August Farm Harvest: The Best Time To Do a Juice Detox

August is a great time to hit reset if you’re a gardener—almost everything you need is coming up in the garden, lowering your costs! It’s also usually around this time in the season that I feel like I’ve lost all control over both my life and the gardens.

 

Since my third child, I have struggled with my weight. Let me be clear—I do not feel overweight. Rather, I feel strong—but I can feel my body changing. I react differently to food now—I can’t just eat to feel full. I need to fuel myself, to pay attention to the subtle hints that my body is kicking my way.

 

Lately, I’ve had some health issues. I’m fairly certain that I’m good to go, but the fact is that no test has really been able to pinpoint what’s up with me (I’ve got some liver issues that are making an occasional appearance). I’m not down to start shuffling pills into my body, so I’ve turned to take a closer look at what is going into my body—not only that, but my moods and general energy levels too.

 

I’ve done a Whole 30, which taught me a ton about inflammation and reading ingredients. I’m also lactose-intolerant, which explains a whole lot (no one picked up on this during my childhood). But lately I’m feeling lost and exhausted—like I’m sitting in the sea, watching wave after wave roll over me while I remain stagnant in the water as I stumble from meal to meal. I just need a fresh start—and more importantly, I need to reaffirm my will power. Enter the juice cleanse.

 

Like anyone else, I considered ordering the cleanse. With prices starting at about $150 USD, I decided to opt for the homemade version. Given that we grow quite a few veggies on the farm and still had the juicer that we had purchased in 2013, I thought I’d give it a go.

 

DAY 1

Starting Weight: 141.3

7 AM: Starting my day with hot water and a squeeze of lemon, feeling strong. I was up until about 11 prepping all the juices the night before, which took way more produce than I thought (yes, I ran barefoot into the garden for more kale at one point). I’ve prepped four juices and a litre of bone broth: Celery Juice, Green Tropical Juice, Carrot Ginger Juice and Beet Juice. I’m going to do these same juices on all three days.

 

7:30 AM: Celery Juice. I want to vomit in my mouth. I read about the benefits for my liver, but I can’t imagine drinking celery juice every day.

 

8 AM: COFFEE. Thank god.

 

9 AM: Decide to get my run in. It seems like a good idea because I’m feeling cocky. I get through it—time is a little slower than usual, but I kick the 5KM in the ass.

 

9:45 AM: Run over. Agree to take my daughter riding. Still feeling strong…and take my Green Tropical Juice out to the barn with me to drink. My daughter is feeling spicy, but so am I so we tack up and ride—this last until about noon, when she packs it in for lunch. I’m not hungry really, and I’m coasting through this thing. What a hero I am.

 

12 PM: I have a couple cups of broth and sit down to type an article out. Feeling so in control…despite the kids eating all the most wonderful foods all around me.

 

1:15 PM: I drink the carrot juice—it curbs the hunger for a little while. But I’m on that first day kick.

 

2-5 PM: Drinking tons of water. Instead of feeling nauseous like I normally do, I feel hungry, which is a change. I’ve got to power through making dinner for the kids, which is challenging but I’m really feeling okay.

 

6:30 PM: We head to soccer practice for my youngest children. Beet juice makes the trip with me and I swear I’m delirious at this point. I drink so much water I feel like there’s a good chance that I’ve drowned myself from the inside out.

 

8:30 PM: The kids are all in bed and I’m beat, but I’ve got to make juices for the next morning. I film a time lapse, drink my hot water with lemon and hit the hay. Watch Netflix for too long and will likely feel terrible tomorrow.

 

DAY 2

Starting Weight: 137.3

Camp day today, feeling slightly insane. Having my two oldest kids away for the day should be a break, but honestly, I think having less to do might be worse. I have great plans to do a HIT workout today, but I think that exerting myself might send me up for failure. We’ll see how it goes.

7 AM: Starting my day with hot water and a squeeze of lemon.

 

7:30 AM: Celery Juice. It’s still gross.

