the three day fruit cleanse

For my yoga teacher training, we have themed weeks where we focus on a specific aspect of our personal development.   This week is Restoration - meaning we take the time to rest, refresh, and rejuvenate.  For the digestive system,  this means giving my body a break from more complex foods.  Part of this week requires a three day fruit fast.  I did a little extra research on the internet to fully understand the purpose of the fruit fast.  I found this in an article (read more), on a Fasting website:

"A fruit fast, like any of the fasting methods, will create an environment for your body to heal. You will experience an internal cleansing as the body's systems begin the housekeeping they've been unable to do before. Toxins stored in the tissues will have an opportunity to be flushed out."

Sounds good to me.  I decided to start on a Monday so I could bring fruit to my desk and just eat it mindlessly throughout the day.  So here is the play-by-play of the my fruit fast experience!

Day 1: MONDAY 

Despite my occasional hunger pains, which were fairly easily managed, I felt pretty good and had medium level energy.  I did experience a few cravings, particularly when driving by a Firehouse Subs and when my boyfriend made Caribbean JERK chicken for dinner. Mostly though, I felt accomplished for being so amazingly hardcore healthy.   PROUD!

I started the morning with a Naked Orange/Mango juice.  It doesn't have any added sugars or preservatives, okay, I checked.  After a couple of hours I had my apple, but still started to feel some hunger coming on.  A banana helped handle that situation for a short time, but then the hunger returned.  So, I had a bowl of garbanzo beans with lemon juice.  It was delicious, filled me up, and gave me a break from all the sweetness of the day. I snacked on assorted fruits for the rest of the afternoon and felt relaxed and content. Around 5 pm I started getting a headache and felt an urgent need to eat. After a quick visit with an apple, I made a more hearty dinner - the Fruit Cleanse Southwestern Salad (recipe here).

Day 2: TUESDAY

Today I felt lighter and cleaner in my mind and body. I've disconnected from caring about what I eat, and am only concerned with making sure I don't get hungry. Energy levels were a little lower than usual, which was expected. During yoga practice I felt a little weak and took a lot of modifications throughout the class.  I didn't experience any cravings and felt good overall.

Tuesday morning I woke up with a pretty bad headache.  I wasn't sure if it was from not drinking enough water or low blood pressure from not eating enough food on Monday.  I started the day off with a fruit smoothie with pineapple juice, a big glass of lemon water, and a ginger tea and felt much better. For lunch I had a repeat of the Southwestern Salad, which kept me full until dinner - Fruit Cleanse Butternut Squash Tomato Soup (recipe here). 

Day 3: WEDNESDAY

Today I felt alive!, clean, light, and happy.  I actually had a lot of energy and felt a sense of pride and contentment for sticking to my commitment. Digestive system is clearly functioning at 100% efficiency, and the heaviness from the previous weekend's food frenzy is gone.  I could probably keep going, but I am going to incorporate vegetables and lean meats into my diet tomorrow. 

Wednesday morning I woke up feeling great, and first had a bowl of fruit salad and then a honeydew melon, which was pretty filling.  For lunch I finished off my Butternut Squash soup from the night before and then snacked on grapes and bananas for the rest of the afternoon. Dinner was quick and simple, guacamole and chick peas.