This post is kind of all over the place because I have so many unrelated topics to discuss. I will try to keep this as clean and organized as possible. Starting . . . now.

Unrelated topic #1:
I plan to review something for you all soon that I am very excited about!  It comes from the same place that sells some pretty cool LED lighting sets, which I hope to buy if I am ever able to move into my own apartment. However, the product I will review is more relevant to my healthy lifestyle. Hint: Rachel loves it and it is small and you put food in it.

Moving on.

Unrelated topic #2:
I was very lucky to have the chance to visit the Boston location of my favorite place in the world: exhale spa. I love visiting familiar things in unfamiliar places — everything is kind of the same, but also different. It is like seeing your 4th grade teacher at the mall.

I got excited just seeing the front door!

I got to take a class there! Core Fusion Cardio fit into my schedule and it was SO weird taking a class I know well in a place I don’t. Liz from @exhaleboston was so great and showed me around and got me all set up. My teacher Andrea was awesome! She was upbeat, motivating and so much fun. I definitely recommend everyone in Boston take her class. And it turns out Andrea recognized me from my Core Fusion Challenge, she just didn’t realize it was me until after and she commented on my blog later to tell me!

I was thinking about where I might one day want to live, and I realized I don’t know if I could move to a place that doesn’t have an exhale spa and Core Fusion classes. That is a little sick, right? Hopefully exhale continues expanding. Some places I would especially like to see them pop up are Seattle and London. Hint, hint, Fred.

Exhale Boston is on two floors there, which is really great for keeping the Core Fusion room separate from the spa and yoga areas. And so I got into the elevator.

Uhh . . . I just wanted to go up.

What does this mean??! Which is up and which is down?? I stared, confused, until someone in the elevator with me who had been there before pressed the right button.

It did give the meaning of each in small letters underneath, but I was in too much shock to register that.

Speaking of Core Fusion, I wanted to hold a little poll.

NYC readers: If you were able to try ONE free class at exhale, would you want to try Core Fusion or Core Fusion Cardio? Both are absolutely amazing and challenging and rewarding. Please comment below, tweet me or email and let me know.

I might have something up my sleeve. Except it is summer and my arms look awesome from Core Fusion, so I am not wearing sleeves.

Unrelated topic #3:

Cooler Cleanse giveaway winner!

Thank you thank you thank you to all of you who commented here and wrote on Cooler Cleanse’s Facebook wall . We took all your votes into consideration, weighing extra heavily those who entered by comment and wall post. It was a very tough decision but in the end we agreed there was one clear winner:

Congratulations Elizabeth KS!

Elizabeth KS said:

Where to start?! I have been really curious about the Cooler Cleanse for some time, after hearing about the company from several friends (and okay, I’ll admit it, reading about it in magazines as a celeb favorite!) I’ve been intrigued, dying for more info… and yes, hoping to try it very soon myself. I’m really excited to see such an in depth, honest and super-validating review! Thank you for all great info and detail – it’s really very helpful to know what I can expect (like, love and not love) before diving in and trying the cleanse. The Cooler Cleanse just sounds like a great option for all folks, both cleanse-veterans and like myself, cleanse-novices (aka it tastes good and is simple to follow – WITHOUT sacrificing the hard core health and nutrition benefits.) Many of the cleanses out there are either intimidating/downright inedible OR on the flip side they are easy to follow & swallow but they don’t provide this same level of cleanse effectiveness and/or nutritional awesomeness. I have personally had a very rough year with my husband losing his job and a host of other issues (sadly as we all know, tough times often lead to bad eating habits and poor health) but I am now looking toward the future and want to kickstart better days with good nutrition and a positive outlook. What better way to re-start my system, body, outlook and life than by Cooler-Cleanse-ing it out for three days!! I would be so sincerely grateful if I were to win this cleanse – I think it might be the (much-deserved) start of a whole new me! PS This late-breaking-news that very soon they will be extending the delivery zone outside of NYC is especially fantastic… we recently relocated to Boston and I can’t tell you excited I am to have a little piece of (healthy, innovative, awesome) New York available here! I was seriously considering making a pal from the old neighborhood drive me the cleanse 3 hours away

We hope you enjoy your cleanse, Elizabeth!

If you didn’t win and you live in NYC, get 10% off your Cooler Cleanse with the discount code ESSENTIALGREEN. This code is valid through July 19 for NYC local delivery only. Read my review of Cooler Cleanse here.

This is probably not the last you will see of Cooler Cleanse on this blog. I hope to give you more chances to try a cleanse because so many of you had such inspiring responses.

Happy Fourth of July! Hope you all enjoyed your long weekends. I enjoyed mine, although I had to work a little each day, especially on Monday. For some reason I have to work over every long holiday weekend — what is up with that?! I did get to spend a good amount of time out in the sun, so being sun-tired combined with stressed from work means Tuesday blags is late tonight. But worth it.

