Day 2
Good morning!
I hope the first full day of your cleanse went well and ended with a restful sleep.
Your body is getting used to drawing energy from different sources in these first two days, so you may feel a little off balance to begin. Many people feel more tired and foggy than normal in the afternoon and evening of day two. You will likely find yourself turning a corner and uncovering higher energy levels tomorrow.
You are probably becoming reacquainted with the sensation of hunger, which is okay. It's good to allow your body to feel hunger and then feed it. We often get used to eating around meetings and appointments or out of boredom to the point that we lose touch with the body's metabolic rhythm and natural cues.
If you are feeling hungry just 1 or 2 hours after your meals, look at what you've eaten and make sure it contains protein and a cooked ingredient - eg. quinoa or seeds in your salad instead of greens and vegetables alone, escarole with beans instead of steamed broccoli and rice alone. Add cooked beets or broccoli to your salads instead of using only raw ingredients.
This program is a practice of control and mindfulness to ultimately find mental freedom around food, but it is important to make everything work for you. Be extremely compassionate with yourself and let the challenges of the cleanse educate and strengthen you rather than cause more stress and tension. If you start to feel a dip in energy or unusual emotions surfacing, simply be glad you have noticed, regard it as additional information, rearrange what you need to, and let it go.
If you are experiencing loose stools, skip the triphala until your stool is solid. When you add it back to the evening routine, take just one tablet, not two.
Tomorrow, you will begin the juice fast. If you ordered juice through us, you will receive 15 bottles of juice, 5 different types per day. You don’t need to drink them in any particular order.
You must drink a lot of room temperature water, hot tea and vegetable broth in addition to cold juice to keep Vata and Kapha in balance. If Vata is too high, you'll feel anxious, scattered, cold and unsteady. You have a recipe for broth in your program guide, but you can certainly sub different vegetables for what you might have on hand.
By tomorrow, the unpleasant symptoms of caffeine withdrawal should subside dramatically, and you should feel a new wave of energy to carry you into the start of your fast.
Sometimes the shift from an omnivorous diet to a purely vegan one feels abrupt, as our bodies are used to processing the food we eat in a different way. It is important to include adequate protein - approximately 1.5 grams per kilogram of body weight. Here are a few of the best non-processed vegan protein sources, many of which contain more protein per calorie than meat:
Quinoa – contains about 9 grams/cup!
Dark green vegetables such as kale, spinach, romaine, French beans and green peas (cooked) (between 5 and 13 grams/cup)
Almond butter - Try a tablespoon with a little Himalayan pink salt alone, as a snack. Many health food markets like Whole Foods have a self-grinder, which is best to ensure it does not have added sugar or hydrogenated oils.
Lentils – try brown or red lentils with a small amount of chopped shallot, cilantro and a light vinaigrette.
Chia seeds, sesame seeds or flaxseeds – sprinkled on salads, Aim for 1-2 tablespoons/day.
Nut milks – see recipe in program guide.
Beans – black beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, pinto beans – all great sources of protein. More easily digested with greens than grains.
It is also important to maintain an alkaline pH, which is especially necessary for those leading active lifestyles. An overly acidic body leads to lower levels of energy, weight gain, poor digestion and aches and pains. A shift toward a more alkaline pH yields the opposite results.
You are already doing this in eating what is recommended in this plan, but here are seven of the most alkaline foods: spinach, broccoli, avocado, kale, cucumber, bell pepper and celery. Once digested, lemons and limes are also highly alkaline. Include these foods whenever you can.
There are different ideas around the proper time for drinking water at meals. Ayurveda stresses that it is best to be hydrated while you are eating, which may mean you drink water 20 minutes or so prior to your meal and take small sips of water only when needed while eating. Drinking water when you are not thirsty or drinking water after a meal when your stomach feels full will cause bloat.
If you find that you are eliminating less than you usually do, make sure you are drinking the proper amount of water and eating an apple each day (except for the juice days).
You can even try baking the apples. Split them in half, add some chopped dates inside the centers if you'd like, sprinkle with cinnamon and/or nutmeg and bake for 45 to 60 minutes at 375 degrees.
Pears are also a gentle laxative. If you have a juicer, you can make a quick pear ginger juice to help with constipation or simply eat them whole - raw or poached.
Remember to stay mindful of your eating. The guideline for chewing for proper digestion is 30 times per mouthful. Try that just once!
Prioritizing self-care when we've neglected it for many other parts of our lives that have seemed more urgent can feel selfish and silly. Family and work demands can call loudly for our attention and we can easily fall into old patterns of putting ourselves last. For one week, we consider ourselves equally and prioritize our own needs with the intention of grounding, growing and learning. In the end, this allows us to give more to everything else.
As you settle into this new rhythm, I’d like to suggest one more practice for the rest of the week: commit to a digital detox between the hours of 9 PM and 8 AM. Try not to bombard your brain with the overstimulation of endless news and social media feeds that deplete your energy, especially upon waking or going to sleep.
Enjoy the rest of the day, and as always, please reach out with any questions!
Warmly,
Lauren