happy friday! besides heading to the oregon coast tomorrow, i'm excited to get back in the kitchen this weekend. between being a guest in other peoples' homes over the holidays and being on my cleanse, i haven't cooked as much as i would have liked to. it's time to put all of the wonderful cookbooks i got for christmas to good use!
my eyes + edge posts from this week:
>> american hipster presents
<< pizza for parkas
i finished! as excited as i am about eating solid food (and drinking coffee) again, i feel like i could have continued on with the cleanse, which is a testament to how good and balanced the juices were. the cleanse was the perfect way to have a fresh
start for the new year, cleaning out any toxins that had built up, while
also putting my eating habits back in check. over the holidays, i ate
whenever food was around, instead of when i was actually hungry. now
that the cleanse is over, i have a better handle on reading my hunger
cues and i'm certainly more in tune with my cravings.
benefits—my skin cleared up and seems to be glowing, i got to bed early and slept like a rock every night on the cleanse (i'm usually a bit of an insomniac) and i feel more comfortable in my jeans. i also felt a sense of euphoria on the last day.
drawbacks—the only drawback i experienced was not being able to do much of anything social on the cleanse. maybe it's just a portland thing, but most activities revolve around food and alcohol here, so i usually retreated to my apartment after work and went to bed early.
would i do it again? absolutely. the benefits far outweigh any of the small negatives for me. i could see myself doing a cleanse once a year (it's actually recommended that you do four a year, with the seasons) around this time again. if you're in the portland area, i highly recommend portland juice press! i have a feeling i'll be going back plenty of times to get some more of that hazelnut "milk" that i'm now addicted to.
the second day of the cleanse was relatively painless! i slept a blissful nine hours the night prior, but woke up the next morning craving coffee and feeling hungry. after i drank the first juice (the grapefruit, mint and ginger), i felt satisfied. there was a point during the day when i felt lightheaded, but i realized that i didn't have enough water. one of the most important parts of the cleanse is to remain well-hydrated throughout, and as soon as i realized my mistake and drank more water, i felt fine. i found it was helpful to fill up the bottles with water once i finished a juice, and drink one or two of those between juices.
liz warned me that the first day is the hardest, and she was definitely right. on the second day, i felt more energized and less irritable than the first day (which i'm sure my coworkers appreciated). in a weird way, the day seemed to go by faster than usual. as someone who looks forward to and plans every meal meticulously, it's oddly freeing to not have to think about my food for once. working out a good schedule of when to drink each juice and knowing what to expect made the second day more manageable and enjoyable. i also dreamed about "the om" (the hazelnut "milk") all day long—it's so, so good.
everyone says the last day of the cleanse is the best, so i'm looking forward to it!
before i get in to the details of how i felt on my first day of the cleanse, i want to share the different flavors of the juices:
1. the shauca—grapefruit, ginger, mint
2. the guru—carrot, apple, beet
3. the dharma—kale, spinach, parsley, celery, apple, lemon
4. golden beet, apple, carrot, lemon
5. pineapple, coconut water, kale, spinach
6. the om—hazelnuts, cinnamon, dates, filtered water
by far, my favorites were #1 and #6, which is fitting, because i started and ended my day with those. the grapefruit made me feel awake in the morning and the sweet hazelnut "milk" was creamy and held me over through the night. the only flavor i had a little trouble getting down was the dharma, due to my major aversion to celery. when i went to pick up my order, i had the opportunity to taste the different juices and switch out any ones that i wasn't keen on (i swapped a red pepper and cayenne one for the golden beet one). for some reason, i didn't realize there was celery in the dharma and bypassed trying it, so i was a little surprised when i took my first sip yesterday. other than that, the juices are really delicious.
i'll be honest, yesterday was rough. there were a lot of factors at play—i didn't wean myself off of coffee prior to this, i was still jet-lagged, it was my first day back at work, my tooth was still sore from my root canal, and our bathroom is a mini construction zone (we're getting a new sink) which has caused a lot of dust and congestion.
i didn't actually feel very hungry, but i definitely had some serious headaches. a little dizziness and irritability too. when i got home from work, i changed into my pajamas, did a little work on my computer and passed out (as in, before nine). i would definitely say that i was exhausted! excited to see what the second day has in store.
i'd never considered doing a juice cleanse, namely because i think of myself as a healthy eater, but i allowed myself to fully enjoy my long trip home, complete with multiple glasses of wine every night and indulging in foods i don't normally eat. this, along with the stress of travel, came at a price—i've been feeling lethargic and sick and my skin needs some clearing up.
i knew that if i was ever going to do a juice cleanse, i would go through portland juice press. i first heard about them through eyes + edge, but after emailing with liz, one of the owners, i was sold. liz answered all of my (seemingly) silly questions promptly and enthusiastically. she worked with me to adapt the juices to my tastes and preferences and had it ready for me within a few days of my inquiry. it's apparent that liz and ashley put customer service high on their list of priorities.
portland juice press uses organic and locally-sourced fruits and vegetables to create a diverse array of juices. the juice is pressed using a hydraulic pressure extraction system, meaning that it is completely raw and all of the nutrients are kept intact. liz and alyssa work with a naturopathic physician, ensuring that the juices are packed with vitamins and enzymes to allow for maximum energy while doing the cleanse. the juices are bottled within 24 hours of pressing and have a 72-hour shelf life. portland juice press delivers your daily juices before 8am, or if you have a work conflict (like me), you can pick them up yourself prior to the start of the cleanse and store them in your refrigerator.
the most important (and reassuring) thing i've learned in researching this cleanse is that it is not a fad diet to use as a tool to quickly drop weight. regardless of how well we try to
feed our bodies with nutritious food, countless additives and toxins
work their way inside of us. cleanses allow the body to take a break
from processing all of these toxins and help to rebuild the immune
system—it's a
reboot for your entire body!
the benefits can range from clearer skin and improved sleeping patterns to increased energy levels and reduced aches and pains—all things i'm hoping to experience as a result of the cleanse. every person has different results and experiences, so i will be documenting mine over the course of the week. here are the logistics:
length: 3 days
cost: $120
juices per day: 6 (at 16 oz each)
note: i was not compensated in any way for this review. this blog is a space to share my interests and the things i love and i wanted to share my experience with you. all opinions are completely my own!
image via portland juice press
