I Tried a ‘Modified Cleanse’ for 3 Days and Here’s What Happened
This is what really happens when one woman goes on a modified cleanse for three days. (Photo: Jenna Birch)
I’ve always been intrigued by the potential benefits of cleansing. Not because there’s magic in eliminating solids from your diet; our bodies are actually wired to detox naturally. But if you’ve been eating poorly for a while and can’t seem to flip the switch, a cleanse is sort of like hitting the ultimate Reset button from a mental perspective.
Taking a handful of days to juice, transitioning the diet toward whole foods, has always seemed like a great shift of perspective. Buying preportioned meals in a bottle or can, which I don’t have to think about whipping up, means I’d be less likely to overeat. Clearing out along the way? Contributes to the “fresh start” feeling.
I decided to discuss it with my dietician-friend Keri Gans, RD, because I knew she’d give me the straight facts about cleansing. I already knew she wasn’t pro-cleanse, but if there was merit there, I knew I could persuade her — if not, she’d shut it down completely. At first, she was a little skeptical. “I don’t like the idea of detoxing in general, because we should have the ‘healthy eating’ mentality from the get-go,” she tells me. “The science shows our body is cleansing itself without any help. So, it’s not the cleanse that’s effective but the elimination of the crap.”
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I agreed, before laying out the reasons I actually liked the idea of cleansing. “Could the cleanse be a quick start for someone? Sure,” Gans says. “You don’t need to do it, but I’m not going to tell you not to do it. If it’s the launching pad you need, great. But if it’s a Band-Aid, not great.” For example: “I’m going to cleanse so I can lose three pounds of water weight before this wedding!” is a no-no. Don’t have that mentality, where you are going to go back to unhealthy foods after you “detox.” That’s called yo-yo dieting and not the aim here.
As I discuss more with Gans, she’s intrigued by the souping (because, fiber) and a proponent of the whole foods idea. With all this to consider, Gans and I formulated these golden rules of the “modified cleanse” — which I would test out over the course of three days.
The Rules
The modified cleanse is not about starving. If I am absolutely dying for something more satiating than juices, shakes, or soups, I can and will eat whole foods like avocado, banana, greens, nuts, etc.
I will drink lots of water during the cleanse, since there’s inevitably a lot of sugar and sodium in the juices and soups.
I am using this as a “launchpad” for healthier eating, not for weight loss. (In fact, I do not own a scale and will not be weighing myself before or after the cleanse.)
I decided to do three days: one day juice, one day soup, one day a combination of juice and whole foods. I chose Indie Fresh for their programs tailored to all three days, and the company was gracious enough to send me a three-day cleansing regimen to support my mission. I was also extremely satisfied by the tastes, which can definitely be hit-and-miss when you’re doing a cleanse.
OK. Now here’s how my experiment all played out.
Day 1: Juicing
Ready to go with ready-made juices. (Photo: Jenna Birch)
I start my day with a little coffee, since I figure there’s no use obtaining a caffeine headache while you’re ODing on sugar and cutting out all solid foods. By around 10:30 a.m., I have my first shake, with coffee and cocoa nibs to boost my fading caffeine buzz. It’s nice to start the day with a little substance, and this tastes good enough.
Although, by the second juice — containing ginger, apple, and carrot — I was starting to feel the sugar high. I felt sick for about an hour and a half, while I downed water to wash my system clean (a cleanse do, y’all). By the time I hit my green juice around midafternoon, I was feeling much better. This one, and the fourth (red, with beet and orange) had only around seven grams of sugar, so I started to feel much better.
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I ended the day with the watermelon juice around 5 p.m. and the smoothie around 7 p.m. The watermelon juice was super refreshing on a hot day in July, while the smoothie actually felt satiating and completely held me over until morning. Granted, it was upwards of 500 calories and the perfect amount of sweetness, but it was a nice treat after a long day pumping water and juice. I’d definitely recommend.
Overall, I was a fan of the juice day — but there are caveats. Sugary juices can kind of make you feel sick if you don’t hydrate enough and space them out correctly (two or three hours apart). I’d advise light exercise only, as any tough workout will give you a head rush. If you’re a frequent small-meal eater like me, you will miss chewing. There’s also some gastrointestinal pain and bloating involved, because your body will be processing a ton of sugar, and lots of urination. (Not shocking.)
On the plus side, it did feel nice to have preportioned, easy-to-grab “meals” to cleanse my system. All the drinks were tasty, ranging from “not bad” to full-blown love. My digestive system benefitted from a time-out, and all the breaking down it does on a daily basis. Also, I woke up the next morning to find skin with a decidedly new glow — in the middle of PMS, no less.
Day 2: Souping
There are pros and cons to souping that one should definitely know. (Photo: Jenna Birch)
Well … I think I was set up to fail with souping. For starters, I am just not a savory kind of girl. Secondly, there are very few soups that even appeal to me. That’s why I start the day with the butternut-squash-based soup, because it sounds like an easy way to get myself into broths. Just after eating that, my body slowly drifted downhill.
