Saturday, January 24, 2009

JuiceWoman


I’m sitting at my computer with a genial bowl of vanilla-bean ice cream smothered in a half cup of homemade chocolate sauce.

And indeed, I feel content, but at the same time, ready for a change.

Don’t run away when you read this (because you’ll think I’ve jumped on the trendy bandwagon), but I’ve been mulling over doing a brief juice cleanse in the next couple of weeks.


In fact, I even have the equipment on my kitchen counter.

Does anyone remember the Juiceman infomercial from the early 1990s? Taking well-deserved breaks from reading Foucault, Barthes, and Kristeva, I was captivated by its promises of nutrition and was thrilled to receive a Juiceman juicer as a gift.

(The only problem for this ardent feminist was its name. I quickly designed a new label—the female/male biological symbols—and affixed them to the, ahem, Juiceperson. I ran with a Walkwoman too.)

When the semantics were cleared up, I loved juicing, but eventually, after a move and a new job and children, I ended up keeping the Juiceperson in my cupboard.

But earlier this week, inspired by GOOP’s January cleanse, repulsed by the MasterCleanse, and intrigued by the BluePrint cleanse, I brought out the machine and made a glass of delicious apple/celery/carrot juice.

So: I’m halfway thinking of doing this juice cleanse on my own and adapting recipes from GOOP and BluePrint, saving a couple hundred dollars in the process (BluePrint is fairly pricey ($85 a day if you aren’t in NY/CT), and I’m not thrilled about having fresh-pressed juice sitting in my fridge for three days—I’d like to drink it immediately upon making).

Both GOOP and BluePrint also call for some dessert nut milk—coconut or cashew, and I’m thinking of making almond instead.

But this will take some planning and I’m curious to learn whether anyone has tried a three-day juice. I will begin on Thursday next (I think!).

11 comments:

WendyB said...

Aw, no, don't be one of those "cleanse" peeps. Why does everyone think they're so dirty?

Disneyrollergirl.net said...

Hmm, not too keen on the 'cleanse' aspect but love the idea of freshly squeezed yummy juice. Can't you just have the juice in addition to the regular stuff you eat?

Miss Cavendish said...

Oh dear--it's not about feeling "dirty"--"cleanse" is, to my mind, the wrong word. Rather, to me, it's about simplifying for a few days (and not having to fret about menu choices when juicing is so easy to manage). I like the idea of focus for three days, so I don't have a glass of juice with a sundae chaser (not that there's anything wrong with that!).

Thumbelina Fashionista said...

I love juice, but if I tried that, I'd faint. I can't last long without food in my system.

Elizabeth said...

Mr.OM has done it, twice, and is a big fan of juice. I think you can do it, but you have to have a high tolerance for limits and repetition.

Two things you may want to watch out for: lightheadedness, and emotional upheaval. I'm not kidding about the last one. Juice fasting can bring out wacky feelings of allsorts.

Anonymous said...

Wouldn't it be better to cut out sugar for a while?

I don't actually think a juice fast is necessarily so healthy - you aren't getting the fibre that lowers the glucæmic index, and isn't the lightheadedness also a bit of a sugar rush?

I'm certainly trying to eat healthier than I had been this last little while. When it is bitterly cold, I eat too many carbs, they make me feel sluggish and put on nasty tummy fat (I'm 50-something)...

I don't like simplification if it means not chopping up vegetables. I like doing tasks like that as if not, I do nothing but write for work and pleasure.

K.Line said...

Lagatta's on the money, I think.

My alternative health practitioner parents are totally into this and have their own (well used) Juiceperon. I tried a fast for 3 hours and realized it wasn't for me VERY quickly. I have dodgy blood sugar at the best of times and I need protein and fat or I feel HORRENDOUS. Juice is about the one thing I could give up, with no problem :-) But I'm all for being healthful and mindful in the juice fast way.

PS I want some ice cream and choc sauce now - which is also healthful in a whole other way!

K.Line said...

PS: Enc is right on about the potential emotional upheaval element of the fast. I see that in fasters all the time. (When you've taught yoga, and you have my parents, you've seen a lot of fasts.)

I think given your incredibly busy lifestyle as worker and caregiver to others, a less extreme kind of health restoration method would be better suited. Not that I have any idea - just intuiting.

Miss Cavendish said...

What wonderfully thoughtful comments; thank you SO much to everyone who wrote a note.

I hadn't anticipated the emotional aspect of a juice fast. Although I have a week "off" between semesters, I'm not sure that I want to enter into a psychologically wrenching period during that time.

And I certainly hear your comments about the sugar content of juicing. Indeed, when I drank my apple/carrot/celery blend, I felt the rush immediately. As someone who casually monitors her blood sugar (I do become lightheaded, even faint, easily), I may not be the best candidate for a fast.

So I've decided to be moderate, as best I can: some juicing of both vegetables and fruits; some almond milk, a little protein and salads, carbs in my morning cereal only, and no sugar or caffeine for that week. (The last two will be the most difficult.) Then I'll have the strength to go ice-skating with my daughter's class and will, I hope, lose that sluggish feeling I currently have.

Basically, I'll pretend I'm in California while knee-deep in snow.

Mary-Laure said...

The juiceperson, the walkwoman... LOL

pve design said...

Oh so sorry, I have been away- Yes, I did a seven day juice, along with eating from a list of fruits and veggies, which I can happily send along to you. I juiced and had the help of a holistic counselor which I would advise that you have someone "check" in on you. Juicing the veggies was intense - carrot, celery, beet, parsley, mint, all very tasty.
Wishing you healthy and clarity -