Now that I’m in off season, I’m thinking about doing a juice cleanse. I’m still doing some off season training so I don’t want to be completely wiped out, but with the hoidays coming up I want to be able to resist the urge to eat all the sweets. (I currently have a bag of candy corn in the cabinet calling my name. I just can’t resist).
So I’ve done a little research and talked to many friends and I feel like I’m back at square one. So many opinions.
My purpose for the cleanse:
Clear my mind
Resist sweet cravings
Gain energy
Remove toxins
Any books, website, product suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I’m going to ask you to reconsider. The body doesn’t need cleansing by starvation. I think it is a myth. The body is designed to take care of itself. It is only when we pump it full of chemicals and crap that things start to fail. Get rid of the chemicals and the body will heal itself.
My suggestion is to eat 100% clean for a week. Only organic fruits and veggies. Little meat and if you do eat it, organic local butcher so you know its source. Beans, grains such as quinoi which has good protein. Nuts.
And just stop eating sugar. Cleansing won’t make it any easier.
Get the chemicals out of your diet by not eating them.
I only say all of this because I did a lot of reading into it as well. Drinking only juice for a couple days will starve yourself and when your body is starving it doesn’t care about cleansing toxins, it just wants food!
We bought a juicer a few months ago after watching the documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. It was a very interesting film and is on Netflix. They film maker has a web site, just google Reboot and it should pop up.
I was able to do all juice along with eating fruits and veggies for 4 days. Now we just juice pretty much everyday for breakfast and sometimes dinner. What I like about juicing is being able to get a ton of nutrients in one glass. We put spinach and kale in almost every juice we make and it really has no flavor. The fruit flavors are what really come out. The one thing I don’t care for juiced is beets. I love to eat them, but they make the juice tast really earthy and you pee and poo red for a few days which is kind of freaky.
Thanks for the input. Our family does eat mostly organic fruits and veggies as well as grass fed meat.
I consider our diet to be pretty balanced. I even had a nutritionist take a look at my intake for 3 days, and she really didn’t have much to add/change from what I was already doing (more nuts for protein). Granted that was mid-season when I was more conscience of my eating habits.
I guess the reason I’m considering a cleanse is because I have friends that SWEAR by it. I’m not completely sold yet.
If you’re concerned about stool “buildup” caking the walls of your colon…worry no more. I’ve been a radiologist for 15 years and have never seen that…on any CT scan I have read. Yes, people get constipated from time to time, but there is not a buildup along the colon walls, or I’m sure I would have seen it by now. Thickened walls related to inflammatory disease or cancer, yes. Thickened from a layer of poop…no.
Cleanses are great…for the people writing the books and selling the supplements.
I haven’t done a full-on cleanse, but my hubby and I followed the first phase of the Clean diet for three weeks (after reading the book by Alejandro Junger.) It’s not so much a detox program as a diet that eliminates anything that might be an allergen and gives the system a break. You basically eliminate wheat, eggs, white rice, soy, dairy, caffeine, alcohol, most red meat and nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, etc.) which gives you a diet very much like JenHS suggests: organic fruits and veggies, beans, lentils, quinoa, brown rice, small amounts of organic meat/fish.
I agree with the other posters that the body doesn’t need a detox and phrases like “toxins” and “cleansing” give me the heebie-jeebies. But reading that book did make me want to give my diet an overhaul and instill some new habits. It was a very interesting experiment and I was surprised at how relatively easy it was to give up coffee/Diet Coke/sweets, etc. My eating habits are definitely better as a result and my sweet tooth is greatly reduced.
If you do decide to embark on something like this, just know that your energy levels will take a hit initially. I definitely felt the effects on my training and had to cut the intensity back somewhat. It got better, but I still didn’t feel 100% until the diet was over.
As someone who actually did the Master CLeanse for a week (confession!) during a time when injured and could not train, I don;t recommend a fast like that…actually a good thing was ai did lose 10 lbs and when I ate again regained just half, so it was a good way in that sense to not gain weight while off, and gave me a bit of a psychological boost to eat well when better…but, I was not really happy and I am sure this was not the best way to nourish my body while off.
