JUICE CLEANSE

Here is my experience with healing my gut through trying a juice cleanse!

Disclaimer: I am not trained in any way to give medical advice and do not intend for this to be medical advice. I am only talking about my personal experience as a person diagnosed with IBS. This is only intended to be informational. Always consult a professional before doing a juice cleanse.

WHY DID I CHOOSE A JUICE CLEANSE?

I had been working 8 months to get my gut right naturally and then fell sick about a month ago with strep. I was given a Z pack and told to take a probiotic and hope for the best. Those with IBS know antibiotics are not our friend. All the heart burn, bloating, constipation, nausea after eating and abdominal pain had come back. I started to get a bit defeated because I was dreading doing all the elimination diets and supplements over again.

I knew it was time to change my food and then I thought why not try a juice cleanse. I already feel bad so how could it make me any worse. After researching I found that a juice cleanse can give you a boost of energy and a sense of clarity in your mind. I had never tried one so to me it was worth a shot! Just to be clear, I did not want to use the juice cleanse to lose weight, this was solely for trying to cleanse my gut.

WHICH JUICE CLEANSE?

I do own a juicer and would have loved to make my own juices to keep the cost low. However with a pandemic going on, running to the super market is not the smartest idea. I started to look into juice companies and seeing which cleanses were affordable. I ended up choosing Freshii because I could pick it up locally. (Side note, I love going to Freshii for amazing salads and grain bowls, and if you haven’t gone to one I would highly recommend you go). They offer 1, 3, or 5 day cleanses. I knew I would only want to do a max of 3 days. The 3 day cleanse contained 7 juices a day and cost $105 plus I could curb side pick it up. That came out to $35 a day, which is super affordable and made the cleanse effortless. I like structure and a plan, which a premade juice cleanse provided.

My game plan was to do 2 out of the 3 days and then see after the second day how I felt. If I could do the third great, if not I’ll just drink them throughout the week. I started the cleanse on a Saturday so my third day would be a Monday while I work at a computer all day. In the past being on restrictive diets for weeks and working was extremely difficult for me.

HOW HARD IT?

The first 4 juices of day one were going well, I felt good and my attitude was positive. By dinner time I was having horrible cravings and felt super light headed. I knew then I needed to pay attention to when the cleanse stated to listen to your body and have a snack if you get hungry. I ate a salad and a banana and wanted to quit.

After day one, I woke up with a very flat stomach! I was however fatigued and super tired with heavy brain fog. It was hard for me to concentrate so I spent my whole day either in my bed or laying on the couch. I just didn’t feel sharp with my thinking and then add on being super tired. That’s when I realized the third day was definitely not going to happen. However, I did get through the second day easier mentally by having some veggies and fruits throughout the day in between my juices.

Oddly I craved a waffle and a chicken quesadilla both days which made me so hungry and this cleanse more challenging. The hardest part of the cleanse was the mental aspect more than the physical. It’s the cravings and constantly wanting to quit that made it stressful. It was hands down one of the hardest diets I have had to follow.

HOW DID I FEEL AFTER?

Straight after I felt a lot better! I wouldn’t call it a cure all type of feeling but I didn’t feel uneasy or nauseous. The first two days I stuck to just fruits and veggies. The third day I introduced meat back into the picture and finally got to eat a gluten free and dairy free chicken quesadilla. Over the next few days I ate how I normally would following the low fodmap diet. Four to five days after the cleanse I still didn’t experience any nausea or uneasiness after eating, no abdominal pain, and only a little bloating. A week after I did feel pretty decent, hence decent. I wouldn’t say it was my saving grace since I still was super constipated, but it definitely helped get me a few steps further to getting back to where I was.

WOULD I TRY THIS AGAIN?

I don’t think I plan on doing a cleanse any time soon. For those who can do 3, 4, or 5 day cleanses…bless your souls. The Freshii juices did taste amazing, so I would love to keep some on hand in my fridge just to drink on occasion. I will say I am happy I did it since I was always curious about doing one. It’s like cutting your bangs yourself or dying your hair with box dye. You do it once and you’re like ok yeah I did it and experienced it and let’s not do this again anytime soon.

My struggle seemed to be different to those I read online. Maybe factors like me already having a bad gut that could’ve made this harder for me but I’m not a doctor so I’m just guessing. I didn’t get a burst of energy or a euphoric feeling like I was cleansed and ready to take on the world. I got none of that, it’s laughable. I craved chicken quesadillas and wanted to quit the whole time!

Doing a juice cleanse is totally up to you and your doctor or physician if you plan to consult with one. This was just my experience and breakdown of how I felt before, during, and after the cleanse.

This was my physical transition. Not so glamorous but you get to see

where I started from and a glimpse of my quarantine outfits!

First: before

Second: after day 1

Third: after day 2