Of course, the true juice acolytes are making their own at home with NutriBullets and Vitamixes. Every CSA delivery is fodder for the blender, along with packets of chia seeds, cultured algae and whey protein. There are entire websites dedicated to blender living, good ones, with justifiably avid followers.
Oh so mockable, right?
The thing is, juice works.
Just not exactly in the way I expected.
I first did a juice cleanse two years ago, much to the amusement of my completely unsympathetic family. It was both excruciatingly hard and enormously empowering. At the time, I was a full on Diet Coke addict, and going cold turkey on caffeine was by far the hardest part. A close second was giving up chewing, which I find I really do enjoy doing several times a day. I compromised by snacking on some of the juice ingredients when the need for food hit. Sliced apples, baby carrots, and raw almonds were like gifts from the gods by the time I was halfway through the cleanse. Suffice to say I spent an absurd amount of time in bathrooms that week, purging toxins like a mad woman.
When all was said and done, though, I was ecstatic. I had never really been hungry, and the juices were really delicious. I'd dropped nearly eight pounds. I wasn't craving sugar or fatty food. I was refreshed, energetic, my skin was glowing...yada yada yada. None of that was the amazing part. The real miracle was that I'd had the willpower to see it through. For five whole days, for the first time in a very long time, I'd been able to maintain control. It was revelatory.
Did it last? No.
Clearly not, or I wouldn't have this jar full of stones on my desk. Juice cleanse weight loss is almost always ephemeral*. But the discipline it takes to go through it is not.**
I juiced again for a couple of days this week, quite happily. I broke through a psychological plateau on the scale, which felt great, even if it turns out to be a fleeting glimpse of long term progress to come. The process gave my willpower muscles a much needed workout, and my body a chance to reset to a healthier starting point.
Just in time to fly down here to San Antonio for a work gathering. The group brought in killer barbecue from a local pit master for dinner, and the only vegetables served were potato salad, sweet creamed corn with cheese, and mayo-laden cole slaw. The drink options included two different colored margarita slushies, with slabs of thick, rich homemade fudge brownies, warm peach cobbler and local vanilla ice cream for dessert.
Maybe Google Now can help me find a nearby cold pressed juicery for breakfast.
* Most places even go so far as to state very clearly on their websites: "cleanses are not weight loss tools" knowing that this disclaimer will likely be ignored.
** I'm also well aware that juicing is not an all or nothing proposition, and that enormous acts of self-deprivation are not required to enjoy many of the benefits of drinking your daily dose of fruits and vegetables. Many friends swear by this balanced approach, which I may myself adopt someday. As Mr. Incredible says, I've got time.
