every month. But I would encourage you to experiment with an open mind. Personally I felt really guilty napping. However, physically, I felt great after. However, I think if I practiced finding ways that I enjoyed relaxing and shutting off, I would get better at it and get more out of it.
One way I like looking at it is: relaxation is like an investment in your future productivity. If you invest in healing your mind and body now, you’ll be more productive in the future. For me this alleviates the stress that I’m “wasting time” that I could be working. If I know I can get more done on a clear mind, it’s worth clearing it.
Dinner:
Scrambled Eggs, Avocado Toast, Arugula
5.) I Couldn’t Use Food as An Emotional Crutch
This is definitely something that will take more than a cleanse to totally combat, but not eating solid food for five days, forced me to face some of my “emotional hunger” head on. Personally, I’m the queen of bedtime snacking (is it me or does food taste better in bed?) and stress snacking. Rather than run to chocolate or coffee, I had to sit there and ask myself why I was feeling a certain way and then choose a productive way to work through it without food. This was also really hard.
This is probably the biggest food related habit/pattern I’d like to keep working on after the cleanse. It has a lot to do with the anxiety that comes from being still and not feeling at my most productive. I have a hunch that letting myself be cool with taking actual breaks, instead of just looking at my phone for five minutes, will help me stay focused longer and not slip into “anxious hunger” mode.
6.) I Practiced Letting Go of Toxic Thought Patterns
Anyone else let a negative thought snowball out of control or repeat itself like a broken record? Hi, yup that’s me, the girl who can simultaneously be thoughtless AND overthink things. I really don’t know how I do it.
The three restorative yoga sessions throughout the cleanse were so powerful for helping these spiraling thoughts settle and untangle into clarity and finally being able to let them go. I could write a whole other post on all the “ah-ha” moments, but I’ll save it for another day.
So I could probably go on and on, but I’ll stop there.
The long story short is that this was a really interesting, positive, supported experience. I don’t think it’s for everyone, especially if you’re in a busy season of your life or have a very physically active job. I had the unique ability to do this cleanse in a group with two amazing leaders who guided us through it.
I would definitely do it again if the timing was right.
I’m a big believer that cultivating and developing your own healthy life means activity trying to connect your mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health and this experience was definitely something that did all of that.
My biggest areas of focus moving forward are remembering the intentions set and lessons learned during the five days and carrying them with me daily without the pressure or judgment of trying to act on them perfectly.
Your Turn:
- Have you ever done any kind of cleanse or reset?
I’ve never done a cleanse for those reasons of triggering behaviors, but I could probably do one now because I feel confident about my recovery too. So glad to hear that it gave you such a mental detox Georgie <3 I have trouble slowing down too or not being busy. I'll definitely have to look into the one you did! 🙂
I really hope they put together the email series so people can follow along (on a cleanse or not) – the journaling prompts and meditations and daily reminders were seriously so wonderful
I’m glad that you got so much out of the juice cleanse! This is exactly what happened to me when I did the Whole30..it changed my mind more than it changed my actual body. It’s amazing what happens when you find a program that works for you! I hope you can keep these lessons with you!
Thanks Gretchen – totally agree. I definitely think there were a lot of similarities mentally to something like the whole30!
Georgie, this was so interesting to read! I really appreciate your perspective and I would hope I had a similar experience if I ever did a juice cleanse. Like Gretchen said, Whole30 kind of did that for me, although because I was sick it helped me a lot physically too.
P.S. If you ever feel guilty about napping, just text you and I’ll set you straight 😉
Will do – you’ll be on my nap speed dial. I totally think you could have the same mental health benefits from a Whole30 experience like Gretchen said as it’s really not about the food/lack of food at all.
This is very interesting. I did a juice cleanse about two years ago, and while it was only three days, I really struggled with it. Mainly because of something you touched on: “my body instantly takes me back to days when I wouldn’t eat and was living in that starvation mode.” Feeling hungry made me anxious and worried about the negative feelings that used to consume me during my ED. I didn’t do the juice cleanse for deprivation sake, but more as an experiment and it was more of a mental challenge than anything. Although my the end, I really did miss chewing food as opposed to slurping through a straw.
I could totally see how the experience would be triggering to a lot of people. Luckily in the supported environment I was ok, but it’s definitely not the right experience for everyone.
I’ve never done a juice cleanse, specifically for the reasons you stated in the beginning. But I love this take on it, especially pairing it with yoga. I think it would be super challenging for me, but I would love to give it a shot, more so if it was an experience like you had… not to do it to really “detox the body” and “shed pounds”, like so many claim to do.
“Anyone else let a negative thought snowball out of control or repeat itself like a broken record? Hi, yup that’s me, the girl who can simultaneously be thoughtless AND overthink things. I really don’t know how I do it.” << seriously! Trying to get better at stopping those thought patterns, but it takes practice!
So glad you shared everything here, I think it will truly help people!
Yes yoga was hands down my favorite part! It was really a mental detox facilitated by the juicing. I didn’t weigh myself at all so I don’t even know if I lost or gained weight. Still gotta practice letting shit go, but it’s nice to concentrate on ze mind for a week and really hone in on what I’m actually feeling.
