The Cleansing Craze

It’s taken me close to ten years to understand the variables in a day that result in me feeling energetic (optimal feeling!) or feeling “meh”. I don’t have all the answers and I still stumble, but with each I waiver less when it comes to my health. Wellness isn’t a flipped on instantly like a light switch. Although it would be kind of awesome if it worked that way… Wellness is more like … a dimmer switch. As you actively move the switch up, you bring more light into the room. You have the chance to choose your level of shine based on the “nudges” you give yourself toward illumination.

Enter the current “flip the switch” health trend: all-juice detox cleanses. All-juice cleanses make my head hurt and my stomach unhappy. I don’t feel lighter or leaner – I feel grouchy and deprived. Not my best version of myself! If you choose to do ‘em… more power to you. Email me if you have questions about what to do leading up to a cleanse (I recommend doing a little prep before diving in headfirst). I can’t function without food in my belly at least once a day.

My perfect day of food: a glass of water with lemon upon waking, followed by a green tea and then a juice – usually green – of some kind. Maybe coffee. Lunch consists of veggies and healthy fats. We eat a late dinner in my house (between 8:00 and 9:00), so I’ve learned to throw it is best to ad in an extra snack or juice between lunch and dinner. If I want a coffee a few times a week or burger and fries once a month, I have them without any shred of remorse.

Drinking juices keeps me on track in my day, but it is not nor will it ever be my sole energy source in a day (I like FOOD!). Boredom with my diet is a slippery slope into making bad food choices. Making juices (and smoothies) offers an outlet to explore my creativity in the kitchen and try food combinations I may not eat in together in their whole form, like mango, fennel and parsley. Below a few of my favorite juice recipes + you can tried-n-true favorites in PDF form that you can download and print.