I am on Day 3 of my juice cleanse and feeling amazing. We have four email threads going with people sharing their experiences, questions and ups and downs of the cleanse. I don’t know if it has something to do with having so many people to report back to each day, but this is by far the easiest time I have ever had on a juice cleanse. I have had tons of energy, have only gotten super hungry a couple of times and then squashed it with a yummy juice, I feel lighter and more rejuvenated already, and I have been sleeping so well. (The sleep part is awesome, since many of you know I suffer from some very annoying sleep problems.)
After the first day of juicing I started seeing the benefits of losing the bloat and water weight I have been carrying around. Yes, I am a health nut and a gym/yoga rat, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t still bloat. I am a firm believer in practicing moderation, so I enjoy salty and sugary foods from time to time and most weekends I have a few drinks when I go out. Results? Bloat (and living a balanced life, which is far more important than a little bloating)!
Since I can’t necessarily cook for the blog while I am cleansing (even though I am cooking for the TBV Cleanse Program that I am working on right now… so hard not to sneak bites!) I thought I would dedicate this post losing that bloat and water weight that we all know so very well.
Here are my top 8 recommendations for keeping off that nasty bloated feeling and staying light and airy:
- Sip on warm water with lemon first thing in the morning. Having a glass of warm water with lemon in the morning gets our digestive system flowing and boosts our metabolism. It is the best way to cleanse the body after a night of sleep (and perhaps after a wild night, too – morning after Halloween, anyone?)
- Green Tea. Green Tea is full of antioxidants and is great for flushing your system and settling your stomach. You can add some lemon too. Yum.
- Make Simple Food Swaps. Where you can, swap out a healthy alternative for something you are craving. Craving sugar? Have a bowl full of berries drizzled in honey instead of that candy bar. Craving salt? Grab a handful of cashews or mixed nuts and skip those greasy chips and crackers. Spice up your food with flavors like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cumin instead of salt. Cinnamon and ginger are digestive aids, and can be used to reduce gas and bloating.
- Avoid refined white/refined sugars. Replace those problematic carbs with healthy carbs like fruits, whole/sprouted wheat products and baked sweet potatoes. White flour, refined grains and added sugars fake our bodies by feeding them with minimal to no nutrients and bogging them down with extra calories and carbs. Refined sugar is depleted of vitamins and minerals, so essentially its just wasted space inside of you, and since it can not be digested properly it hangs onto the body and causes bloat.
- Eat more fiber. Keeping your fiber content up will aid your digestive system and flush out those toxins. It’s easy to get whole, natural fiber in fruit and veggies, so eat up. Leafy greens are great, too!
- Go BANANAS! Ok, this has got to be my favorite shed-the-bloat tip. Grab a banana. Eat it. Boom. Bananas contain high amounts of potassium, which helps eliminate fluid retention. Here is a good smoothie recipe that calls for several bananas!
- Water, water, water! Sipping on good old h2o will keep your body running properly and will flush out those lingering toxins. When your body doesn’t get enough water it goes into crisis mode and hangs on to whatever it can find, leaving you feeling bloated and yucky.
- Move yo body! Sometimes it might feel like the last thing you want to do when you’re feeling bloated and weighed down, but getting in your exercise is what is going to start burning fat and making you feel your best again. Plus, exercise is one of the keys to happiness (or in my mind it is, at least!) so get movin’ and get happy.
If you’re ever feeling gross or weighed down, refer back to this list. And also, if you want to join in on the next TBV Cleanse adventure… it will be available mid-December and will be happening after the first of the year. Email me if you want to go on a mailing list to get info about the cleanse as it comes out!
P.S. If you’ve ever juice cleansed… you know the beauty of juice 6. Nutmeg, cinnamon, dates, filtered water. OMG. I live for this.