As you might know I’ve tried Blueprint Cleanse twice and Organic Avenue once. What I haven’t had a chance to discuss yet is that last month I tried the new kid in town in the world of the juice fast — Cooler Cleanse. A collaboration between Salma Hayek and Eric Helms (founder of Juice Generation in NYC), Cooler Cleanse officially launched earlier this year. Their history, from their website:

Since 1999, Eric Helms, founder of Juice Generation, has offered the ultimate juicing experience in New York City. In 2008, he received a very specific challenge from friend and fellow juicing devotee Salma Hayek. She asked him to custom-blend the perfect detoxifying drinks: raw, nutrition-packed juices that would improve her cleanses to make them as effective—and enjoyable—as possible.

Using his top-of-the-line hydraulic press, Eric created a rich array of nutritious concoctions from organic, sustainably grown produce. Salma taste-tested and reviewed them all. The process took months as what started as a friendly challenge evolved into a dynamic collaboration to create their dream line-up of detox drinks.

The result of their efforts is a cleansing program that is easy to accomplish, ultra-fresh and absolutely delicious. To complete the cleansing experience, they worked with some of the best nutritionists and vegan chefs in Manhattan to develop additional raw-food menus, always using the premium-grade ingredients on which Eric built the success of his stores.

So it sounds great, but Blueprint Cleanse also sounded great and well, I really disliked their green juice. I drink green juice every day but BPC’s was just too sickly sweet. I think it is the apple. Organic Avenue was okay but the delivery was annoying and expensive. I was excited to try Cooler Cleanse to see if it was any better, since it is very helpful to me to have a juice fast that I like because of my GI illness.

Even though my stomach has been feeling much better than the last few years, sometimes I still feel really badly. A  juice fast helps get me on track again. In fact, right before I had four months of feeling almost completely better, I did a juice fast. I really believe it is a good tool for resetting and getting back on track to a better stomach and healthier habits.

For those of you not familiar, the hydraulic press used to make these juices retains the most vitamins, minerals and enzymes so you are essentially drinking vitamins and nutrition and health and rainbows and unicorns. Drinking your meals also gives your digestive system a break so your body can use less energy digesting and more energy absorbing nutrients and healing. Check out the reasons you might want to try a juice fast.

While on a juice fast, you will miss the act of eating but you will probably not feel hungry. There are SO many vegetables in these juices and they are just so filling. Sometimes I am not able to finish a whole day. I do recommend getting the advice of a professional before starting any cleanse and following the instructions on easing into the fast — and out of it. And please read the SIX BIG QUESTIONS, which has valuable information on who should — and shouldn’t — cleanse.

So last month I checked out the Cooler Cleanse website and decided that instead of the standard 3-Day Cooler Cleanse, I would instead go with something I thought was a fantastic idea — the Custom Cooler. In the Custom Cooler, you can choose exactly which juices you want from their menu. If it is your first time cleansing, I would absolutely recommend going with their 3-Day Cooler Cleanse because the juices (and the order) are carefully selected for the purpose of, well, cleansing. In my case, I’ve been around the juice fast block a few times and I know what I like and I know what I need for my specific stomach problems. And that is why I ordered three days worth of Custom Cooler.

Before I go on I just want to say that I receieved no discount or free cleanse to try. I paid in full because I wanted to try this out.

And . . . I loved it.

Seriously, their Essential Green juice. SO GOOD. Like real green juice. Not sickly sweet or overwhelming or very veggie-tasting even. I read that Salma Hayek went through many green juice taste trials before they perfected their green juice recipe. (The secret ingredient is pear!) I also tried some other juices from their menu.

I really loved the Pineapple & Ginger juice. I drank it on my first of three days and wished I had ordered it for all three. But then I also loved the fruit juices I ordered for the other two days — the Pineapple Mint and Waterlemon Lime. Uh, yeah, how could I not? The Essential Red was all right, not my favorite. I tried the Almond Milk and the Brazil Nut Milk. Both were good and sweetened with dates only, so they weren’t as sweet as other cleanse’s  nut milks I’ve tried on cleanses that contain agave. There is a debate going on about whether agave is good or bad for you so it was nice to avoid that whole issue and stick with a true natural sweetener. That said, these nut milks really are not as sweet as you might be used to, so prepare yourself. While they were a great treat at the end of a long fast day, the “dessert” feeling was a little lost. But I still thoroughly looked forward to and enjoyed the nut milks.

Would I do Cooler Cleanse again? Definitely. Would I choose them over their competitors? Yep.

