Because of the serious calorie deficits, I’ve never thought that a juice cleanse or soup cleanse was a good idea (trendy or not, it doesn’t really sound like fun!)—but sometimes I find it hard to settle back into a healthy routine after returning home from a trip.
Although Michael and I eat with abandon while traveling, we typically stay pretty active during our travels. We’re active at home too; rarely does a day go by without a gym visit, but I find it’s just not the same as a full day of walking in a new city.
Add in the fact that it’s difficult not to visit our wildly delicious local French bakery for a croissant after spending a week driving through the South of France, or I suddenly feel the desire to learn how to make homemade carbonara to be mentally transported back to Italy while still standing in our kitchen, and, well, things can easily veer off course after coming home.
I guess sometimes it can be easy to switch back to eating healthier after a trip; I do miss the routine of the gym and enjoy shopping for produce at the farmer’s market, which makes getting back on track a breeze. But other times, like now, my cravings for sugar and pastry and gelato are too strong to say no. Enter, a short “detox” to reset.
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Michael and I have done a few short food-based cleanses before, primarily one from the Açaí brand Sambazon (it doesn’t seem to be available any longer; here is a cache of the page if you’re curious). They’ve always been my idea, so I knew this time I needed one that sounded good to both of us to get Michael on board. I certainly am in no shape to do this alone!
I clicked on the link that said “A Quick, Three-Day Summer Detox” on the Goop website, unsure of what to expect. I know the site catches a lot of flack for its “woo-woo”-ness, and I’ve found the articles hit-or-miss in terms of what’s realistic for most people, but I knew this would be the one when I looked it over.
With the real, whole foods my body was screaming for, I knew I wouldn’t feel deprived and I knew I’d be doing right by myself.
As Liz Moody, creator of this detox, says, “The recipes are far more focused on what you put in than what you leave out.” This is so important; I know that if I feel deprived I’m more likely to balk and rebel, completely defeating the purpose.
Michael agreed, surprising himself at how much he looked forward to the meals. Even though I couldn’t wait to get started we decided to push starting the detox to Monday, giving us the weekend to prepare (and having a set schedule during the week helps me feel less tempted to reach into the ice cream that is sitting in the freezer).
I was surprised that this detox didn’t include a shopping list, so I compiled one based on what we didn’t already have. Although we had a lot of items on hand already, it still took shopping at four grocery stores (our local old-fashioned grocer, an Egyptian-owned grocery store, Trader Joe’s, and Aldi) to get everything we needed at a reasonable price.
I then made a note by each recipe determining what we would cook or prep on which day. Saturday, we began soaking the lentils. On Sunday, we prepped Monday’s lunch and also baked Wednesday’s snack. We also watched what we ate that day, trying to exclude as much dairy and added sugar as possible.
We visited a favorite vegan joint (now within walking distance, since we’ve just moved!) for dinner. Coffee, however, is always the last thing to go before starting a cleanse.
And that’s it! We’re as ready as we can be. I’ll see you on the other side, friend!
Have you ever tried a cleanse or detox? Which did you choose, and how did it go?
Curious about the results? You can head over here to read the full play-by-play!
