I started the Junger Clean detox yesterday. I decided that I would post about it everyday (in addition to other, more interesting things) purely to use you readers for accountability. And to vet out any frustrations or odd occurrences.
The detox calls for two liquid meals a day (breakfast and dinner) and a solid meal at lunch. There is a whole list of good recipes and ideas to choose from. You can pick from those, tweak them a bit, and repeat favorite meals. It is relatively flexible (within the confines of “clean” foods). But, I’m still scared. Yikes, two liquid meals a day!!?? I’m not sure if I could make it without you watchdogs…
So today I had a Green Smoothie
- 3/4 cup almond milk
- 1/4 cup coconut water
- bunch of dandelion greens
- 1/8 avacado
- 1/4 cup mango
- ice
Honestly, I actually made the entire recipe in the book (which doubled the ingredients above) and drank the whole thing. I thought it seemed like a butt load of smoothie, but there was no mention of serving size next to the recipe. It wasn’t until the end of the day that I noticed the disclaimer at the beginning of the recipe section: “The following recipes make two servings each.” Does Junger think I live in a sorority house? Who is going to drink this other serving? Dalai Dan sure as heck isn’t…
Next was lunch, which consisted of:
- 4 ounces seared tuna lightly marinated in organic, gluten-free Tamari
- Broccoli Rabe steamed with garlic
- Curried quinoa
Does this look like a lot of food? Well, that is because, yet again, I made the amount the recipe called for, not realizing it was for TWO PEOPLE. This detox is coming off of a great start. (read the fine print, Dalai. Jeeze)
Then came dinner, which was a disappointing, luke warm soup/smoothie:
Zucchini and Basil Soup
- 1 diced succini
- 1 stalk celery
- 1 T red onion
- 1 T olive oil
- 5 Basil leaves
- 1/2 t salt
- 1/4 avacado
- 4 cups water
- (I added spinach)
Blended until smooth
Guess what? The above recipe is for two people! Thankfully, I didn’t like it enough to drink the 6 cups of zucchini soup and put the leftovers in an old spaghetti sauce jar below. This is the point I started questioning the quantity and got on the CLEAN website to confirm that I have over eaten the entire day. No wonder it hasn’t been that bad….
Maybe I have a huge appetite, but that does NOT seem like an over-abundance of food in a day….?
Well, it certainly didn’t feel like too much, which has me worried…I was starving at the end of the day! Hopefully my body will adjust.
Just found your blog through another one, can’t wait to see how your detox comes along! I have been wanting to do my (2nd) juice fast for awhile now, but need to find a good 5-7 day stretch when I’m not working so I can do it. I did have a question, Is there a reason you started this detox (stomach problems, migraines, etc) or did you just feel like you needed it?
Great question…I have felt bloated, tired, and “puffy” for the last couple months. I kept telling myself that it was just some holiday weight and I would go back to normal, but it hasn’t. My digestive system is moving at a snail’s pace, even though my normal diet is pretty flippin’ good and I get lots of fiber. When just having a normal healthy eating week didn’t seem to turn things around, I knew I needed to do something to jumpstart my system. It needs to unclog and wake up!
Good luck on your detox. Finding time is the hardest part. Especially when it takes so long to cook and juice!
I am following directly in your dalai footsteps in two days- keep all the dirty details a comin.
I love it! I hope you like your children better than I do now…my detoxing body needs to live in a convent right now.
Shoot! Give me your other serving! I always say I could get skinny if I had someone else cooking and feeding me that healthy stuff…seriously, doing this with a friend would be half the work and twice the motivation! I need to do one BADLY!
No kidding – we could exchange juices 🙂 It would be even better if we were roommates. If you have a good blender, you could totally do this. I could help you come up with simple means that you don’t have to prepare everyday!
Another well crafted (probably misspelled) email from the Dalai Lina.
http://www.DalaiLina.com
Ahh I see, that’s great that you were able to listen to your body, and I’m happy you read that book and are trying non conventional ways of healing yourself. I work as a nurse so I mostly see people turn to pills for help. (sad face)
Last time I did a 7 day juice fast it wasn’t that I didnt have time to do it, it was just that it was so physically exhausting and that made it hard to continue normal working and such… Now that i’m in the ICU and working night shift I am even more tired, so to add a strenuous detox on top of that might be too much. I was instructed to rest, lay around, and do some light walking while detoxing. Are you working full time while detoxing?
Yes and no…I am a mother of 4, and I can completely relate! Even with one solid meal, I was about ready to snap their heads off. There would be NO WAY I could work in the ICU and not accidentally kill someone with an overdose! I bet it is heartbreaking for you to see people with disease and know they could heal themselves. Maybe you are the messenger?
Lina,
You are an inspiration! I love reading your blog.
Best of luck on the Junfer Clean expeditition. Perhaps one of these days I’ll have the guts/time to follow your lead.
Caroline
Thanks, but I’m only on day 3! Plenty of time to shove chips in my mouth 🙂