I’m almost 10 weeks into my Integrative Nutrition studies and one of the most interesting points of thought for me have been regarding the power of raw and vegan foods. While many of the most popular diets contradict each other, the studies behind the powers of raw unpasteurized vegetables are unrivaled. I will never put a label on how I eat (i.e. paleo, vegan) but I have been trying to incorporate more raw veggies into my diet. One of the easiest ways is through juicing.
Ritual Wellness sent me a one-day cleanse a month ago to try out. They are based in California but ship nationwide. When the package was delayed in Memphis due to a snow storm, the hazards of shipping highly perishable juices across the country became a reality. Ritual was great about relaying the information and kept me in the loop. Nevertheless, they arrived just a day late and were still cold. The juices are not pasteurized so they can only be consumed with a 3-5 day window really. I just did a one day seasonal reset cleanse before leaving for Los Angeles. I didn’t post at the time because I knew you guys would think I was crazy. 🙂
It came with 3 green juices, one seasonal antioxidant fruit blend, 1 alkalizing lemonade and one protein rich nut milk. The point of doing just a one is to get back on track after an indulgent weekend. I find the juice cleanses are easier for me than to just eat really clean after weekend bender. Having the drinks prepared and numbered, ready to go takes all the guess and prep work out of my hands. I’m really disciplined when it comes to juicing for some odd reason.
What makes Ritual different from other juice companies is that they have 2 additional juices that you can buy separately for pre and post workout nutrition. One of the most popular questions people ask me when I talk about juice fasting is “Do you workout while doing one?” The answer usually is that I do light intensity workouts with little to no cardio. However, if you try Ritual, you can grab the Pre and Post Shred to workout as normal. The Post drink tasted amazing, dessert like really.
I could not drink it all at once. I had sips throughout the day if I needed a pick me up and then drank the rest the following day as my post workout meal. As you can see, it’s pretty high in calories. The number of calories (including the Pre Shred) are sufficient to replenish a 6 mile run or 60-minutes spin class. People also love to ask, isn’t is all sugar? Oddly enough, since it is not refined sugar but naturally occurring, my blood sugar does not spike or dip. I have a constant energy throughout the day and do not have cravings. My focus is also amazing. It’s odd to me and one of the reasons I find it easier than just “eating clean” to reset my body.
The pre shred drink is a beet, carrot, apple, celery pear juice with 200 calories. I really enjoyed the cleanse and the taste of all the juices. For those of you training for a big race or competition, the Shred options allow you to try a juice cleanse without sacrificing your training. Ritual delivered all over the US so they are a good alternative to BluePrint.
However, be careful that if shipping across the country, should there be a delay, you might have to start your cleanse a day later than planned or worse have to be sent a new batch if they go bad. Going local avoid these kids of issues and is why I usually stick to my go to in Boston, The Ripe Stuff. (Enter SarahFit10% for a discount at checkout)
After Nashville and Miami, I noticed that one of my recent videos had me looking much fuller than I did a month ago. One of the draw backs to my chosen occupation is always needing to look in tip top shape. I chose my path and I’m complaining but I’ve found that I enjoy the 2-day cleanses because they eliminate my sugar cravings and unwanted extra stored carbs that I haven’t been using. Yes, they are a quick fix and really my weight fluctuates only 5 lbs but on a 5’5″ frame, it shows on camera like 10-15 lbs. I would love to do a 2-day each month to be honest.
I love the Ripe Stuff Sangria. I could drink it all day probably. I tried the Touchdown for the first time and I definitely missed the Pineapple Mint which is delicious. The green juice is one of my favorites as well. I’m convinced I could get Roomie to try it and enjoy it!
The one draw back to juicing I’ve found is that I’m always cold. I think during the summer I am going to need to do them more often since we do not have AC. I started the two day on a lovely snowy day which happened to be the first day Spring.
The most challenging part of my day came thanks to Virgin Atlantic. I saw a few Boston tweeps using the hashtag #FITFOO to @VAAintheUSA. I thought it was a JetBlue like promotion where they were giving out free flights so I tweeted at them before researching.They responded, “Let’s start with cupcakes! We’ll hop you across the pond in style later. DM us your deets and let’s #FITFOO.” I wrote back saying that I was doing a juice cleanse and asked if I could save the cupcake. I didn’t know if they wanted me to eat it in front of them, odd but I was trying to be honest. A couples hours later, they showed up with Cupcakes by Melissa (omg, such amazing little cupcakes from NYC), and a Lululemon Yoga Mat!? The challenge was clearly not eating the cupcakes.
It was so random. They literally just came in to my shared office space and were like, here is your #FITFOO and we posed for pictures and then they left. So unplanned and so awesome. I needed a colorful new mat for the videos so this is perfect timing. The ladies asked me how I got the mat, and I said, “I don’t know, you’re the one that brought it to me?” Originally, I thought it was because I was doing a cleanse, but then I decided that I think it’s because the twitter manager must have looked at my profile. Either way, $70 yoga mat for a tweet, score! This is what I look like on days I don’t film.
Follow them on twitter to see if they are in your city and tweet to them to get your own #FITFOO! Gotta love social media right? Tomorrow is my birthday so I’ll be celebrating in typical Sarah Fit style with fitness, a trip to my favorite vegan restaurant and then with friends, cocktails, beer and basketball!
