Juice Cleanse: Day 1

The day before the planned juice cleanse I mentally prepared myself for all of the horrors to come. But, after all my preparation (worrying), Day One was refreshingly uneventful as far as internal reactions to depriving myself of solid foods.

Juiceland provides a couple of helpful resources for the novice cleanser. Their overview provides the basics for the experience: six, 17oz juices per day: Gingerade, Beverly Cleary, Tigerlilly, Watermelon Chia Pep, Cocolilly, & The Fountain.

I reread their Day-By-Day Guide. This time, focusing on the pre-cleanse instructions.

The guide contains information on what to do pre-cleanse, as well. In the 24-48 hours leading up to the cleanse, the professionals at Juiceland recommend eliminating the following food groups:

• Dairy
• Wheat
• Meat (of all types, including fish)
• Sugar (Major problem for me)
• Alcohol
• Salt
• Coffee

Luckily, the list does not go on. How could it?

This is everything I eat. Cereal for breakfast, meat for lunch and dinner, coffee with sugar and French vanilla creamer (a.k.a. more dairy) throughout the day, and, of course, candy with my evening television routine.

Let’s not forget, I’m not working when I’m in Austin, so an adult beverage, or two, usually finds its way into my evenings.

It was clear. I would not be abiding by the pre-cleanse guide. I’m all-in for the actual cleanse, but in my mind, the day before was my last day to soak up the foods I love.

Naturally, instead of pre-cleansing, I followed my normal routine, with the addition of staying up late to have more candy, some popcorn, and a little chocolate. It may only be a three-day commitment, but it felt like my last meal, and I was going to make it last.

Happily, not following the pre-cleanse guide did not seem to have any discernible negative effects.

Juiceland is kind enough to include a list of detox symptoms in their Day-By-Day Guide for Day One. I did not suffer from many, but tiredness, moodiness, uneasiness, and weakness definitely hit me.

I noticed the work emails and phone calls about problems and corrections seemed more stressful than they would have on any other day. I am also usually an energetic person, but I felt like I was dragging my feet all day.

I went to bed at around 8:00 p.m.

Surprisingly, I was not hungry. The juices were filling, and I made sure I drank a gallon of water to keep me satisfied and help the cleansing process.

Even though I was not hungry, I was still having some serious cravings for a cup of coffee, meat, something salty, or any chewable item I could get my hands on.

At one point in the middle of the day, the exterminator was coming by our apartment. To distract our cat, I filled his mouse toy with treats. The only problem: his treats were in our pantry right next to the candy stash. I stood there, treats in hand, staring at my Twizzlers and jelly beans, wishing I could indulge.