The Master Cleanse
Springtime Cleanses
I have always been anti- Master Cleanse. And now, here I am blogging about it. Although I know many people who have great experiences and say they feel the best they ever felt while doing the cleanse, I just wasn’t sure. The infamous master cleanse, is a diet of only liquid with all of your calories coming from a drink consisting of lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne, and water. My initial concerns about the cleanse were that the mixture contains a lot of sugar and that I would not get enough calories for my active lifestyle. The cleanse is really as simple or complex as you want to make it typically lasting between 3 and 40 days. Very much a “choose your own adventure”. The full event includes: “Ease-In” days, the cleansing liquid period complete with laxatives at night and a saltwater “flush” each morning (you can imagine), and then “Ease- Out” days. For a great explanation and guide check out the website. You are not starving on this cleanse because of the calories you get from the Maple Syrup and it can a great way to become more aware of your own mental-emotional eating habits versus your bodily needs.
I chose to try the cleanse for a variety of reasons. I had always wanted to try cleansing. Being involved so intensely in the yogic and bodywork community I had heard lots about cleansing from clients and practitioners alike and felt like I needed to experience the hype for myself. I also found myself transitioning from winter to spring with a strong sweet tooth, some eating unhealthy eating habits, and a deep desire to start fresh. While there is no bad time to start a cleanse, there is also no good time. I skipped the ease in days and simply tried to eat a little cleaner (more whole foods, less processed) for the 3 days leading in to the cleanse. And then, I simply dove in. I will share a little here:
I did the cleanse for 6 days with one day of “Ease-Out”. I knew I wanted to go for atleast 5, but ended up choosing 6 because that was the day that I finished my jug of maple syrup and I really couldn’t imagine consuming more than this large jug of maple syrup in one week.
Day 1-The first day was the most challenging for me because I have a black tea habit that gets me up in the morning and keeps me going throughout the day. I felt so tired that first day, almost as if my eyes were closing while I worked, but the hunger was no big deal and the mixture was delicious and saved me lots of time compared to my usual meal-prep schedule.
Day 2- I was busy with work most of the day and loved having such and easy meal to make. In the afternoon I was out having tea with a friend and the tea was really bitter. With nothing in my stomach I ended up throwing up the tea while we were out, so that was a minor setback, but mostly a funny story.
Day 3- I continued to love the drink, but started to wonder how delicious it would taste if poured over ice and a little bit of gin. Instead of going out with friends (I was pretty tired) I stayed at home and watched Food Inc. If you need motivation to cleanse or change your eating habits- this is the movie for you!
Day 4- On this particular Saturday I was not working and while I kept myself busy, I also spent much of my time thinking about how much I enjoyed cooking and how much I was just plain ready to eat.
Day 5- I went to Shoshoni Ashram to teach a yoga class and have lunch. “Lunch, on a cleanse? Rookie mistake.” you may be thinking to yourself. I had the same concern about whether my digestive system was as prepared as I was to receive solid food. But, I figured this food was vegetarian, nutritious, and prepared with love. Let’s see what happens. Although I did spend some time in the evening curled into the fetal position with gas bubbles in my belly, overall things when well with my lower GI. I did make a fatal error that afternoon by reading a gourmet cooking magazine and getting into some serious fantasizing about the kitchen creations I would make at the end of this regime. It definitely got a little out of hand.
Day 6- The last day was all too easy to get through because I was excited for the next day on which I would resume EATING (albeit liquids only- or so I thought).
Day 7- I did pretty well. I had juice, broth, and a chocolate cookie (not quite a liquid). It called to me. I swear.
At this point, you may be wondering the same questions I heard most often after doing a cleanse are: did you like it? would you do it again? did you get the “high” everyone talks about? Mostly, Probably, & No.
Did I really like it? No, but did I find benefit from it? YES. I definitely learned about my own emotional eating patterns versus what my physical body needs. I broke some eating habits and am starting fresh with much less caffeine, meat, and sugar than I had was consuming. As for doing it again, it is a really simple cleanse on which I felt mostly good. I liked the challenge and I definitely like the ability to hit the “reset” button on my system. Next time, perhaps I will do it for longer to catch that fasting high everyone talks about!
(Original post May 2011)
