Green, Clean and Smooth

The 3-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse is over, and I‘m in my second day of transitioning from it. I’m still not sure what prompted me to take part. Timing I guess. Work has been stressful, and the cleanse came along at the peak of this stress, so I jumped in.

And it was a jump for me. Cleansing is something I had never considered before. In fact, I thought people who took part in cleansing programs were a bit odd and granola-y. I guess I’m one of them now. Sign me up for my socks and Birkenstocks.

I’m glad I did it though. It gave me something positive to think about when worries threatened to overwhelm me, and I feel a sense of accomplishment for having completed it. Would I recommend it? I’m not sure. When I heard about Meghan’s program I knew I had to be a part. It just resonated with me in a way I can’t really explain. If it resonates with you, go for it. If not, I hope you find something that ‘speaks’ to you in the same way. It’s a wonderful feeling.

I’m going to list my observations from the experience below for those of you who might be interested in this or a similar program. I hope that something here helps should you choose to take on the challenge. Of course, I found my biggest help was the wonderful support I got from my husband, from my friends and from Meghan and the rest of the 3-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse participants over at Making Love in the Kitchen.


- When I started telling people what I was doing, I found a surprising number had tried a least one cleansing program.

- Many people I know drink green smoothies on a regular basis. This was news to me.

- There were people who thought I was nuts, but there were more who were curious about the program.

- I was able to sit with others who were eating without wanting to mug them for their food.

- I didn’t have as many cravings as I expected.

- My biggest cravings came at dinner time. That’s when I wanted something savoury.

- It is not wise to try to make a savoury green smoothie and pretend it is soup.

- Avocado in a smoothie makes for a very unusual texture. I found those ones very hard to get down.

- Most smoothies that taste odd on the first sip improve by the second or third sip. Keep sipping.

- I should have predicted that green smoothies come out much like they go in.

- A surprising number of people asked me if my pee was green yet.

- My teeth feel cleaner.

- I did not lose any weight, but my husband says I look slimmer and somehow I feel lighter.

- I feel calmer and lighter in spirit. I had moments of wonderful, peaceful happiness while cleansing.

- I cried much more easily during the cleanse.

- My regularly runny nose and scratchy throat almost went away. This is in spite of the heavy pollen we are experiencing right now. My car has been covered in fine yellow dust most days.

- I have plantar fasciitis. My foot has not hurt nearly as much this week.

- Regarding the above two points: I don’t want to think about what this might mean I should eliminate from my diet. Can we say denial?

- My skin feels much smoother.

- Some points on coconut oil:

• - I’ve been putting it on my skin after my shower.
• - Coconut oil smells heavenly. It made my skin smell like a macaroon.
• - Delicious smelling skin can be a problem when you can’t have macaroons.
• - Coconut oil is a solid at our current room temperature.
• - Small chunks of unblended coconut oil float like anaemic boogers in a sea of green smoothie.

- My first solid food after three days of cleansing was applesauce with sunflower seed butter. Divine.

- After three days of smoothies, solid food made my mouth very happy. My stomach wasn’t as impressed.

- Good advice from a friend: Chew, chew, chew your food when transitioning from the cleanse. Be slow. Take your time.

- Though I wasn’t particularly hungry on the cleanse, once my stomach got used to solid food it became rather demanding on a regular basis.

- I was able to incorporate a wonderful amount of local food into my smoothies. Kale, carrots, cabbage, lettuce, spinach, strawberries, blueberries, chard, collards, etc.

- Some of the ingredients travelled tremendous distances. I’m not sure how comfortable I am with that. Something to think about and work on should I choose to do this again.

- I'm fairly certain I'll be doing this again.