Devon: 3 day juice cleanse interview

A new daily journal-style  record of a first-time juice cleanse experience (from  the  person behind many of the blog  posts,  Devon!).

​Occupation: College student, White Birch blogger & newsletter writer, yoga teacher
 
Fun Facts about Me:  I love cats, yoga, tea, chocolate, books, and Taylor Swift.

Favorite White Birch Juice: I love Garden Goodness all of the time…but I always go for a Pink Punch or Chocolate Almond Milk if I need a pick-me-up (for the soul, of course). I also LOVE the Peachy Pie Smoothie…

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​Is this your first time cleansing? Yes!
 
What are your goals/hesitations for this cleanse?
My hope for this cleanse is mostly that I will feel super nutrient-nourished. I also hope to use this three-day period to practice more self-care and rest. My only hesitation for the cleanse is that I have not transitioned optimally into cleansing. My eating habits (as I transition into my freshman year of college) have been okay, but not ideal; therefore, I am mostly interested to see if I experience any more negative symptoms of detoxification.

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Cleanse experience:
 
Day 1:
I thoroughly enjoyed all of my juices today, and felt, for the most part, very satisfied after each juice. I did experience what I think were some detoxification symptoms. After about noon, I felt sleepy, had a mild headache, and had difficulty concentrating. Later that afternoon, I decided to eat something, so I had half of an avocado. I felt exponentially better, and was better able to concentrate. I did notice that I felt very, very full after eating it! Tonight, I read a book (for fun…not school, finally!), drank my almond milk, and went to bed early again.

First juice of the cleanse...the puppies were jealous!

Day 2:
I slept SO well last night. SO well. Better than I have in weeks. I also felt amazing after waking up! I spent the day productively, but also spent time practicing yoga and meditation, during which I felt an enhanced sense of clarity than usual. I also felt so focused and clear overall—in my interactions with people, during studying, and more. Today at around 3PM was the first time I felt hungry. It was noticeably different for me than the strange feeling of being “full” and satisfied on liquids. I ate the other half of the avocado. Again, I felt SO full after eating. I also supplemented my cleanse by going to the juice bar to get an Autumn Apple juice (apple, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla)—it was rainy and chilly and October…and I was seriously craving something fall-y! It was crazy delicious.

Day 3:
I slept incredibly, again! I feel so well rested. Again, I incorporated plenty of yoga and meditation into my day full of studying, and I felt a deep sense of calm throughout the majority of my day. I also felt really light and happy throughout  ​everyday activities. One thing was strange—today I had a hard time drinking my Ruby Red juice (often one of my favorites: carrot, apple, ginger, beet, pineapple, and celery). It felt oddly heavy. Later, I did feel that same feeling of hunger in the early afternoon today, so I ate an apple—mindfully and slowly. It was incredible how satisfying it was! I had a busy evening of yoga teacher training, so I drank (and savored) my almond milk and my Turmeric Tonic, a little bit sad that I didn’t have another Turmeric Tonic to wake up to!

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​Overall experience and benefits:
My cleanse was fantastic! Some of the benefits that I received from it were:

• AH-MAZING sleep (seriously, so good).
• Improved focus
• Energy (especially in the mornings!)
• Better understanding of eating mindfully
• Identification of true hunger (vs. boredom vs. weird feeling from only eating liquids)
• Super easy—it was the first time in a long time that I did not have to make decisions between healthy eating choices and less healthy ones (what a relief!)
• Overall feeling of true nourishment—I knew I had gotten plenty of amazing micronutrients that I know my body had been craving!

 
(Also…I ADORED seeing a motivational quote on all of my juice bottles—it definitely kept me in good spirits throughout the entire 3 days!)