You know that feeling when you have re-connected with a friend that you haven’t seen in many years and you realize that you have much more in common, and have a deeper connection than you had ever thought before?
Well, that happened to me last night.
I met Karen through my brother and my (now) sister-in-law way back in Bible College. We knew each other, but didn’t really spend much time together. Then about 8 or 9 years ago, I started a new job at Samaritan’s Purse and it just so happened that her (now) husband worked there as well. Karen and I had chatted once in a while during that time, but that was the extent of it. We ran into each other at the farmers market shortly after I left the job, but again, basically stood and chatted and went on our merry way.
It was when I started talking about the Fab Detox I did with Meghan last year on Facebook that Karen got in touch with me and became interested in doing the detox herself. So, she signed up in September and I was more than happy to cheer her along on furthering her journey to health.
Little did I know that it would start a relationship that we never really had a chance to start so long ago.
Long story short (stay with me!), because of our shared interest in health and transitioning to a plant-based lifestyle, we connected again. As you may have read in my last post, I had learned of a juice cleanse right here in Calgary that another friend had posted about. I knew that I needed someone to come along for the ride with me after trying to get Marc to give it a try and failing,miserably. In fact, when I asked if he wanted to join me on the cleanse, Marc’s first question was, ‘can I still eat toast?”… too funny. There was no one else I would rather experience it with than Karen!
The start of the cleanse was so last minute, I was worried it may not work for her. Thankfully she was instantly on board!
To recap a little, I decided to do this cleanse to take the time to slow down, recharge and focus after a long few months of work stress. I knew my body was starting to protest. I didn’t have a problem with eating the right foods, in fact I was extremely proud of myself for the meal planning and prep that I did to carry both my husband and I through. My problem was that I was not focusing on being mindful of what I ate. Yes, I ate healthy, but you can still run into issues when not really thinking about what you are consuming.
I knew I needed something to get me back to basics, and something that would heal my gut at the same time. I know that Karen felt the same way; we were both feeling worn out, bloated, and just plain exhausted.
By the second day I still had a butt load of energy in the morning, with a few hunger pangs throughout the day. By the evening I was getting a little run down. I went to Yoga Passage for a restorative class, but I felt kind of antsy and distracted to be honest. I wasn’t focused at all.
By the third day I was ready for it to be over. I woke up feeling like I’d been hit by a truck. I slept horribly and I wasn’t so sure I should continue. BUT, after my mug of warm lemon cranberry water and a full glass of water, I was energized again and ready to face the day!
Without going on too much, I’ll answer the big questions… did I get hungry? Yes, absolutely. Was I tired/ have lack of energy? As I mentioned earlier, now and then. Grumpy? Well, maybe sometimes 
Did that mean it wasn’t going well for me? Absolutely not!
There wasn’t anything to mask my feelings with. I wasn’t about to push them away, instead I had to face them and deal with them in a non-food related way. It made me more mindful of what is happening in my body and more mindful of the struggles I have within myself. Interestingly enough, this cleanse not only had to do with giving my digestive system a break, it opened up other things that I have been pushing down by keeping busy and finding ways to distract myself.
The ultimate question for those in Calgary that are looking for something like this… would I do this cleanse again with Bava? To be completely honest, I’m not so sure. I loved the juices, the blendswere delicious! I especially loved the dinner juice, so creative and distinct! Of course youknow the green juice for lunch was my first love! However, being an avid juicer myself and having a Hurom juicer at home, I know that I can do this on my own. Having said that, it’s nice to be able to do a cleanse without the stress of having to make it myself.
It may be a lot to ask, but I do wish that Bava (or any other program) would deliver on more of a daily basis, as I felt that (especially with the chai milk) they were getting a little old by the last day. I also tend to make my juices with more vegetables than fruit. They were a bit too sweet for my taste. The first day I really enjoyed the sweetness, but after that it got a little too much. Although, others who are doing a juice cleanse for the first time would most likely appreciate that!
What I loved the most, was that they delivered right to my door, first thing in the morning to start your cleanse. Even living in a condo building, they were able to get in and place the juice at the security desk by the door so they didn’t bother me so early! Also, the emails that were waiting in my inbox every morning, including a breakdown list of why juicing is so valuable. I won’t get into the details, as I am not a nutritionist, and don’t want to give specific advice. But there were some really great points that I took to heart. I appreciated the pep talks from them and from Karen! We had a few check-ins during the day to see how the other was doing.
In the end, I absolutely would recommend Bava Juice to those in the area. Even if I’m not interested in doing it again, I am so glad there is something available locally, instead of signing up for a cleanse to be sent across the country. They really do provide a great service!
As I mentioned, having Karen along for the ride was invaluable. It also brought us even closer. Last night we met up face to face for the first time in years and it felt like we’ve been close friends for decades! Through all of this, I cannot measure how blessed and encouraged I felt leaving the restaurant at the end of the night.
I am incredibly grateful for how God has brought us into each other’s lives.
We celebrated the end of our cleanse with dinner at one of my favorites, and hopefully a new favorite for Karen… The Coup!
Excuse the terrible iPhone photo, but this was delicious! Rice fettuccini with sundried tomato and hazelnut pesto, shredded yams and shiitaki mushrooms… I asked if they could ease up on the pasta and add broccoli, they were more than happy to oblige! Our delicious drinks were mint lemon thyme iced teas. A very tasty celebration indeed!
All in all, I really enjoyed the experience and was encouraged that I was capable of doing this for myself. I do feel like I’ve had a reboot, and am looking forward to getting back in the kitchen and hopefully get the creative juices flowing again! (pun intended, ha!)
Whew! If you have stuck with me all this time, thank you!! It’s funny how you feel dry for so long, not knowing what to write about and then BOOM, it hits ya! If you have any questions at all about my experience with juicing and/or with Bava, I am more than happy to answer what I can!
Tuesday, May 14, 2013 at 11:39AM 