By lunch, when I down a flavor called broccoli coconut and hemp curry, I am feeling pretty grossed out. I just wanted real food, and ended up eating some avocado to cleanse my palette. It wasn’t the flavors of the soup but the lack of sweetness to soften the blow of the salty and savory. I am also someone who cuts back on sodium at all costs — and one of the soups I ate had more than 75 percent of an average person’s daily intake. Sodium starts skyrocketing, and I start feeling meh.
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I am bloated and bumming out by dinnertime, when I have turkey and black bean chili —an effect that does not dissipate the rest of the souping experiment. Frankly, I think souping was probably a fad to emerge in the wake of juicing, without much merit. I suppose if you’re making your own soups and broths, where you could control the sodium content, maybe that would be a better way to go.
On the plus side, if you like savory, picking up a soup is an easy way to buy a preportioned, calorie-conscious meal and actually feel like you’re getting a little something more than liquid. Some of the soups have substance beyond simple broth, even sustaining protein to go along with filling fiber. Overall, it is more filling than the juice. But I didn’t feel “cleansed” in the slightest, given the sodium content.
So, yay for a meal where you’re unlikely to overeat; nay for a full-day regimen. I saw zero extra benefits with the souping.
Day 3: Juices + Whole Foods
Juicing and whole foods made for a great combination with this modified cleanse. (Photo: Jenna Birch)
The goal of Day 3 is a targeted meal plan: one major meal, followed by small snacks like veggies, fruit, and nuts, with juices wedged in between for a nutrient bump.
I start my day with the standard coffee and soy, before diving into a Indie Fresh’s morning shake — which is an awesome mix of “cleansing” and “wake up” ingredients, including cold brew, coconut water, almond milk, banana, cashew, and whey protein. After that, I have enough energy to clean my closet, while hydrating with another veggie-based juice before my big meal.
I down my salad with all the fixings for a midafternoon fill-up, which is great timing, because I am feeling just hungry enough and ready for a true meal. I mix romaine lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, avocado, a sprinkle of raisins, and some light honey dijon. Although it’s smaller than my typical salads, I am trying to think toward portion control — and it is completely satisfying. I finish out the day with a smoothie, some coconut water, and a little rice pudding from Indie.
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I wouldn’t say there are any immediate benefits from Day 3, although my skin looks slightly better the next morning from the plant-based nutrient bump (and lack of processed food). However, what I really like is this way of eating doesn’t feel experimental. It feels real and maintainable.
I like peppering juices and liquids in my diet throughout the day. By day’s end, I realize I never felt starving and ate real food when my body asked for it. The flavors of the juices and shakes were all interesting, so they spiced up my standards. I also think preportioned juices on Day 1 helped me eat better on Day 3. Savoring sips teaches you to wait for the satiating effect to fill you up — instead of overeating. I started eating that way too, and I was never uncomfortably full. That’s a huge lesson for anyone who mindlessly noshes.
The Takeaway
At the end of my modified cleanse, what did I learn? First and foremost, you never need to cleanse. When you eat right and choose whole foods, your body really does naturally rid itself of waste. However, I can see some benefits of “cleansing” (if not for detoxing).
Few of us are perfect eaters. Most of us go through time periods when we let our healthy habits go, and we need to snap out of a toxic cycle. Maybe we had an uncharacteristically terrible weekend of eating and want to give our bodies a break to recuperate — away from the lure of processed foods. Or maybe you just need a “go” date to turn over a new leaf. A short time, even just one full day, of nutrient-dense liquids can give you a natural starting point for eating better.
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After juicing for a day and pumping antioxidants, my belly felt flatter and my skin had extra glow. I’d take those benefits any day, especially when you’re feeling crummy about your eating patterns. Souping with ample water may have similar effects for some, especially if the soups are made at home and you can control the ingredients. But I’d give cleansing a try, in a way that feels healthy, if you’ve ever been curious.
Most dietitians won’t endorse liquids calories, but I’ll tell you why sipping on calories has worked for me. Since the cleanse, I’ve kept up a Day 3–like regimen. As a chronic overeater, those liquids are teaching my body to remain satisfied but not full. And I am consuming only the drinks I enjoy, with a whopping load of nutrients. For instance, I wasn’t so hot on the beet-based juice from the cleanse, but I loved the morning shake and the calorie-conscious green juice. Both are easy to consume, satiating, and preportioned, and they left my body feeling energized.
Overall, when it comes to food and eating, do you. But the healthiest you. Eat in a way that makes you feel happy and never deprived. Conscious of calories and nutrients but never obsessive. And if you need to hit the do-over button, set aside a few days to “cleanse.”
Even if you just go to the grocery store and buy three days of whole-food meals, dedicate that time to positive changes and bettering your nutrition game again. Life’s too short to treat your body with anything less than TLC.
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