 

8 AM: COFFEE.

 

9 AM: Over morning chores, I settle into my Tropical Green Juice. It’s refreshing and delicious—I mostly try not to think about how much longer I have to drink juice for.

 

9:45 AM: Maybe I have more coffee. I know I shouldn’t, but HEY.

 

12 PM: Carrot Juice time. The kids are eating pea soup with homemade bread. It looks beautiful.

 

1:15 PM: Just drinking so much water. Water, water, water.

 

2-5 PM: I get into the broth. Warm cups as I’m typing seem to keep me focused.

 

6 PM: Make supper for the kids while trying to swallow gulps of beet juice. I decide to make juices for Day 3 now, given how long it took me last night. The children help me, which is highly entertaining—especially when the freshly peeled beets go flying.

8:30 PM: Hot water and lemon. I try not to think about tomorrow. Watching Chicago Fire helps.

 

Day 3

Starting Weight: 137.3

7AM: I feel so irritated. Like every single sound is reverberating in my skull. I’m drinking the stupid water and lemon.

 

7:30 AM: Celery Juice. I can’t manage this morning. I’m going to have coffee. Someone is here to help me with chores today, so I’m going to enjoy a much needed break.

 

9 AM: Take the kids for a walk because everyone is fighting and stressed out. We look for tadpoles and learn about metamorphosis. Have learned that exerting myself on a juice cleanse is not the best idea. So nix the workout. Better to keep cortisol from spiking. Take my Green Tropical Juice on the walk with me. My son wants to drink it the whole time, but I hold my own.

 

11:45 AM: Get back for lunch—I get into the carrot juice while I prep lunch for the kids. Everything looks so good. I want to smash a hamburger bun in my face.

 

12 PM: I sip the carrot juice quietly. It goes down quickly but I’m finding it hard to focus.

 

2-5 PM: I drink some broth and try not to think about food. I try to remember why I’m doing this. I can’t really think of any good reasons, but I’m going to finish what I started.

6:30 PM: I head to my son’s soccer practice, me clutching to my beet juice a.k.a supper for dear life. I sip a cup of broth on the way to stop my hunger from taking over. It’s delicious but at this point I can’t manage any positive feelings for juice barring the fact that it is Day 3 and almost over. I take the kids for ice cream after practice. I restrain myself, but in a weird way, it’s not that hard.

 

8:30 PM: Lemon water time.

THE END.

Final Weight: 136.4

 

Okay, so after all that, the next day was a bit of a wash. I weighed less (about five pounds) but I know this is just water weight coming and going.  Breakfast the next day is heavenly—although I must admit that I feel lightheaded for the rest of the day. My run is considerably easier—it feels good to move again. Most importantly, I feel back on track with my eating. The juice cleanse didn’t seem to do more than help me drop water weight—but I think that the real purpose behind my reset was to regain some control over my eating habits during summer. I’m happy to say that it worked—my hunger is under control—less cravings. And oddly enough, I’m not craving a second coffee anymore.

If you’re interested in trying a juice cleanse, check out the recipes I used below, adapted from www.goodnature.com:

 

RECIPES

 

Breakfast

Hot water and lemon.

Celery Juice

• 1 stalk of celery with leaves removed, juiced with juicer

Wait thirty minutes.

 Tropical Green Juice:

• 2 cucumbers
• 1 pineapple, skin removed
• 3 green apples
• 3 red apples
• ¼ of a lemon

 

Lunch

Carrot Ginger Juice

• 6-7 medium sized carrots
• 3 green apples
• 3 red apples
• 1 oz. of fresh ginger
• ¼ lemon

 

Supper

 Bright Beet Juice: Option # 1

• 12 small beets
•  1-2 green apples, cored
• 1 lemon, peeled
• 1-inch fresh ginger, peeled
•  1 cucumber
• 3 large carrots

Rooty Beet Juice : Option #2 (very bitter—but I suggest this one for the first two days)

• 12 small beets
• 1-2 Oranges
• 20 stalks of kale
• 2 cucumbers