I have never done a juice cleanse or detox because I don’t think I would last haha. I bet it’s extremely hard but the benefits of it sound very rewarding. I used to view all detoxes and cleanses negatively but now I see them in a different light. They can be beneficial if they are done for the right purpose like you did!
Totally – I don’t even think you need to just drink juice to have the benefits, but it was nice to not have to think about food for a week so I could fully focus on my mental and spiritual health
I’ve never done a cleanse/challenge of any sort pretty much for the reasons you listed at the beginning, but this post completely hit home for me. I am absolutely guilty of considering downtime “wasted”, of letting the same old negative thoughts take over my mind, and especially of using food as crutch. All of these are things I’m working on, but it’s a loooong process. It’s excellent that the cleanse helped you start to improve in those areas.
I’d also be interested to see you update on this in, I don’t know, a month or two just to see if the things the cleanse helped you with “stick”. I know people are always skeptical of their long-term weight loss/physical benefits, so it’d be cool to see if it helps with your mental health after it’s over.
Thank you so much Ellen. Yeah that’s an excellent idea! It’s all fine and dandy to slow down ON the cleanse but the real test is can I be present and mindful during my daily life. <3
this is such a well written and in depth post of a cleanse. I’m totally the way you were – the word cleanse and detox just give me the shivers. It’s really cool how it became so much more for you, and ended up being such an incredible and positive experience. I am more open to trying one of these now because of this post. There are some things about my current anxiety/stress levels that could really benefit from a cleanse, and perhaps help to ‘reset’ myself mentally.
Totally – and I don’t think you necessarily have to do a juice cleanse to get the same mental benefits, but it was great to not have to think about food for a week so I could really focus and force myself to slow down.
Thinking of it as a mental vs. just a physical cleanse seems to be key to why it was good for you, and I think we could probably all to more to “detox” our minds even if we aren’t on a literal cleanse. A long contemplative walk never hurt a soul!
Totally – I think you could definitely get those same benefits without the juice but it was a good physical reminder and a great way to remove the extra stress that food can sometimes add
i havent done cleanse per say but i did whole 30 and did fruits and veggies only diet, all of which i realized were not for me. it surely is a great challenge or so i think because im also stubborn when it comes to these things. i like your approach of not just surviving on nasty veggie juices..and plus a mental and emotional component of these cleanse is huge!!
I think it’s always an interesting exploration to find out what works and more importantly DOESN’T work for you. So kudos for trying those things out to get to know yourself better <3
Going caffeine-less would be the hardest part for me hands down!
It was NOT easy the first couple days I felt horrible.
This is super interesting to read and I love your reflections on it. I’ve never done anything like this before but I also really like to challenge myself in different ways. Napping in a hammock while listening to Harry Potter sound amazing:)
Thank you so much Amanda. Omg yes the naps were amazing and obvi HP is always a good idea. I think finding new ways to challenge yourself is so key to self discovery and growth!
I loved reading this entire post but can we talk about oil pulling for a second…OBSESSED! If you do it even every other day for a couple of weeks it’s amazing how white your teeth get and just how healthy your mouth feels.
Thank you so much Diana Right? I was such a hater until I tried it and now I’m totally sold.
You know how I feel about cleanses…But I think sometimes we just need to try things like this to experience it, reflect on it, and move forward. It’ll be interesting if you decided to do it again. And if you don’t who the hell cares! Hope you can enjoy this beautiful Nantucket sunshine today! XOXO
Totally – I’m definitely a research then experiment kinda gal. I gotta try it to know before I can decide if it’s the right thing for me. Enjoy this gorgeous weekend!
I just began tongue scraping about a month back and it has done me a world of difference! My teeth are noticeably whiter and I feel fresher. I never realized what a big difference it could make but wow! I love it so much.
Right? Sounds so small but I love how it makes my mouth feel in the morning, definitely a lot fresher. Who doesn’t love having bright pearly whites?
So thankful that you learned so much from it Georgie, and it’s obvious that it was much more than a diet overhaul. It was mental, physical, spiritual, and I think I would love to try something like that maybe… someday for the same reasons. In America, we move at 100 mph, and it’s so good to slow down and remember and appreciate the simple things. That oil pulling sounds interesting?
Thank you Emily! It was definitely a worthwhile experience and has put me in a great mindset for the summer season. I always appreciate your thoughtful lovely comments – thank you so much <3
This was really interesting to read! I’vefollowed wuite a few bloggers who have juice cleanses and have heard nothing but positive results! I’d love to try one , one day but I’m about to embark on my own journey giving up sugar for the next two months so we will see how that one goes before I try anything else!!!
That would be a tough one for me for sure! Best of luck Georgie <3
sounds like you had a really good experience 🙂
like i said last week, i think a 1 day juice cleanse- i could do. (however, i’m not looking into doing one) a 3 day, eh, but definitely no longer than that. i love the mental benefits you experienced afterwards. i know i definitely have used food as a crutch for several years & have been falling to emotional & stress eating the past few years, and am working hard to overcome that. i feel like it would help me overcome it, but within a few days after, i might binge. ugh. so glad you’re doing well though! <3
Thanks girl! I think you can get a lot of the mental benefits outside of just a juice cleanse but it was a great tool for me to focus on what I was trying to do.