I really enjoyed their juices, the convenience of their delivery and the fact that they offer a Custom Cooler ($60/day — but think about buying a few margaritas and dinner!).The typical 3-Day Cooler Cleanse ($58/day) contains six juices a day. This is the sample menu.  They also have a 5-Day Cooler Cleanse for the more ambitious of you and a Raw Cooler ($62/day), which delivers a full day of delicious raw-food meals and drinks. And if you do the Raw Cooler you get SMOOTHIES. They look so good. You can read about the different types of cleanses here.

Want to try Cooler Cleanse for free?

Enter for a chance to win a FREE 3-day Cooler Cleanse.

Here’s how:

• Leave a comment here telling us why you deserve a 3-day Cooler Cleanse (one entry)
• Leave a note on Cooler Cleanse’s Facebook wall telling us why you deserve a 3-day Cooler Cleanse (two additional entries) – don’t forget to Like them!

Be creative! Or be honest. Or be . . . something. There is no random number generator at work here —  I will work with the Cooler Cleanse team to select a winner (your extra entries mean your answer gets has more weight) and I will announce the winner here on Tuesday, July 13. You must be a US Resident to enter, and if you are selected as a winner and live outside the NYC area, you will have to select a cleanse date beginning after July 19 when nationwide shipping begins.

In NYC and want to try a juice fast and save some cash? Get 10% off your Cooler Cleanse with the discount code ESSENTIALGREEN. This code is valid through July 19 for NYC local delivery only. I’ll be using that code for myself.

Okay, so remember — leave a comment here and on Facebook for a total of three entries to win a free 3-day Cooler Cleanse! This prize is worth $189 with delivery or $174 with pickup. Good luck!

[All photos taken from the Cooler Cleanse website]

Back in June, I did a three day Blueprint Cleanse. Then, in October, I did Organic Avenue LOVEdeep for five days.

And now I am on the third day of another three day Blueprint Cleanse. Last time I chose the Level 3 Excavation Cleanse. This time I opted for Level 1, the Renovation Cleanse. This is because while I love green juice and drink it every day, I really don’t like BPC’s green juice. I figured out that it is because they include romaine, which just doesn’t taste good juiced to me. Level 3 contained four green juices a day, while Level 1 only contains two. Two I can handle.

[Source]

Level 1 contains these six juices in the following order each day:

(1) Green Juice, (2) Pineapple Apple Mint, (3) Green Juice, (4) Spicy Lemonade, (5) Carrot Beet Apple Lemon Ginger and, the one I look forward to all day long, (6) CASHEW MILK.

Why did I decide to shell out my hard earned and in limited supply cash now to do yet another juice fast?

• My stomach has been BAD lately. Bloating, pain, etc. I had no relief. Once again, I needed a break.
• I overindulged over the holiday weekend, even though I a Jew!  Needed to get back on track.
• I got an email from BPC offering 25% off. An offer I couldn’t refuse given my other reasons.

So here I am on Day 3 and I must say it hasn’t been too bad at all. I’m doing this with my good blogger friend Maggie which has been great for support. We gchat all day about the cleanse. Maggie is doing Level 3 which is good for her since she loves the greens. She actually hates the cashew milk, which is my favorite. I want to do a cashew milk only cleanse. If only I could trade Maggie my greens for her cashew.

The first day was tough in the sense that I just wanted to eat. I was working from home and I was in noshing mode. Of course, there was no actual need to nosh, especially since I had a food filled weekend upstate with my mom, brother, Mallory and her family. The weekend consisted of peanut butter cup cookies, noodle pudding, sweet potato casserole, broccoli casserole, french toast . . . you get the picture. Not the way one is supposed to transition into a cleanse, but what can you do.

I decided to use my rebounder  during the day (figured this would be a great time to reap its benefits) but ended up only doing 10 minutes due to work and laziness.

Once again, I was surprised by how not hungry I was. That doesn’t mean I didn’t want food (I had crazy cravings for foods I don’t even eat anymore), but I was full from my juices. I wasn’t even able to finish the red one (carrot, beet, apple, lemon, ginger) because I was so full. I did finish my beloved cashew milk. YUM. Made the whole day worth it. It is made with vanilla bean, agave and cinnamon.

And even though I went to bed full, I didn’t feel like I usually do after dinner — stuffed, unable to move, blah. None of that. I felt fine, but satisfied.

I woke up Tuesday morning and felt different. It was a sensation upon waking I have not experienced since, well, my last juice fast. How to describe it? I didn’t feel like my stomach was . . . there. Does that make sense? Normally when I wake up, the first thing I feel is my a heavy weight in my stomach. It sticks out in front of me. Now, it doesn’t always LOOK like it is sticking out. But it always, always feels like it. I wake up every day with this weight.

On Tuesday, I woke up with no weight.

I knew this cleanse was worth it.

When I got out of bed, I lifted my shirt and looked in the mirror. I didn’t recognize my own body. All the lumps and random spots of bloat throughout my abdomen were gone. I looked almost like I did before I got sick (I say almost because I did still gain weight). I wanted to wear a bikini! Too bad it’s the middle of winter. I miss being able to wear a bikini.

