Learning More about CAN CAN Clease and day 2/3

Day two was much easier than the first day, which was actually pretty surprising. I was expecting it just to get worse but it actually wasn't a hard today. The schedule was the same:

8:00am Juice #1 (Lemon Lime Juice)

9:00am Juice #2 (Green Juice)

10:30am Juice #3 (Hibiscus Tea)

12:00 Juice #4 (Zucchini Basil Soup)

2:30 Juice #5 (Watermelon Juice)

5:00 Juice #6 (Green Juice)

7:00 Juice #7 (Nut Milk)

8:00 Juice #8 (Lemon Balm Lavender Tea)

I didn't find myself as hungry today as I was yesterday. Also, it's pretty nuts at work and even on the juice cleanse, I was able to think straight and concentrate on my tasks. 

I spent much of the day thinking about how well organized the cleanse is. I could tell that much care went into planning the juices and developing the recipes. I was extremely curious about how the idea came to be, so I gave the girls and CAN CAN Cleanse a call to ask them some questions about their amazing business.

CAN CAN Cleanse's was founded by Teresa Piro, a Seattle, Washington native who moved to San Francisco 11 years ago.  Her childhood experiences with her grandparents home garden in Portland and her studies in Holistic Nutrition at Bauman College really shaped her views on nutrient rich foods and how they make us feel. The idea for the cleanse came from the desire to remind others how their food choices make them feel. According to Teresa, "letting the digestive system relax and reset leads us to discover physical and mental clarity." I couldn't agree more!

I was also interested in the unique concept of combining juices, soups and teas. Teresa felt that people often times have a hard time drinking cold juices all day long, especially in San Francisco where it's never really that hot. So, she found her clients did much better with the hot soup and hot teas. She found that it was more satisfying and more enjoyable that way. This is the sole reason I chose CAN CAN over all other cleanses: I loved the idea of warm beverages during a cleanse. She also adds cayenne pepper or cinnamon to most of the blends to give them more warming qualities.

Finally, CAN CAN knows that the cleanses aren't easy and they don't believe they should be. Teresa believes in an act of mindfulness to follow the schedule and to be fully aware of what you are consuming. She believes: "the result is an invigorating and inspiring feeling that puts us back on a healthy track."

CAN CAN recommends that your do cleanses seasonally, and I'm definitely looking forward to trying their updated flavors 3 months from now.

Dancing the CAN CAN while on the CAN CAN Cleanse!

So after all the eating out and indulging in cake since I ended my detox cleanse, I was thinking that I'd like a little reboot. I didn't really care to do anything major since I did just do a 21-detox cleanse, but just a little pick me up! I'd done a juice cleanse once before, about 2 years ago when I bought 18 bottles of 16oz juices from Whole Foods. At the time, I was feeling sick after eating Chipotle daily for lunch for 6 months. By day three, at 10:30 am, I hopped on the bus to the nearest gluten-free bakery and bought a sandwich!

When I was researching cleanse companies in the SF Bay Area, I found CAN CAN Cleanse! I called the girls up and they were kind enough to let me try their cleanse! The cleanse consists of 8 juices, teas, a nut milk, and an amazing, absolutely delicious soup for lunch!  But honestly, the best part of the cleanse are these jars that they come in!  I can't wait to come up with all the crafty ways to utilize them.

So yesterday was my first day. It started with a Lemon Lime Juice at 8:00am. When I drank it, it reminded me of the Master Cleanse, but without any sweetness. It was super tart, but I really enjoyed it. It was a great pick me up in the morning.

At 9:00am, I had the Green Juice, which is made with celery, cucumber, green cabbage, broccoli, fennel, romaine, spinach, kale, parsley, ginger, lemon and apple. I have to say that for all those veggies, I found the juice a little light. The flavor was amazing, but I wanted it to be more thicker. I think that's more about personal preference, since store bought veggie juices don't usually contain pulp. Because I own a slow juicer and a Vitamix, I tend to like juices on the thick and pulpy side. When I had the Breville the juices definitely contained very little pulp and I know people love that juicer.

So by 10:30, my stomach was growling and I was thinking: "why am I doing this again?," but I kept at it, since it's for both personal and blog related R&D (research & development). I love challenging myself :). I didn't realize until today (day 2, 9pm) that I could've actually just had a snack. CAN CAN provides a great list of "cheat" foods you can snack on, that won't affect the effectiveness of the cleanse.

Speaking of effectiveness, you're probably all wondering: What's the point? I believe, juice cleanses are a great way to clean on all the gunk hanging out in the intestines and organs. It's like an oil change for your car. It helps with cravings and with aches and pains, which I've been suffering from. Here's a great summary of the health benefits of juice cleanses.

So with my stomach was growling, I had juice #3, a very flavorful Hibiscus Tea.

By 12:00, I was beyond ready for lunch. I was in luck, because Juice #4 was actually a soup, a bowl of hot, nourishing soup. The Zucchini Basil Soup was actually incredible! Thick and creamy, it's made with Zucchini, Basil, Broccoli, Celery, Leeks, Garlic, Onion, Cumin, Coriander, Cayenne Pepper, Lemon Juice, Sea Salt, Filtered Water. I think I will be making this one at home once I'm done with the cleanse!

At 2:30, I had a treat with Juice #5, Watermelon Juice made with watermelon, apple, & lime. It was a nice satisfying drink, especially since juices 1-4 weren't that sweet.

The next juice wasn't until 5:00pm and by that point, I was ready to chew off my own arm. Again, this was totally my fault since I could have had a snack, but was trying to follow the juice program 100%. At 5:00, I gulped down another Green Juice and was somewhat satiated.

Because I was busy, picking up my daughter from pre-school, feeding her and the hubby, I didn't have time to think about that my next juice wasn't until 7:00pm. The good thing about Juice #7 is it's actually a nut milk made with vanilla and dates. It was really rich and creamy, but not super sweet like the Blueprint Cleanse's Cashew Milk, which also has a really thick gooey texture.

An hour later, I had Juice #8, a Lemon Balm & Lavender Tea, which was very aromatic. Lavender and Lemon Balm are both relaxing and calming herbs, so this was a perfect way to end the day.

Overall, I really enjoyed all of the flavors of the juices and teas, but I was definitely hungry. I think that's the point of a cleanse though, you aren't meant to enjoy it, but your insides are enjoying it on your behalf. Cleanses are a really great way to reboot and recharge, so even if I'm feeling a bit tired and hungry on day 1, I know that once I'm done, I'll be feeling refreshed. Or at least that's my hope. Stay tuned tomorrow to see how I'm doing!