homemade 3 day juicing cleanse + detox
i am extra excited about today's post because it has been a long time in the making and it kinda feels like i am taking this space back to where it had originated. if you have been following along my journey for a while now you will know that l|e didn't start out as my name nor as a full foodie site. when i first started blogging back in 2014 this space was called "Falling Feathers, Wild & Free" {i know now quite the roll of your tongue kinda vibe in that name} and was more of a health & wellness mixed with some mindful living and a few scattered recipes.
i had initially started blogging after my dad's passing as a way to help me through the pain of losing him. he passed away very suddenly after being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, and by suddenly i mean two weeks after his diagnosis. it was incredibly heartbreaking and a major shock to the system. during his last two weeks i spent hours and hours and hours a day researching everything you could imagine, i went from sending him to mexico, to sending him to do the gerson therapy, to the traditional chemo and radiation route, to drip therapies and everything in-between. i wasn't able to help my dad but i did learn a lot and made some major changes to my lifestyle.
one of those changes was choosing to live life to the fullest, as happy and healthy as i could. which was how i started falling feathers, but the more and more i wrote for falling feathers the more anxious and confused i got with where i wanted to take that site, it honestly just did not feel natural. as much as i loved the research i had done for my dad and the changes i had made in my lifestyle {which i still mostly keep up with} i felt like a fraud when i was writing because i was forcing myself to write things that i was not completely comfortable with it. then paul and i took a trip to india and everything changed. my perspective on life, my idea of what i wanted, my idea of happiness and health. let me just say india is a transformative country.
i came back from india, did a complete re-vamp of my site, changed it to my name and started sharing all my recipes. to be honest i had thought about starting a recipe blog long before my dad's passing but never had the courage to actually start it. so after india i decided to get back to my cooking roots and l|e was created.
one of the best things i started doing after my dad passed was juicing cleanses. they are my most favourite way to give my digestion a break and allow my body to rebalance itself.
{did you know that every time you eat it takes your body about 20-30% of its energy to digest that meal, just that one meal, so when we eat three times a day your body is essentially spending the whole day helping you digest your food. that doesn't give it much of a chance to heal or cleanse or detox on its own.} so giving your digestion a rest with a cleanse or detox every once in a while will do the body wonders.
a few handy benefits of a regular juice cleanse:
reduces bloating
helps cut your sugar cravings
kick starts weight loss
spikes your energy levels
regulates bowel movements and digestive functions
purifies the liver, kidney and blood
brings clarity to your mind
gives you glowing skin
improves your immune system (which will help in fighting off colds and flus)
helps you sleep better at night
our bodies are put through the ringer every single day, from the air we breathe (gas fumes to disinfectants) to the substances we put into our bodies (pesticides and mercury to processed foods) even to the substances we put onto our bodies (makeup to soaps to lotions) toxins are everywhere in us, on us and around us. a cleanse or a detox helps eliminate these toxic buildups and in turn helps your body function better. it will clear your mind for better thinking, your skin will be glowing, you will feel an overall lightness and you will be able to then tune into your body and her needs more readily.
the cleanse I did last week {recipes below} was only a short one as i was mostly focused on giving my digestive tract a break but you can do 5 even 7 day juice cleanses or even a 7-21 day detox with fresh healthy organic foods and juicing.
disclaimer: cleanses and detoxes nurture and nourish our body and give a boost to our already amazing and supportive internal enzyme system. what they are not meant for is to help you lose 20 pounds in a week or two, don't fall into that trap. the weight you do lose on a cleanse is mostly water weight, there really is no fast track to weight loss, it is a diet and lifestyle change that has to be permanent. this time don't worry about weight, let's stick to the feelings of spaciousness inside, clarity of the mind and an overall sensation of renewed energy.
if you are pregnant or have any health issues always check with your doctor before starting any cleanse/detox or major lifestyle change.
my cleanse this time included homemade almond milks as well as the juices, i am sharing 4 homemade almond milk recipes next week so stay tuned for that. mixing the almond milk with the juices i feel helps to satisfy you a little more and a little longer. along with the milk i had three to four other juices throughout the day. i also started each morning with a glass of warm water and the juice of a whole fresh squeezed lemon (which I actually do every morning, regardless if I am on a cleanse or not), a pinch of cayenne and turmeric and a tsp of honey as well as drinking herbal tea through the day (another daily ritual regardless of cleasning or not).
i suggest being very gentle with your body while on a cleanse, you don't want to do very vigorous exercise as your body is already going through a lot cleansing itself of toxins and your calorie intake is quite low due to giving your digestion a break. the most i do is light walks, some gentle yoga or maybe a small hike with solomon.
3 day homemade juicing cleanse
ingredients
deeply green
1 large cucumber
6 celery sticks
1 lemon
half bundle fresh spinach
3 green apples
1 large bunch of parsley
orange glow
8 oranges
6 carrots
2 inches of ginger
4 knobs of fresh turmeric
tropical delight
3 pears
half a fresh pineapple
1 large handful of fresh mint
1 lemon
1 large cucumber
beets please
2 beets
3 carrots
6 celery sticks
2 green apples
1 lemon
5 large stems of kale
5 romaine leaves
directions
you do need a good quality juicer for this cleanse. cut the vegetables and fruit up so that they are able to fit through your juicing parts and juice away! i don't even bother to peel the lemon or oranges but feel free to if you like.
store the juices in an air tight mason jar in the fridge. the above recipes will make enough juice for two people each day, some may make enough for a second day in one batch depending on how much you drink each day. i didn't have to juice again until the third day! but if you feel like you need more juice each day just multiple the recipes above to make enough that you are satisfied!