This past week, I had the honor of trying out a different kind of detox! If you’re already confused, have no fear- it’s not nearly as complex as it sounds!

What is a detox and why is it important?

I’ll first note that there are different kinds of detox diets. This one is a juice fast, notoriously as one of the more difficult ones. Following the Arden’s Garden 2 Day Detox rules, I’m only to drink these two gallons of juice (one gallon per day), with distilled water at my discretion. This means that I technically cannot eat food and if I do, it should be restricted to fruits and veggies to reap the benefits of the detox.

The purpose of any general detox is to purge toxins and impurities of our body. There are a number of other benefits such as increased energy, mental and emotional clarity, immune system booster… the list goes on.

It’s important to note that the benefits of a detox are maximized only when it is done right… did I succeed or fail?

As you can see, the ingredients are kept to a minimum. Assuming I just drink this, my calorie intake is at 1200 per day.

Struggles when you’re a perpetual snacker:

Day 1: Before starting this two day detox, I did a bit of research to make myself aware of any potential side effects. For the first day, nausea and fatigue were fairly common. In order to combat that consequence, you’re supposed to drink more to satiate your stomach. Did I do that? Yes. Was it eventful? Nope.

To say that I’m constantly hungry is an understatement. Needless to say, by 1pm, all I could think about was food. Although I was advised to eat solely fruits and veggies, I ended up getting a burrito bowl, (in my defense, there were veggies in it… I just added rice and black beans…).

By dinner time, I broke again and bought another burrito bowl at Chipotle. No regrets.

Day 2: I started out committed to making it through without cheating. Around 1pm, I headed for my 5 hour shift at work. Unfortunately, my hunger got the best of me and I ended up devouring a kale salad (YUM) followed by an entire bag of potato chips and a gourmet meal once I got home. No regrets part II.

Was it worth it?

I consider myself to be pretty regular with exercising and eating healthy. I detox about once a month with simple cucumber, lime and mint water but I also continually snack. Personally, this detox wasn’t the best but solely because my personal lack of willpower with food.

I’d recommend at least trying this to anyone- not only is it a great story to tell but it also may actually work physical wonders for you. If you are a perpetual snacker, just prepare yourself; and if you do break the juice cleanse, actually try to stick to fruits and veggies so you can still reap some of the benefits! Otherwise, check out some other foods that help detox!