This Blog post serves as my "Live Diary" experience of the Master Cleanse. If you've come across this and you are interested in doing the Master Cleanse, please allow my record of these days to help serve and prepare you. I'll be updating this daily as I progress, until its end. I'll start by admitting I'm not sure exactly how long I'll be able to do the cleanse, but my goal is 5 days. I'd like to do 14, as I've been told you really feel the effects of the cleans, physically, mentally, and spiritually, after that amount of time. But, I'm also a food monster! Along with the fact I have an upcoming trip, and flying on an empty stomach doesn't sound fun!
Why do The Cleanse?
Let me start by saying I am not into the idea of fasting to lose weight. And technically, the Master Cleanse is not a fast, because you still consume proper nutrients through the liquid drink to nourish your body! Still, you're not eating solids during the cleanse, and I love solid foods... chocolate, cookies, tacos....
The purpose of the Master Cleanse for me, will be about getting rid of toxins, that I'm sure I've picked up after a summer of traveling, and to elevate my spirituality. I have been noticing energy blocks the last few weeks in my daily routine. The cleanse builds willpower and discipline. Two things I'd like to be more present in my life.
The great thing about the Master Cleanse is that it's super affordable. You don't have to spend a bunch of money on Detox pills and teas. You don't have to buy fruits and vegetables to juice every single day (really just one Ease-Out Day). All you need is some Cayenne pepper, Maple syrup (the most expensive part), and lemons. And if you live in a a place like southern California, you can find lemon trees around your neighborhood.
The Ease-in Days
Doing the Ease-in days can help prepare your mind and body for the days to come. I've decided to do every step to this, because honestly, I eat a lot normally. I live a fairly active lifestyle and when I don't eat I get Hangry! For Real.
T-minus 4 Days Until Cleanse
The Raw Day. Today it is suggested you eat only Raw food. Cut out the meat, dairy, and processed foods, sounds like my regular eating habits.... Try to stick to only the good stuff. I eat a fairly healthy diet on a regular basis, so I really focused on eating less food today. Everything I eat is 100% Organic, and I'm lucky to have a café next to my work that serves an all organic menu. I kind of cheated on the Raw suggestion, but I think what I had will be ok. Breakfast: 2 eggs. Lunch: mango smoothie and a piece of gluten-free organic almond bread. For dinner: a hearty soup and one egg. Snacks: some olives, a few dates, a small pice of chocolate, and a glass of OJ. And I took my nightly vitamins.
I also used this day to mentally prep for the coming days. I made a list of things I can do each day to keep myself busy. While I'm still sane, and my belly has something in it, I figured it would be a good idea to write down all the things I wish to accomplish while on this cleanse. I also used today to go grocery shopping for everything I would need the next week while on the cleanse. Now I have no reason to go to the grocery store!
T-minus 3 Days until Cleanse
Today is fruits and veggies day! I tried to sleep as long a possible today. I stayed in bed and tried to think of what I would have for breakfast. While I thought about it, I decided to initiate an old daily habit of mine, oil pulling.
I decided on a banana with cinnamon sprinkled on it, along with a seasoned avocado.
I had a mid day meal which was just straight watermelon. It was very filling! I also had a few dates as a snack. For lunch I had seasoned steamed veggies: broccoli, red onions, garlic, red peppers, and carrots. For dinner I had potato soup. Another item that I snacked on throughout the day were some red organic strawberries!
I also experienced some neck pain throughout the day. I decided to make a mixture to help alleviate some of inflammation and pain. I heated almond milk and added turmeric, cinnamon, high quality ashwagandha, and maple syrup. It was delicious! I also placed a warm ash cloth on it for about 10 minutes.
With the neck pain, I decided to do some research to see if it could be apart of the energy block I was having. Lately, I have also been feeling like every time I open my mouth to speak, my true voice is unable to come out. I've never had a problem with this before.
After doing some exploring I've come to the conclusion that I may have some energy blocks in my Throat Chakra. One thing they say can help clear it, is incorporating the color blue into your daily life. The funny thing is, blue is my favorite color, but the last few moths I have not surrounded myself with it, and have actually avoided it. Could this all be linked to the blockage?
T minus 2 Days Until Cleanse
Today is Liquid day. Juice, smoothies, soups and broths. That's all for me! Luckily I'm going to make some killer juices today, so my tastebuds shouldn't be bored.
I woke up very early today. I started my day by drinking some water and doing a morning ritual.
I lit candles, breathed in chamomile oil and allowed my mind to calm.
I drank a ton of water and juice throughout the day. I also noticed around noon that my neck pain had completely disappeared! I was pretty impressed because the day before, it was so bad I couldn't look to my right, at all!
