I wanted to share my review of the 5 day summer detox that I just completed. I hadn’t done a detox (or cleanse) this long before so I didn’t know what I was in for. My longest I did previously was a 3 day kitchari cleanse and that almost seemed too long. I was almost nervous about this 5 day one…was I going to be able to do it? Would I cave and eat the chocolate, have the glass of wine or eat the cheese?
Spoiler Alert: I completed it.
I am happy to say that I successfully completed the 5 day detox. It wasn’t easy though as I had my fair share of issues throughout it but it definitely got better as the week went on.
So what was the 5 day detox?
It was a summer detox program that I did through my local yoga studio, Devanadi. It consisted of a detox program where we did 6:30am yoga sessions each day (that were recorded for later if you slept in). The program had two eating options, one of a kitchari cleanse and one of the Garden of Eden (i.e. vegetables with a little bit of fruit) approach.
Morning yoga with hot water and lemon each day.
Day one of the program was a transition day for food where you started to eliminate foods like dairy, meats, sugar, alcohol, caffeine, and processed foods. Basically focus your meals on vegetables and fruits.
Then it transitioned to the true detox or cleanse portion where you could chose the Garden of Eden approach or kitchari. I chose kitchari and ate this for days 2-4.
Day 5 was the transition back day where you could start to reintroduce foods into your diet or continue with eating mostly vegetables and fruits.
It also encourages you to follow dinacharya methods, which are an ayurvedic way of living. These include things like scrapping your tongue each morning, drinking hot water with lemon first thing in the morning, using nasaya oil, etc.
So how did it go?…
Detoxing for 5 days sucks at first but then gets better.
On the first day, I slept through the morning yoga class. Thank God it was recorded! I couldn’t grab my morning coffee so instead I sipped on some hot water with lemon. I ate a smoothie for breakfast that consisted of basically berries and greens with a sprinkle of flax seed and a few walnuts for some protein. Lunch and dinner were both salads and roasted vegetables. I felt satisfied enough because it was just day one.
My problem was that by afternoon I was DRAGGING, like really tired. I also had the beginning of a headache, hello caffeine withdrawls. If I sat still for 2 minutes, I would fall asleep. This was not a good combo when you are working. I ended by day one with brain fog and I couldn’t wait to go to bed.
I slept almost 10 hours that night.
Seriously, I can’t remember the last time that I did that. I think I was like 24 years old without kids. It was amazing, I felt so much more rested in the morning. However I was still dealing with a headache.
For food, I started my day with steel cut oats and a chopped up apple with a sprinkle of cinnamon. I continued with my hot water and lemon. It was warm so kind of like coffee (who are we kidding, it was nothing like coffee). For lunch and dinner that day, I ate kitchari. It was tasty and satisfying since it was the first day I ate it.
It was another day where I slept through the yoga class so I did it in the evening and went on two walks that day. I was starting to feel much better by evening as my headache was slowly going away.
By the third day, I woke up feeling rested and my headache was finally gone!
It was another day of oats for breakfast and kitchari for lunch and dinner. Beverages included hot water with lemon, mint tea, water and sparkling water. I took a few more walks this day and actually got up for the 6:30 am yoga class. Overall I was feeling good but by evening my legs were aching. They say body aches can be part of the body’s detox process so I figured I was on track 🙂
Thursday came and I once again got up for the yoga class and started my day with hot water and lemon. It was my last day of oats and kitchari and I wasn’t even that tired of it yet. This was surprising for me as other times when I did a 3 day kitchari cleanse I was ready to be done by day 2.
My legs really ached on this day, which seemed odd as that was the only thing that ached on me. Some of it may have been that I pushed it too hard with back bends. I am prone to sciatic issues after childbirth so it seemed to make sense. I took more walks this day as well to keep moving despite the achy legs. Besides my legs though, my body felt great.
I was starting to get more mental clarity and energy.
The last day of the cleanse was the transition day back into “real life.” We had one last yoga class that I attended and I went on another walk this day.
For food, I reintroduced eggs into my diet for breakfast with a large pile of veggies. Lunch was a quinoa salad and dinner was tofu egg roll in a bowl. Overall I was trying to stick to mostly veggies with small introductions back into more protein like eggs, tofu and cheese.
For drinks, I had a cup of black tea to start reintroducing caffeine back into my life. I thought about staying off caffeine but my love for coffee is too high right now. I wanted to inch my way back into it though because after previous cleanses, I drank a bunch of coffee the next day and felt horrible. This worked better to slowly reintroduce.
So why do I do these things if I have to “suffer” for a few days?
Detoxing makes you rethink what and why you eat.
I thoroughly enjoyed the detox, even though I didn’t feel good for a few days during it. It is nice to know I can have control over what and why I eat. So often we get into mindless eating habits and start “living to eat” instead of “eating to live.” I think that’s where we get in trouble, when everything becomes about food. Yes, I love food. I love sharing meals with people I love. I love smelling a loaf of pumpkin bread in the oven, turkey and dressing on Thanksgiving and pancakes and bacon on the weekends. But you know what else I love, eating healthy food to fuel my body.
These detox days remind me of why we eat and reset my thinking. So yes, I will still enjoy pancakes and pumpkin bread, but the majority of days I will chose a pile of veggies with protein on the side. And coffee, I just need the coffee.
And will I do another one? Yes.
I hope my review of the 5 day summer detox I completed is helpful to you. If you’ve ever thought of completing a detox, they can be intimidating at first but rewarding in the end. I would suggest consulting your doc or physician before trying anything like this though as they are not suited for everyone.
Have you ever detoxed or cleansed? How did it go?
