Last week I wrote about smoothies and told you that I was going to do a 3 Day Smoothie Detox Challenge. It was going to be my first time doing a smoothie only cleanse and I invited you to join me. So did any of you do the challenge too?
There was a four day prep time which I used to cut out what little caffeine I was consuming and to increase my consumption of green leafy veggies. I bought some fresh produce, including bananas, and pulled out my blender.
Note: A smoothie cleanse is different than a juice cleanse because smoothies don’t separate the fiber out from the juice. Instead the whole fruits and veggies are blended together.
The Question
I just had one question. Would I be able to get the same detox results from smoothies as I would from juice in the same amount of time?
The Process
Each day I drank one or two green smoothies, one savory blended soup, and one fruit or chocolate (raw cacao) smoothie.
Along with my blended drinks I increased my intake of water, so as expected I took more potty breaks the first day. My energy levels went a bit low on the first day but picked up again to the point I felt more focused and optimistic. I could categorize this as the same as a juice cleanse, but more subdued. I did experience a slight headache and some of the typical lightheaded or “spacey-ness” on the first day which was cured by a good night’s sleep.
The smoothies did seem to satisfy my hunger longer than juices, due to the inclusion of fiber. The presence of fiber also resulted in soft and regular bowel movements. I also experienced a sense of grounding or a solid feeling, which I attribute to the fiber.
My emotions were steady, so no issues there. I did still have some of the same psychological hunger thoughts and conditioned behavior of going to look in the refrigerator.
The Conclusion
All in all, the smoothie detox is very similar to the juice cleanse. The intensity was about one-third of what I experience during juicing. I imagine the releasing of toxins was probably about one-third as well. As I said in my earlier post, smoothie cleanses usually last about 21-28 days in order to achieve the same results of a 3-10 day juice cleanse.
The Recommendation
I do recommend the 3 Day Smoothie Detox Challenge. It was fun because I was able to eat foods like bananas and avocados. This would be a good introduction cleanse for someone who is nervous about taking the full leap into a juicing cleanse. Smoothies also make great transition meals before and after a fast, so I could see doing a 3 day smoothie detox then 3 days of juicing, for example.
Your Thoughts
Did you try the smoothie challenge? How were your results? Does this review make you want to try it for yourself?