I sat down to work (from home again) and I just couldn’t get over how great I felt. No pain at all. No discomfort at all. I decided to get in a little workout and went to the building gym for 30 minutes on the elliptical.

When I got back, I started struggling. I just wanted to eat something post-gym. I told Maggie I was having a hard time. It’s hard not eating when you’re used to eating. I missed tastes, flavors, textures. Just like the last time. It is especially hard when you follow foodies and food companies on Twitter and read food blogs for fun.

I got back on track pretty easily, though. At 5:00 I left to go to my mom’s in Queens to visit with her, my brother and Mallory. Things got very difficult when Mallory made homemade vodka sauce for penne a la vodka. I wanted it so badly. I considered taking one piece of penne to try, but I didn’t. And luckily for me, they ate all the food up, and pretty quickly, so there was none for me to steal later. I did, however, take two slices of cucumber — one of Blueprint Cleanse’s allowed “cheat foods.”

I was able to finish all my drinks and even finish the one I couldn’t finish the day before. I really wanted tea — herbal tea is encouraged on BPC — but my mom didn’t have any. Instead, I made hot water with cinnamon and drank two mugs of  that. I assume cinnamon is OK since it is in the cashew milk. And it was really good! I wouldn’t mind drinking that every now and again.

Once again, the cashew milk was the star of the day. It was my redemption. My treat for getting through another day. And it is so filling, so even though I was awake watching Funny People after finishing it and then took a really long time falling asleep, I never felt hungry or tempted to get some food.

I woke up this morning at 7:30. Day 3.  Not hungry. At all. Worked until 9:00 before starting my hot water with lemon (blech) and first green juice. I didn’t finish the first green juice until 11.

I wasn’t very hungry and I have a really hard time getting the greens with romaine down.

Then my brother and Mallory came home with a box of Dunkin Donuts. WHAT.  Mallory also had a white hot chocolate! I never tried that before. I needed to know, I took a tiny sip. Heaven.

Moving on.

I have not taken any doughnuts. In a way, it is good I am doing the cleanse now because I probably would have gorged myself on doughnuts. Last night, I likely would have gone overboard on the garlic bread and pasta. So this is a good thing. I also would have gone to Applebee’s tonight if not for the cleanse. I am grateful to the cleanse in this sense.

So here I am in the middle of  Day 3, sitting next to a box of doughnuts. I’m not starving. I am only on juice #2 and it is 12:00. I can get through today. My stomach is calm. No rumbling, no movement, no pain, no bloat, no discomfort.

Oh yeah and it is flat. Sigh. I will miss this when it’s gone.

This is all bittersweet. I feel amazing now. I wish I could eat no solid food all the time, but obviously that is not possible. As great as I feel now, I know that as soon as I eat food again all the old problems will come right back. I wish I could wear a feeding tube attached to one of those silver stands with wheels like in hospitals, and just walk around with that all day.

And, I miss food. I miss eating. I miss flavors. I miss noshing.

I don’t think I will do another cleanse for awhile since they are costly and in the end, not so worth it for my long term comfort. I spend so much money on my GI problems, it’s just not something I can stick with. I am glad I did BPC again, though, and even gladder that I went to Level 1 this time. So much better than Level 3 for me. And I still have my cashew milk to look forward to at the end of the day.

Maybe I’ll put on a bikini tonight.

Welcome to Day 5 of my Organic Avenue 5 Day LOVEdeep fast from all solid foods. Click here to read my entry about why I decided to forego solid foods for 5 days. Then read recaps of Day 1 and Day 2 and Day 3 and Day 4.

I’ll go through my last day of the fast and then discuss my reflections on my experiences during this week overall. First, the menu:

