A guide to the essentials (and some survival tips too!)
Before I started the master cleanse I was almost going into it blind. Yes I'd done my research on what I needed to buy but what I really wanted was a safety blanket of sorts, something workable that I could refer to as a blue print for my 13 day plan.
I've certainly discovered some learnings along the way that I feel will be helpful to share so that others can benefit from what I hope is a rounded approach to the cleanse, its essentials and some little extras that saved me from throwing in the towel.
Ease in - the first three days
On my first day of the ease-in stage I went to the supermarket and bought everything fresh to allow me to gain the most from the nutrients and antioxidants in each piece of fruit and veg.
I purchased enough to last two days, veg and fruit I could snack on raw on day one and then ingredients I could blend to make soup and smoothies on day two. Day three is simple as all you need to do is juice enough oranges to make up 2L (or like me, pick up some ready blended Innocent juice for ease)!
My advice:
The Lemonade stage
The essentials:
*Three days of drinking the lemonade and I'd managed to get through 30 lemons, but whatever you do don't buy all your lemons at once as some will sit there unused for over a week. I picked up 30 on day one of the cleanse, then picked up another 30 on day six. This way the lemons stay fresher and the enzymes are more powerful.
My survival tools:
Pukka Cleanse Tea
Clipper: Raspberry & Cranberry, Apple & Elderflower, Strawberry & Rhubarb
My advice:
The ease out stage
Coming soon
I've certainly discovered some learnings along the way that I feel will be helpful to share so that others can benefit from what I hope is a rounded approach to the cleanse, its essentials and some little extras that saved me from throwing in the towel.
Ease in - the first three days
On my first day of the ease-in stage I went to the supermarket and bought everything fresh to allow me to gain the most from the nutrients and antioxidants in each piece of fruit and veg.
I purchased enough to last two days, veg and fruit I could snack on raw on day one and then ingredients I could blend to make soup and smoothies on day two. Day three is simple as all you need to do is juice enough oranges to make up 2L (or like me, pick up some ready blended Innocent juice for ease)!
My advice:
- Buy fruit and veg with substance. Bananas and avocados were my savior on day one and really kept the hunger pangs at bay.
- Include root veg in your soup. I only wish I would have added regular/sweet potatoes to my broth along with some squash, carrots and parsnips. My soup lacked the root veg I desperately craved and my hunger really suffered as a result of this.
- Choose the right fruit for your smoothies. My favourite had to be my banana, melon and papaya concoction. It tasted heavenly and mixed with a dash of fresh orange and water gave it a yogurty consistence - it was really filling too.
The Lemonade stage
The essentials:
- 100% pure grade A or organic maple syrup. I picked up mine from amazon here.
- Organic cayenne pepper, like this one.
- Organic laxative tea, I can't rave enough about Smooth Move.
- Lots of purified water. Bottled is fine, I picked up 3 x 12 packs of Nestle Pure Life spring water as it was on offer at the time, only £2 per pack.
- Lemons, and lots of them!*
- Organic sea salt for the flush...but see my advice below before you buy...!
*Three days of drinking the lemonade and I'd managed to get through 30 lemons, but whatever you do don't buy all your lemons at once as some will sit there unused for over a week. I picked up 30 on day one of the cleanse, then picked up another 30 on day six. This way the lemons stay fresher and the enzymes are more powerful.
My survival tools:
- Organic fruit and herbal teas. As these are the only other drinks allowed on the cleanse (except pure water) I made sure I always had a teabag to hand to help calm the food cravings when I didn't fancy the lemonade. My personal favourites:
Pukka Cleanse Tea
Clipper: Raspberry & Cranberry, Apple & Elderflower, Strawberry & Rhubarb
- Good quality laxatives. Having experience some digestion problems in the past I've tried a few products in my time, but the best brand for me that helps achieve the quickest results is Dulcolax.
My advice:
- Plan your cleanse and diarise the time. Remember this is up to a 13 day stint for most people (including the ease-out) so don't give yourself any excuse at failing by having to attend a family meal or friends birthday. I made sure that my ease-in and lemonade periods were completely free of activities that may tempt me to quit, or at least make it really tough for me not to stick to the plan. You need to befriend your will power and give it the support it needs!
- Do some light exercise. On my free evenings I went to the gym and did a light half hour work out followed by a sauna. As exercise releases endorphins it made me feel good and I didn't do too much to leave me with a big appetite.
- Utilise your free time. Plan some fun stuff that you can do without jeopardising your cleanse plan. I went to the cinema, saw family, got on top of the house work, visited friends for catch ups on the sofa and planned some days out shopping. All of these activities allowed me to keep within my comfort zone and helped to pass the time.
- Don't use lemons straight out of the fridge. The whole point of including the lemons in the drink is to benefit from the active enzymes. By using refrigerated lemons you're essentially 'knocking out' the enzymes as the cold temperatures make them go dormant. I stored mine in the conservatory which kept them perfectly cool and fresh, but it you don't have this luxury then by all means store them in your fridge. Just make sure the lemons you plan to use are removed from the fridge at least one day in advance so the enzymes have a chance to wake up.
- Always keep a bottle of water to hand. The more water you drink, the better the results - plus a quick gulp helps stave off any immediate hunger pangs.
- Salt water flush - Don't feel like you need to do it. I tried and failed miserably, and not through lack of trying but because the mixture made me feel so ill and really didn't agree with me. I've read that I few people have problems with this element of the cleanse and I'm one of them. Instead I popped 2 x laxatives before bed and had a laxative tea. I personally would recommend this to anyone doing the cleanse. I just really didn't like consuming that much salt...I didn't think it was natural or in anyway good for me, but that's just my opinion.
- KEEP, GOING! Trust me, days three and four were the worst for me and this is the time most people throw in the towel. I kept strong and believed this phase would pass, and trust me, IT DID! When I hit day five I almost felt reprogrammed, my body wasn't craving food and my hunger had completely leveled out. I've never really experienced a mind-over-matter sensation like it before but it's truly unbelievable what your body can achieve when you set your mind to something. I remember Mila Kunis saying the exact same thing when she had to slim down for her role in Black Swan. Keep going, it'll all be worth it!
The ease out stage
Coming soon