What I’ve done since that made me feel great was as mentioned-try a week NO alcohol, caffeine and if you can’t do no caffeine then maybe try green tea, but definitely NO sugar, NOTHING processed, no artificial sweetners…vegetable based…and yes, throw out the candy corn!
I know people that have done the Clean diet and swear by it, but its hard to manage going out to social events, dinners etc if following to the letter
If you have sugar cravings, go 2 weeks with NO sugar. No candy, no diet soda or regular soda, no pastries, no desserts. The cravings will lessen after 3 days. After 2 weeks they’ll be gone completely.
I also get major sugar cravings (I just ate two of those big toosie rolls - LOL) and when I need to cut out sugar, that’s what my dietician recommends. 2 weeks no sugar.
I had a terrible year of migraines and stomach problems so my doctor suggested the elimination diet (along with blood tests etc…). She suggested a book I follow and I missed the part where she said don’t do the 2-3 day cleanse at the beginning.
I started the diet 3 times with the cleanse and it was AWFUL. I had zero energy and my migraines were worse. I tried to do it the final time during a week when I had an intensive class every night of the week Despite getting 10 hours of sleep a day I couldn’t concentrate and could barely stay awake. I finally threw in the towel and started eating food again and it was 100% better.
Just cut out the things you don’t want in your diet. After 10 days or so you’ll be past the cravings. I don’t suggest cutting them all out at once though. Your body will remove toxins naturally. That’s what it does. You don’t need to rush the process with something that will empty your bowels unnaturally fast. That’s not normal for your body to do and it will compensate for having to do this.
If you have sugar cravings, go 2 weeks with NO sugar. No candy, no diet soda or regular soda, no pastries, no desserts. The cravings will lessen after 3 days. After 2 weeks they’ll be gone completely.
I also get major sugar cravings (I just ate two of those big toosie rolls - LOL) and when I need to cut out sugar, that’s what my dietician recommends. 2 weeks no sugar.
X2. I do that (6 weeks sugar free currently) and when I do I let friends and loved ones know so they realized why I’m a crabby cow for about days 5-10.
sugar cravings! my BF is wonderful–BUT during ‘that time of the month’ he always brings me chocolate, which I think nice of him, but I think he is really trying to ‘tame the monster’
I did a juice cleanse through a health food store/fresh juice store around this time last year. On the whole, it sounds like your diet is healthier than mine but thought I would give you my 2 cents. For three days, I ate nothing but fresh fruit and raw vegetables, then had 3 days of the juice which was prepackaged and labeled through the health food store, then ate fresh fruit and the raw veggies again for three days. Overall, it didn’t do me much good. On the juice days, I had zero energy. I could do a slight weightlifting workout but had no pep for anything cardio. I felt it was a lot of effort and persistence in ‘sticking with it’ and I couldn’t feel or see any results. Since this cleanse, I have practiced eating fruits and raw veg supplemented with juice for 5 days instead of the whole juice shebang; its not hard to stick with, I have energy to do workouts, and I really do feel clean and refreshed from the inside out. Also, and maybe because this was a dedicated cleanse from a health food store, it was more money for 3 days of juice and for the same amount of money, I could buy freshest produce that would last me a week.
We bought a juicer a few months ago after watching the documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. It was a very interesting film and is on Netflix. They film maker has a web site, just google Reboot and it should pop up.
Thanks for recommending the show. You can watch it free on Hulu. Interesting… probably not so much surprise information for many on this forum, but I have asked my less healthy family to watch it.
marsha, you should check out blueprintcleanse. i’m a personal trainer and their cleanse doesn’t deprive me of the claories i need to stay active. if you are still worried about energy, they also supply a “cheat sheet” of foods you can incorporate during the cleanse that wont interfere with all the good stuff you are doing for your body (i only used a cheat on day1 of my 3day cleanse, and in retrospect, i don’t even think i needed it.) i have used blueprint a few times now (they deliver) and have referred them to my clients, who have all had really great experiences. if you are not able to have the cleanse delivered to you, the founders wrote a book featuring recipes. it is also a great source for “all-things-detox.” if you are in need of mental clairty and focus, energy, sleeping better, and inspiration to maintain healthy habits, i really recommend it. i always have a great experience.