• LOVE DEEP #1. (approx. 8/9am) Chlorophyll Elixir: Chlorophyll increases the function of the heart, affects the vascular system, the intestines, the uterus, and the lungs. It is therefore a tonic which, considering its stimulating properties, cannot be compared with any other. (Dr. Bircher)
• LOVE DEEP #2. (approx 10/11am) Fresh Pressed Lemonade: (Lemon, lime, alkalized water, ginger, agave, Himalayan sea salt) FYI: Lemons are an abundant source of Vitamin C which is known to stimulate collagen and accelerate the healing process of various skin wounds. (read article)
• LOVE DEEP #3. (approx 12/1pm) Young Love: (Spinach, cucumber, celery) FYI: Cucumbers are a natural diuretic and can support the health of the liver and pancreas. (read article)
• LOVE DEEP #4. (approx 2/3 pm) Masters Tonic: (lemon, purified water, yacon, cayenne)
  FYI: Lemon water is a good morning drink to start the process of removing impure chi in the body. It cleanses the digestive system and relieves symptoms of indigestion such as heartburn, bloating and belching. Also, it controls constipation and diarrhea by eliminating waste more efficiently. (read article)
• LOVE DEEP #5. (approx 3/4pm) Gazpacho Madrileno: (Tomatoes, cucumber, celery, bell peppers, carrots, cayenne, lime juice, sea salt) FYI: Celery can reduce a reddened face, high blood pressure, dizziness and headache. (read article)
• LOVE DEEP #6. (approx 5/6pm) Fresh Pressed Veg 8* (Swiss chard, spinach, kale, cucumber, celery, romaine, carrot, tomato, green apple, lemon, lime) FYI:Cucumber has a cleansing action within the body by removing accumulated pockets of old waste material and chemical toxins. It might help in the treatment of arthritis since it helps eliminate uric acid. Cucumber’s liquid has the reputation of being a rejuvenator and makes us feel and look young. (read article)
• LOVE DEEP #7. (approx 7/8pm) Coconut Water: FYI Coconut water is one of the highest sources of electrolytes. Coconut water is identical to human blood plasma which makes it the universal donor. Plasma makes up 55% of human blood. By drinking coconuts we give ourselves an instant blood transfusion. (read article)
  *Dori’s note – I had Almond Mylk in place of Thai Coconut Water.

Sorry the formatting is sometimes off in these descriptions. I don’t know why some days it works and some it doesn’t, but when I go into the code it just won’t fix itself!

I woke up with a smile knowing it was my last day without food. I drank the chlorophyll, brushed my teeth, flossed and scraped my gum. Then I brushed my teeth again. If you’ve ever had chlorohpyll, you’ll understand why.

When I got to work I took out my first juice, lemonade. I was disappointed to see this on the menu because I consider the masters tonic lemonade as well, and I don’t like it. Needless to say, I didn’t like this one either. I am not a fan of sour foods. I had to force it down, all the while mourning the fact that I didn’t get another orange/grapefruit juice.

Next up was my love the Young Love. As always, I loved it. And then . . . masters tonic. MORE LEMONADE. Blech. I got it down.

I started getting very hungry and knew it was time for soup. Oh, filling soups, how I love you. The soup of the day was GAZPACHO SOUP, Rimmer’s last words (Red Dwarf reference anyone? Anyone??). So in love with the idea of this soup as I was, I emailed my brother and CC’d Mallory (fellow Red Dwarf fanatics) to see if they could guess what I was eating with only the hints (1) Red Dwarf and (2) Drink, not eat. My brother sadly fell short of the correct answer with his guess of “Beer Milkshake.” A good guess, nonetheless.

I had gazpacho soup a few months ago and enjoyed it, so I was expecting good things. I poured some into a cup and was pleased to see small chunks of veggies. Yes, chunks. As in, SOLID FOOD. I would get to chew! My teeth perked up with happiness and my jaw let out a huge sigh of relief.

I dipped my spoon. I put it to my mouth. Chew, swallow. Not bad! After a few more bites, my mind changed. I didn’t love the soup after all, especially not the aftertaste. It took me a long time, but I ended up eating almost all of it. I was very hungry and while I did enjoy the chunks, the soup itself was very thin. I was really missing Thursday’s heavenly, thick cauliflower soup. Oh how delicious it was.

After I finished the soup it was time to leave work and luckily my hunger had subsided. The soups are so filling — a big reason I prefer the Organic Avenue program to BPC, although I might be willing to try out one of BPC’s fruitier options in the future. I went to my cousin’s to hang out and it was hours later that I began to feel any hunger. This time, I drank Wednesday’s Veg 8 (saving Thursday’s and Friday’s for the weekend to guarantee freshness). While I did not enjoy it, I got it down and was once again full and satisfied.

After I left to go home around 8:30, I drank my final Almond Mylk and once again it was like drinking heaven. It made the entire day so worth it! Organic Avenue advises you each day to “chew your juices” and only with the Almond Mylk was I truly able to comply. It begs to make its flavor last as long as possible. Why did I not think to ask for this after the very first day!

Chew chew chew. Mmmmnmnmmnmm.

When I got home, I was feeling pretty good. None of the weakness I experienced on Monday (more to come on that below) and I was happy to be DONE. Except that the boy had ordered a salad again and there as the tiny roll of bread that comes with it and, well, I am me. I tore it open and took a bite and wow it tasted fresh and delicious and I never knew bread to be SO GOOD. So, so, so good. Strange how all the times I had tasted it in weeks past I never cared for it. How silly of me! It is the best bread ever! Right?

Ha.

So there you have it, my little indiscretion. I went to sleep feeling happy, content and not at all hungry.

And now I reflect.

