Okay so first I need to set the stage on this one. I’ve obviously had my fair share of green juices but I’ve never done a juice cleanse before. Like where you only drink juices for an extended period of time and no solid foods. Let me put it to you straight; I’ve never fasted for more than 12 hours. I pretty much never miss a meal…or a morning coffee. And just the thought of not eating makes me hungry. So needless to say this is all new for me.

So, you may be asking, so why is she doing this? Well people do juice cleanses for different reasons. Dtox sums it up pretty good by saying;

A diet heavy in meat, caffeine, sugar, grains and dairy can put your body in a chronic acidic state. An acid rich diet robs the body of key minerals such as calcium and potassium. These minerals help keep inflammation in check which is important as chronic inflammation breeds diseases such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes. The body is at its best in a balanced alkaline state.

If you are wondering what the pH of your body is you can test your morning urine with test strips. It’s pretty interesting to see where your body falls on the pH scale on any given day. You can counteract the body’s acidity by eating alkaline foods. And if you are wondering what alkaline foods are, here’s a list:

I grabbed this list of the Dtox website but you can easily Google alkaline and acidic foods for more. It’s interesting because we see citrus fruits on this list and I don’t know about you but I tend to think those would be acidic. BUT here’s the catch, the actual specific food’s alkaline forming tendencies in the body have nothing to do with the actual pH of the food itself. Dtox explains for example, lemons are acidic however what’s left after digestion and assimilation is very alkaline. And likewise, meat will test alkaline before digestion but it leaves a very acidic residue in the body.

So basically, if you eat foods that put your body in an acidic state, inflammation ensues and you get sick. If you eat foods that put your body in an alkaline state, you are balanced and your body can work optimally.

Why A 3 Day?

Okay so for me I kinda of wanted to do an experiment with my body. Two years ago I found out I have Celiac. And since that initial day I was diagnosed, I dropped gluten all together but I wasn’t really accepting the fact that I now have an autoimmune disease. Like I would avoid the foods that were bad for me because I knew they would jack up my system but I wasn’t necessarily seeking out foods that would heal my gut and repair internal damage.

So I didn’t really get too much better. Or I would get better and then I would get worse. It has been a frustrating yo-yo of symptoms. But over this past summer I got more serious about choosing foods that would help repair my body and I started noticing a difference.

That being said, I still have my morning coffee which is super acidic and I also love my wine which is also acidic city. And they go hand in hand right because when I have a glass of wine at night, I don’t sleep as well and then I wake up tiered and lean on my coffee and it’s a cycle that’s self perpetuating.

So I was motivated to cut that out. And I wanted to really ramp up my body’s alkalinity. I also wanted to give my intestines a break by cutting out solids. Would avoiding solids give my insides a chance to repair themselves? Like will I feel better after not eating solids for 3 days!? TBD!

One day seemed too short and 5 days sounded like death so I landed on giving 3 days a try.

Oh and last but not least, if I lost a couple of pounds I wouldn’t be mad about it.

DTOX

Dtox is one of the first organic joints I found in Atlanta when we moved here at the beginning of the year. I fell in love with Dtox because they are 100% organic and source local. Their mission is to produce the highest quality juices, smoothies, acai bowls, salads and detoxifying cleanses. And I have to say, they make a killer smoothie. Thick and tasty as sin.

They also offer organic, raw, gluten-free, dairy-free, GMO-free superfood snacks and they sell THE BEST dairy-free, probiotic packed yogurt on the block in the country.

And RARE but they even package IN GLASS. So no chemical plasticizers leaching into your cold-pressed organic raw juice. They will also take these back to recycle and reuse.

There are currently two Dtox locations in Atlanta…one on Roswell Road in Buckhead, one at Westside Provisions and they are currently relocating their midtown location. Oh and you can also get their juices at the JW Marriott right by the Lenox Mall.

Day 1

Okay so Dtox customized a cleanse for me and built out their skin cleanse to a full day juice cleanse. This is what is included on day 1:

• Green Tea with lemon (just add hot water) –  fair trade, organic and fresh to reduce redness in the skin and increase circulation
• Pink: grapefruit, coconut water, pear, cranberry, aloe and lemon – fresh grapefruit juice is rich in vitamin c and essential to collagen synthesis
• Green: cucumber, apple, celery, kale, lemon, spinach and parsley –  the ultimate cleanser, promotes alkalinity and regenerates cells
• Dtox Energy: green tea, pear, pineapple, cucumber and ginger – a fat burner + cardiovascular aid + also chalk full of antioxidants
• Brazil Nut Milk: brazil nuts have more selenium than any other food source which repairs skin damage and great for the immune system
• Aloe Elixir: aloe, pear and lemon – healing and anti-inflammatory + vitamins A,C,E, folic acid, B1, B2, B3, B6 and B12 – great for hair, skin and nails
• Turmeric Elixir: turmeric, ginger, raw honey and cayenne pepper – boosts immunity and fights inflammation

Dtox preps this cleanse to be rich in selenium which protects skin’s elasticity, fights infection and is the best mineral for preventing aging from oxidation. This lineup is also rich in vitamin C as well as aloe to plump and repair skin.