Drinking all of the juice made me wish I was just doing a Juice Cleanse. That way, I could have the joy of mixing up the liquid goodness with different flavors.
I almost went to eat a few carrots today, but as I reached for them I caught myself. I get rid of all the food that doesn't go in the fridge, however I'm sharing the fridge, so I couldn't really take everything out of there.
I won't lie, I felt constantly hungry... I noticed myself wanting to chew. I think this is linked to the enzymes and acids that are released when you chew. Chewing also releases serotonin into your system. So I would fill my mouth up with juice and pretend to chew! Maybe it made me feel more full, maybe certain juices just filled me up more than others.
T minus 1 Day until Cleanse
The Orange Juice Day! I do love me some OJ! Something I noticed today and yesterday is that when you are only drinking juice, and not chewing anything, your teeth don't feel clean. I've brushed way more than twice today because it feels like a film is over them.
Today I drank a liter of OJ, lots of water and a couple glasses of tea (see photos for examples of what kind).
Tonight is the night that I start drinking the Laxative Tea before bed, this will be constant now until the cleanse is done. In the morning I will do the Sea salt flush!
The Cleanse Begins!
Day 1 of the Cleanse
The first day of the Master Cleanse is suppose to be easy. Honestly I spent most of the day brushing my teeth. Without chewing food, and just drinking the lemon mixture, your teeth start to feel gritty. I drank the salt cleanse in the morning. However, I only drank half a quart, it's recommended you drink a full quart. It wasn't the taste that got to me, I just kept imaging I was in the ocean swimming. However, you're suppose to drink it within 5 minutes, and I just don't drink that fast. It still worked, maybe not as good as it normally would, but I felt ok! I only drank 40 ounces of the lemon mixture, about 30 ounces short of what I should have. Throughout the day I went on a few long walks with some puppies.
How I made the lemon mixture was by hand-juicing 2 small Lemons into 40 ounces of filtered water, pouring a healthy dose of high grade Maple Syrup in (about 3 seconds), and adding the Cayenne Pepper. For me, spicy stuff isn't my thing, so I kept it pretty light.
At the end of the day I was exhausted by 7pm. I sat in bed with a cup of herbal tea and noticed that it tasted amazing! The same tea I normally add a boat load of honey to in order to enhance sweetness, was like a cupcake in my mouth. As I sipped my tea, I thought about the first full meal I would eat. It would be a cauliflower crusted vegan pizza from a local café in town.
Day 2 of the Cleanse
I woke up very early, with some stomach pain. I rubbed my belly with some Peppermint Essential Oil and it went away. If you ever have tummy aches or pains in life, Peppermint Oil is a known cure! I rub it directly on my belly without diluting it, however some recommend putting it in a carrier oil, such as coconut or olive. Peppermint Essential Oil is very strong, so if it is your first time using it, do a small test patch area of your skin.
My lemon mixture for this day was quit spicier than previously! I feel like I needed the added sustenance. My lips felt the burn, that is for sure!
Today was a weak day for me, and while I don't exactly have a conventional "job" I still worked until about 3:30pm today. I got home, and really had the itch to do some yoga. Not even a minute into it, my stomach was screaming for food. So I paused, and decided to drink more lemon mixture (at this point I was only at about 50 ounces for the day) and also have one of my teas! (Teas are pictures under T minus 1 Day section.) I followed the Cleanse's protocol to drink the Laxative tea before bed nightly.
Day 3 of Cleanse
Today I was awoken again by stomach pain. To help soothe the tummy I applied the Peppermint Essential Oil and also took a few sips of a high quality mixture of Activated Charcoal. While this mixture was store bought, I could have easily made it at home. All it contains is, Activated Coconut Charcoal, Lemon, and Maple Syrup. This mix helps flush toxins out of the body and improves elimination. You can see form the picture that I barely even drank one fourth of it. I didn't need much to help soothe my stomach, but I was very glad I had stocked up on this drink before starting the cleanse.
I skipped the salt flush this morning. To find a solution to the morning tummy pain, I think. I will be skipping the Laxative Tea at night. I've done it 3 nights so far, and I think the salt flush will work just as well solo in the mourning.
Some Important advice that I urge you take to heart if you want to try the Master Cleanse: If you're going to Detox, GO ALL THE WAY! What I mean by this, is take the time to cleanse your skin and your mind. Do a mud mask, coffee scrub those legs, try something you've always wanted to in your daily routine. For example, maybe you really want to cut out ALL toxins in your life, there are things you can do to make this happen! You can make your own shampoo, you can dry brush your skin, start oil pulling, and start planning out your diet for when you go off the cleanse! For examples, today I used my homemade coffee scrub recipe in the shower, and it felt amazing! Since you are most likely not going to be hanging out with to many folks while on this cleanse, take the time to try making some things for yourself to better your life. This will help you jump start your way into living a healthier lifestyle when you come off the cleanse.