Reflections and Review

• By the end of the night on Day 1, I was not doing okay. I felt weak and out of it, and the boy said I looked ill. It took a little piece of bread to literally make that disappear and give me back my much-needed energy. I honestly could not fathom bringing the empty juice bottles downstairs to the doorman, that is listless I was. To be fair, I skipped the masters tonic, the veg 8 and the coconut water. I did not finish the soup. So I don’t blame Organic Avenue or juice fasting as a whole for my feelings because I believe that if I drank all the drinks for the day I probably would have felt fine. But I just couldn’t drink them. I wanted to, but couldn’t possibly get more liquid down. I guess this is how my body dealt with no solid foods for a day. The bread was necessary and I am so glad I had it.
• Day 1 became a major mental challenge by the end of the day. As I mentioned, at one point I had my computer on my lap and an email to Organic Avenue open to try and get out of the next 4 days. In the end, I never did send that email. GOOD THING I DIDN’T. I would have regretted that decision. I was not thinking rationally, as evidenced by how out of it I was.
• Each day became easier than the one before it. Day 2 was no problem at all! The more I got used to not eating, the less I craved foods. On Day 1, I had serious cravings for pizza and egg & cheese sandwiches. As the days went on, these cravings all but disappeared. As you might remember when I was on Blueprint Cleanse, I was craving tacos and Chinese food on the first day!
• A treat at the end of the day makes the entire day easier. I need something delicious to look forward to. I do not like coconut water. I had already known this, but this fast brought it all back. I want to like it. I gave you all 5 reasons why it is awesome for you. But I just don’t like it. And I am SO happy that Organic Avenue was so accomodating and replaced it with Almond Mylk! If only I had asked sooner! On BPC, the cashew milk at the end of the day was amazing, and I was really missing that treat until I thought to ask Organic Avenue to switch it up. I can’t say for sure, but I don’t know if BPC would make substitutions quite so easily.
• Yes, I had a teeny amount of bread some of the days. At first, I felt really guilty about this and bemoaned “ruining” my fast. As the days went on, I stopped feeling as much guilt (although it never fully went away). The point of this 5 day fast was to FEEL BETTER. I wanted to experience no stomach pain, no discomfort, maybe fit into my clothes for a few days, not feel weighed down with all the food that is taking up space in my body and most importantly, give my “diseased” digestive system a REST! A break! We all need a break and believe me, my GI tract needed one too. If I felt awful the entire time, then what is the point? I’d be feeling ill, just a different shade of ill. Worth it? Not at all.
• I learned about some delicious Organic Avenue creations that I love — particularly the Young Love, Almond Mylk, Orange/Grapefruit Juice and Cauliflower Soup. The last two I probably would never consider getting if not for this fast, so I am happy to have some new choices I love — and to visit the store more often and try even more!
• Each day was a mental challenge. It is important to note that I was NEVER hungry on this fast. Not once. And I am a generally hungry person. After a big meal, I am still hungry. An hour after eating lunch, I am still hungry. During this week, however, I was full most of the time. The drinks and soups provided more nutrients and nourishment than I could ever imagine putting into my body myself on a single day — let alone an entire week. The challenge was not in being hungry — it was in WANTING to eat. As in, the physical act of eating. I missed chewing, I missed mealtimes, I missed smells and textures and flavors. I love to eat. The more I didn’t eat this week, the more I wanted to eat. We are human. We are meant to eat.
• I had energy. I ran 2 miles on Tuesday and 3 miles on Thursday of the juice fast week. No problems there.
• I loved that the menu varied each day. It was so refreshing to be able to try different drinks and soups each day. On BPC, you get the same thing each day. Having variety made the fast more interesting and gave me new tastes to look forward to. This was especially good given that I liked some juices and soups more than others, and it would have sucked to have one I didn’t like every day. It was also great because I got to try Organic Avenue products that I might not have tried on my own. I never would have known how much I love cauliflower soup or orange/grapefruit juice! I think a good idea for Blueprint Cleanse would be to offer a 3- or 5-day cleanse in waves, so instead of choosing one level for the entire time, each day it would change around. If they come up with this idea, I want credit! This is documented on the interwebs for eternity!
• I loved the information and links that went along with each day’s menu. Even though many of the juices were the same every day, the descriptions of the health benefits always varied. I learned SO much. I hope you did too!
• I experienced, for the first time in more than 2 years, an entire week without any GI pain or discomfort. Goal ACCOMPLISHED. This is all I had hoped for. One pain-free week. One week without the constant and strange loud sounds emanating from my midsection. One week without rushing home from work to lay down. One week without calling my doctor in tears begging for something, anything, to take the pain away. One week to wear pants my own size and not maternity- or too-big-for-my-body-clothing. One week off from the hell that is my digestive system. And I got that. This entire week was worth it if just for that.
• But there’s more! I am now on the road to even cleaner eating than before. I am now a pescatarian, albeit with very little appetite for fish. I will be making more blended salads (already had one and it was delish). I will be attempting more vegetables. I will *try* to cut down on the sugar. With some exceptions of course (see: Buttercup cupcakes at a family party the other night). I will not be afraid to ask for foods I want (at said family party, I asked for a plate of vegetables instead of the chicken/veal/fish options available — and they gladly obliged). I hope these changes improve my overall health for the better (decreased chances of cancer) and I also hope they can cause some positive result on my stomach. I’m not holding my breath, but I can hope.