This is a custom cleanse and is $45/day, made fresh daily and you have enough juice to do one every three hours.

This is how my personal day 1 panned out:

7:00 am: Wakeup with water with fresh grated ginger.

9:00 am: Pickup juices and try to pound the Pink because I was so hungry but a few sips took the edge off and it was super tart so I ended up working on it for about 2 hours.

11:30 am: Green tea which was good because it cut the bitterness of the grapefruit and also I was cold so this warm drink was PERFECT! Also, not really that hungry so as long as I stay away from the kitchen I think I will be okay!

11:31 am: Okay actually I am hungry. Doing this post and trying to determine if I’m hungry or not is making me hungry!

12:31 pm: Just finished my tea and I’m surprised at how thirsty I am. How is this even possible!?

12:32 pm: I know I should save my Brazil Nut milk for later but I’m so tempted to drink it now because I know this one will be the most filling and I would really love a plate of eggs right now.

12:33 pm: Okay, first a glass of water and then busting out the Green.

1:40 pm: Turmeric Elixir – this one was so good! I was expecting it to be gross with the cayenne but the addition of raw honey made it yum!

2:00 pm – 3:30 pm: Worked on Green for a few hours at the playground – this one was yummy too. It’s really hard to drink a lot of water while juicing. Like, I don’t want to have to run to the bathroom all day. But it’s crazy how thirsty I am.

4:00 pm: Got home from the playground with the kids and I’m starved. I was going to try to save the Brazil Nut milk until last but I’m having it now. Especially since I am cooking my kids dinner. A fine feast of roasted pastured chicken and carrots with a side of bone broth rice and steamed broccoli. Drool. The Brazil Nut milk is so good. Actually, I’m going to add some collagen in there too for some extra skin healing.

6:45 pm: Barreled through the dinner hour. That was by far the toughest part of the day. I can’t believe I still have a juice left! I definitely didn’t plan right because my last one is my green tea. Doing this and my aloe elixir and hitting the sack by 9pm!

Day 2:

So I woke up feeling amazing. No bloating, no indigestion, no stomach pains – nothing. I just felt so light. Like probably how I should feel every morning but I don’t. I slept well too but no different than I usually do. And I have to say, I’m not crazy hungry. In fact, last night I was working on my last juice and I still had 1/2 a bottle left at 9:30 pm when I went to bed. I think part of the hunger thing may be mental like it was probably good that I had some juice left because I think if I had nothing I would have talked myself into thinking I was starving. So anyways, 4 bottles is definitely enough for the day.

Today I picked up my juices at 9:30 am and I had all the same juices that I had yesterday, for today and tomorrow. For day two I am starting with the dtox energy juice that has green tea in it. So mild and delicious in the morning. Meanwhile my husband is like – ARE YOU OKAY!? I can’t believe you are not eating anything – lol.

3:00 pm I had a few errands to do so I’ve only drank two juices and 1 elixir so far. I’m siked I have so many juices left but also terrified because what if I just made myself too hungry!?

4:00 pm Opened my Brazil Nut milk.

4:01 pm Brazil Nut milk gone. Dang! This milk is SO GOOD and honestly I think it’s the only reason I haven’t lost my mind through this cleanse.

6:00 pm Busted out my last juice: Pink. Hopefully I can make this one last a couple of hours. I had the babysitter make the kids dinner tonight and I am hiding in my bedroom while the smells of cheeseburger taunt me through the cracks of my door.

6:00 pm Maybe I’ll just go to bed right now.

Today was not as easy as yesterday. I think the novelty wore off a bit but it’s not like it was impossible or anything. The hardest part was every time I would see food, it would be a knee jerk reaction like – Oh! I should eat something! And then immediately I’d be like – duh.

Day 3!

Okay, it’s 9pm on day 3 and I DID IT! My body feels really good. Like, really good. It’s light and I have no symptoms of indigestion. I am pretty hungry though. The interesting thing is I was hungry for breakfast on day one and that same hunger feeling has pretty much followed me through the entire 3 days. It hasn’t subsided or gotten worse – it’s just ALWAYS THERE. The good news is, it’s a bearable hunger. It’s not the kind of hunger where you’re ready to chew your own arm off. And that’s probably because I had enough juice to sip on all the time. I had leftover juice on all three days. Crazy right!?

I’m a little bit nervous to start eating again tomorrow. Like I don’t want to jump off the deep end and order a full breakfast with waffles, eggs, bacon and a side of smoothie. But then again, that’s exactly what I want to do – lol. But seriously, I’m really looking forward to a fat coffee tomorrow morning and a big plate of eggs. Something healthy to fill me up!

This cleanse was hard but it wasn’t impossible. It’s really mind over matter and it’s pretty cool to see what you can do when you put your mind to it. I would totally do this cleanse again – and I 100% recommend it to anyone who want’s to try!

Try out this wild rice + blackberry salad recipe next!