Day 4 of Cleanse
Today I could smell the detox. Normally, I don't really stink, I sweat when I work out, but I don't really stink. So, today it was interesting, the detox stink is much different than a normal stink. But noticing it was awesome, because I knew the toxins were getting pushed out!
I had to wake up super early today to be on set, we started shooting at 6am, it was rough! But at least when I woke up early today, it didn't go to waste. I'm starting to think waking up early may just be apart of it? If you've ever done this cleanse, would love to know if something like this happened to you!
Today I decided to conquer the fatigue of the Master Cleanse! I've been making sure to drink lots of the mixture, and today I added Spirulina into my cleanse diet. I figured I stayed on course, to the T of the master cleanse, for 3 days. So, I feel I can add in Spirulina. Let me explain why this is ok, and how it will actually be beneficial. This superfood is the world’s highest known source of complete protein. This makes it great to drink after a yoga flow or slight workout so that my muscles get some protein! It is also a gentle detoxing agent of heavy metals, so it will help with the Master Cleanse! It also boosts your energy and boosts your immune system! Some people I see while I work have been catching colds, and I want no part of that! For my Spirulina mixture I took 2 cups of water, 1 teaspoon of Spirulina, and 1 tablespoon of Maple Syrup. It was delicious! And it's normally hard for me to get Spirulina down, unless it's in a smoothie. But Maple Syrup is truly my savior! If you want, you could mix a bit of your Master Cleanse Lemon Mix in with it! I poured just a tad in to add a little lemon.
Final Day of the Cleanse!
Well I made my goal! I will not lie, I don’t feel hungry at all today. However, because I know it’s my last day, I can’t help but want to start my ease-out faze early. The day was a breeze, but the night, I was craving something hot, and kept thinking about how good it would taste to have some soup, but I resisted, knowing that tomorrow I could have all the soup I wanted!
Today I'd also like to share a little bit of info about my salt flush. For most days I decided to do a mix of half sea salt and half pink Himalayan salt. This is because if I'm going through the torture of drinking salty water, I want to make sure I'm getting good minerals. While Sea salt usually does contain a few good minerals, it always depends on where it is harvested. Sometime sea salt can contain pollutants if harvest in icky areas. Pink Himalayan salt however, does always contain minerals, and there are more that can be found compared to Sea Salt.
The Ease-Out
I'm told that the Ease-out phase of the cleanse is the. most important. I've heard awful stories from friends in regards to the not taking these days seriously and the awful effects that happened when jumping straight to food. Let's just say, if you are getting off the Master Cleanse you will not wan to go out to a public place or group gathering to have your first meal, thinks could get embracing, and tummy aches are possible. With that being said, I'm not risking any discomfort. It is suggested that the Ease-Out days are exactly as the Ease-In day, just in reverse. You can skip the purely OJ day on this!
Ease-Out Day 1
Juice and soup today! I woke and had a lemon ginger juice! Strange that I still wanted lemon after 5 days of the lemon water mixture. For lunch, I had Organic French Onion soup, in my mind, I thought it was going to be delicious, but I realized it wasn't the best choice, with no croutons it just wasn't great. I reverted back to juice the rest of the day. Luckily for me I have a great Juice place nearby and it saved me the hassle of juicing.
In the green, we have The Mermaid: E3 live, spirulina, cucumber, spinach, green apple, mint, parsley, and lime.
The orange is Little Miss Sunshine: grapefruit, orange, carrots, ginger, and mint!
Having flavors back in my life is amazing! And I don't feel hungry at all. After knowing I can go 5 days without drinking anything but that lemon mixture, water, and herbal tea, I feel I can survive anything. It's also imprint to keep drinking lots of water, for these days, and every day of your life.
Ease Out day 2
Just fruits and veggies today! Today was super easy for me, basically my normal diet. Nothing processed, so no bread, and no grains. I ate pretty lightly, just a smoothie, soups, and some melons and carrots as snacks.
Ease Out Day 3
Today it's a good day to eat RAW food, and I don't mean sushi! Sprouted foods, fermented foods, and lots of other good stuff can be eaten on this day! Stay away from animal products.
The Rest of your Life
So After the Master Cleanse, how will you eat? It's really not a bad idea to keep some of these healthy habits with you. Wake up and drink lots of water every morning to jump start your system. This will help your metabolism keep up and will keep you from feeling sluggish. Maybe in the mornings you start your day off with a juice or smoothie instead of cereal, or waffles.
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