While I did not love every drink, I did enjoy most of them and I am so thankful to Organic Avenue for allowing me — and encouraging me — to do the 5 Day LOVEdeep at a discounted rate. I was only going to do the three day but I am very happy I took the challenge and fasted from solid foods for 5 full days (with a couple minor indiscretions). I would recommend this program to anyone interested in not only a juice fast but a fast that incorporates food as well. I happened to do Organic Avenue’s most difficult fasting level, but they have two easier levels – LOVEeasy and LOVEfast that incorporate both food and shakes (YUM). I didn’t choose those because I know the problems my body has and I know I would benefit most from not having my GI tract do any work over this week. It needed the biggest rest it could get.

However, if you are interested in starting out on something like this, I recommend talking to a doctor or health counselor or other professional and looking into one of the easier levels like LOVEeasy and LOVEfast. If you’re ready for a challenge, LOVEdeep is a great way to go — particularly given Organic Avenue’s fast and friendly customer service. I mentioned once that my friend who got very sick doing Blueprint Cleanse was unable to get in touch with anyone there for hours upon hours — and when she did, they told her she had the flu. In July. A flu that magically cured itself once she ate the blended salad that Gena recommended. Right.

Do your research, get professional guidance and visit Organic Avenue. Even if a fast from all that is processed and wrong in the world is not right for you, I can promise you will find some tasty and healthy treats — and it might just convince you to eat a little cleaner.

Yes, I got lazy.

Click here for recaps from Day 1 and Day 2 and Day 3.

I last left you after my delicious Young Love on Day 3. I did manage to get the masters tonic down and moved on to the highly anticipated carrot ginger soup. I hated it. Seriously. I really enjoyed the soups of the first two days, and I look forward to the soups as they are thicker and really do feel and sit like a meal. I did my best to get the carrot soup down but I have to say, it was not easy. I think the reason I was looking forward to it was because I was (stupidly) expecting it to taste like my former coworker Erik’s carrot souffle that he made for many work occasions. I was madly in love with that souffle and would devour as much of it as I possibly could. Of course, that had sugar and who knows what else in it! So it was par for the course that this soup would not taste like Erik’s souffle.

And really, I am not a raw carrot fan. I don’t mind it when it’s part of a juice with other veggies but when I can taste it too much, I don’t like it. Once I tried juicing carrots in my green juice and had to pour it out. For the next few weeks, ALL my juices tasted like carrot no matter how often I ran the juicer parts through the dishwasher!

Moving on. Knowing that my almond mylk substitution for coconut water wasn’t starting until the next day, I stopped at the West Village Organic Avenue on my way to writing class to drop off some of my glass bottles and pick up an almond mylk for the night. I was SO tempted by all the food there! And the mint chocolate chip shake! I decided I will pick up dinner and a drink at Organic Avenue every Wednesday before my class. While it is expensive, it will make for a nice weekly treat.

I still had some time to kill before class so I forced some more carrot ginger soup down. During the halfpoint class break I forced a little more. At this point I made the choice to forego the Veg 8, being as I had absolutely no appetite for it whatsoever. And then I opened the almond mylk. And then I fell in love.

HOLY YUM this is amazing. I’ve had some very good almond milks before, but this was by far the creamiest and most amazing. I recommend you all go to Organic Avenue and buy yourself a bottle. Don’t stress about the price — you get a $2 refund when you turn in your bottle to them. So worth it!

And I was full! And I felt great. And if I did the 3 Day LOVEdeep like I had wanted, or if I did Blueprint Cleanse again, I would have been DONE.

But alas, I had two days to go.

Which brings us to Thursday, Day 4.

The menu:

