The thought of doing a “cleanse” did not thrill me in the least.
I had visions of being permanently affixed to the toilet for the entire time. But after some friends had success with one, I mustered up the courage to try it.
That was 18 months ago, and after just completing it for the fourth time, I’m sharing my experience in case you were considering trying a cleanse, too.
First off, I’m happy to report that I’ve never had to stay close to the porcelain.
This cleanse, developed by Jordan Rubin, author of “The Maker’s Diet” and founder of Beyond Organic and Garden of Life products, consists only of drinking 18 bottles of a cultured whey beverage over the course of three days. You can order this product at the links below, but first please know that I only recommend and promote products that I have personally used and trust. Read my full disclosure agreement at this link.
Also, my results may not be your results, as every body is unique. I also cannot answer whether you should attempt a cleanse. If you have questions about that or regarding your health, please contact your health care provider. I am not a doctor or licensed nutritionist.
Each time I’ve tried it, my body has responded a bit differently. Last time I had more stomach gurgling and digestive upset. Because the purpose of this cleanse is detoxification at the cellular level, extra bathroom visits may be expected at times.
Here’s my journey, this time around, using the Suero Viv Cleanse, bronze level:
Day 1, 7 a.m. – A friend and I agreed to cleanse at the same time, for accountability, and last night she was much more excited than I. This morning, I’m on board though, and I feel anticipation as I try not to think about coffee. I take my morning supplements and get ready to pull out the first Suero Viv beverage. It’s an orange-cinnamon flavored one, and It’s still partially frozen! Oops. The drinks don’t arrive frozen, but when I ordered mine, I didn’t plan to cleanse right away. I packed them in gallon-sized freezer bags to keep them from expanding and getting sticky stuff in my deep freezer.
I drink the first beverage, starting at 7:30 a.m.
Cheers!
Day 1, 9:30 a.m. — A half hour before I’m scheduled to drink my next SV, a citrus flavor, I’m a little hungry. I go brush my teeth, a trick that sometimes works at night to stop me from eating. My dog starts barking at the leftover bacon still sitting on the kitchen counter. (Who has leftover bacon? Since when do we?) As I put it in a bag for my children to eat later, I eat a piece. My first cheat, ever, on this cleanse. I feel no remorse. At least it was nitrate-free bacon. Nitrates and nitrites are on the Bad Foods list.
Part of the purpose of this cellular cleanse is to reset your body through proper hydration, balancing your sodium and potassium (eating bacon is not the answer), and balancing your intestinal flora with probiotics. Many health conditions are linked to cellular toxicity that builds up from the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, and other factors of the lives we lead.
By cleansing, we can help our cells do their job more efficiently, which benefits our immune system.
Day 1, 10:30 a.m. — I’m having my second Suero Viv and my 90-for-life supplements. I’m still very aware that I’m trying to follow this cleanse program and won’t be eating for the next three days. Staying busy helps me keep my mind off eating and thinking about food. The first time I tried it, I started out not being fond of the taste of the SV, but I’ve gotten used to it.
Whey, a co-product of cheese, is what Hippocrates called “healing water.” This whey is organic and cultured, from grass-fed cows. Aside from that, the drinks also contain structured water, organic honey, organic lemon juice, organic essential oils and probiotic cultures.
Day 1, 12:30 p.m. – Time for my third beverage, another of the orange-cinnamon. The first time I did this cleanse, that flavor reminded me of drinking a Christmas pine cone – you know, one of the scented pine cones you smell soon as you walk into a craft store before the holidays. Yum. This goes down easier than that, thankfully, but I’m now randomly hallucinating about hush puppies, steamed green peas and coffee. These phantom smells and cravings might make one wonder if they are pregnant. I am not.
Day 1, 1:30 p.m. – My stomach is gurgling a little, but I’m not feeling hungry. I am feeling tired and sluggish, though, so I take a little power nap to get to 2 p.m. and my next beverage, a citrus. The afternoon bottles go down without incident or fanfare.
At 7 p.m., I’m still not home yet and I forgot to bring my last beverage of the day with me. I drink it a half hour late while sitting with my son, who’s eating mac and cheese. I don’t feel bad that I can’t have any of that. A steak, yes. Pasta or bread, no. I dumped the Doughboy a while back.
At 8:30 p.m., my friend who’s doing the cleanse with me texts me that she’s had a good day, too. She’s also completed it several times and had a slightly different experience each time. We agree that we’re both turning in early to avoid any late-night munchies and stomach rumblings.
Day 2, All Day – I wake up feeling pretty good, but by noon I’m tired again. Maybe it’s the weather, maybe it’s something else, but I chalk it up to the cleanse. It’s common to feel a little fatigue the first couple of days, and perhaps some light exercise would help, but I skip it for a second day. I stay on track, drinking my beverages at the appointed time, and I don’t really get hungry. While it’s recommended not to drink or eat anything else while cleansing, I do drink extra water throughout the day. The winter cold and wind leaves my skin parched.
Day 3, All Day – Despite getting less sleep, I feel really good this morning. My energy has returned, and I go to the gym. Light exercise is recommended during the cleanse, but I push myself this morning and figure I’m going to be hungry after. I’m surprised when I’m not, and after my second beverage I get so involved in work that I forget to drink the 12:30 one on time. I run late with the drinks in the afternoon, too, but I still feel OK. By dinner, I am ready to be done with our three days but still am not having any difficulty. Just ready to eat. To chew.
Most of all, I would like a nice cup of coffee. Beyond that, I’m not sure what I will eat tomorrow, but it should be light, and in keeping with the intent of the cleanse to reset my body, I will aim to keep focused with my healthy-eating, gluten-free, low-sugar lifestyle.
The Day After — I feel great, really. I have my coffee, with a half packet of Beyond Hot Chocolate in it, because that’s the way I’ve been making “my mocha” lately, and I savor it. I have a couple of soft-scrambled eggs in butter and a piece of bacon, though I’m still not really hungry. I step on the scale and am down a couple of pounds. My next step is to restock my fridge with fresh vegetables and fruit, and to stay on track through the weekend. I’ll probably repeat the Suero Viv cleanse just before the summer.
So, are you still interested in giving a cleanse a try? It’s great to have an accountability partner for both cheerleading and complaining. I’m happy to coach you through your first one; just send me a note using my contact form. If you’d like to read the booklet put together by Jordan Rubin, who created this cleanse, here is the link to purchasing the cleanse through my Youngevity site, and the booklet is linked there for you to download.
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