• LOVE DEEP #1. (approx. 8/9am) Chlorophyll Elixir FYI: In his book Chlorophyll Magic From Living Plant Life, Dr. Jensen mentions several cases where he was able to double red blood cell count in a matter of days merely by having patients soak in a chlorophyll – water bath. (The Wheatgrass Book, Ann Wigmore)
• LOVE DEEP #2. (9/10am) Grapefruit/Orange Juice: FYI: It is well established that citrus and citrus products are a rich source of vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber (non-starch polysaccharides) that are essential for normal growth and development and overall nutritional well-being. However, it is now beginning to be appreciated that these and other biologically active, non-nutrient compounds found in citrus and other plants (phytochemicals) can also help to reduce the risk of many chronic diseases. (read article)
• LOVE DEEP #3. (11/12pm) Young Love: (Spinach, cucumber, celery) FYI: Spinach contains high levels of potassium and folate. Spinach may reduce the risk of cancer, help avoid and relieve anemia and may protect against eye degeneration and heart disease. (read article)
• LOVE DEEP #4. (1/2pm) Masters Tonic: (lemon, purified water, yacon, cayenne) FYI: Lemon water is a good morning drink to start the process of removing impure chi in the body. It cleanses the digestive system and relieves symptoms of indigestion such as heartburn, bloating and belching. Also, it controls constipation and diarrhea by eliminating waste more efficiently. (read article)
• LOVE DEEP #5. (3/4pm) Cauliflower Soup: (cauliflower, olive oil, cumin, parsley, pine nuts, lime juice, garlic, coriander, tumeric, sea salt) FYI: Cauliflower contains allicin, which can improve heart health and reduce the risk of strokes. (read article)
• LOVE DEEP #6. (5/6pm) Fresh Pressed Veg 8* (Swiss chard, spinach, kale, cucumber, celery, romaine, carrot, tomato, green apple, lemon, lime) FYI: Cucumber has a cleansing action within the body by removing accumulated pockets of old waste material and chemical toxins. It might help in the treatment of arthritis since it helps eliminate uric acid. Cucumber’s liquid has the reputation of being a rejuvenator and makes us feel and look young. (read article)
• LOVE DEEP #7: (7/8pm) Thai Coconut Water: FYI: Coconuts are rich in lauric acid, which is known for being anti-viral, antibacterial and anti-fungal. Coconut oil is used by thyroid sufferers to increase body metabolism, and assist in weight loss. (read article)

*Dori’s note – I had Almond Mylk in place of Thai Coconut Water.

Another work from home day.  I woke up and was very angry to see my early morning call was canceled and I woke up early for no reason. I couldn’t fall back to sleep and was very grumpy. All I wanted was some FOOD to calm me down and make me feel better. I just. wanted. to eat. Is that too much to ask?! But I knew I couldn’t. I got up from bed after declaring sleeping a failure and started on my day.

Chlorohpyll first, check. Next was an orange/grapefruit juice. I was a little nervous about this one because I have hated orange juice my entire life. To the point where if I even smelled it I felt nauseous. When we were children, my brother’s sippy cup had orange juice while mine contained apple juice.

But I had a reason for hope. I generally like oranges. I don’t like TROPICANA orange juice. But orange juice made from just oranges? Maybe I’d like that! And this one had grapefruit mixed in as well.

I decided to take a few sips to fuel me for my 3 mile run.

OMG THIS WAS DELICIOUS. So refreshing and just . . . yummy! I gave the bottle to the boy to taste and even he loved it — and he dislikes all juice/unsweetened. But he does enjoy fresh squeezed orange juice and he said that this was by far the best of all the juices I’ve had.

I left for my run and it went very well! I know some of you are thinking that after 3 days of not eating solid food, I could not possibly have had enough energy for a 3 mile run. Well, my friends, you’d be wrong. It was a nice and easy 3 miles using my recently calibrated PolarRSX300x.

came back and finished the orange/grapefruit juice. Yum! Young love, yum. Masters tonic, okay. Got it down. Cauliflower soup — AMAZING! Wow. This was, without any hesitation, the BEST of the soups on this fast. I didn’t expect to like it more than the cucumber basil but it was just so creamy and the flavors so delicious. And it was the first of the days I was actually able to finish the soup! The soups are so filling that I couldn’t get through even the ones I liked, but this one was so good that not only did I finish it, I would gladly walk into Organic Avenue and buy it again. The soup, which I expected to be white, was green. And so yummy. Mmmm. I miss it!

Once again I chose to forego the Veg 8. The tomato makes this juice less than desirable for me, but the good news is that these last 3 days, so I would be able to drink my Veg 8s on Saturday and Sunday morning, saving myself from having to make my own juices yet when the fast is over.

Almond Mylk could not have come soon enough. I mean that too — I even dug into it much earlier in the day for some sips of much needed deliciousness. When I decided to have it for real it was so great and so filling I had to put it away and have it in parts. But don’t worry — I finished it. Oh, yes, I did.

Which left just one day left. ONE. DAY. LEFT.  I did expect Thursday to be easy like Tuesday since I was home, but it wasn’t as easy as I’d hoped. I think this is because the boy was home as well and when he ordered lunch I went into a major frenzy. I might have sneaked another teeny tiny bite of bread. ARGH. No big deal. Right after I was back on track for my final day! One more day and then I can EAT FOOD again. I couldn’t wait.

I will be back tomorrow with my Organic Avenue LoveDEEP Day 5 recap along with my reflections and thoughts on the entire 5 day fast.

And just a few days left until I announce the winner of the Core Fusion and Physique57 DVDs. Click here to enter!