After a semester of late night Dominos, greasy dining hall food, and a littllleee too much beer, I came home from college feeling sluggish, bloated, and definitely a little rounder in the face. As the barbecue-filled Memorial Day Weekend came to a close, my mom and I decided to do something to kick-start our healthier eating. We looked at Goop, Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle website and came across her “Quick, Three-Day Summer Detox”. It looked decently easy and tasty, so we loaded up on avocado and sweet potatoes at the grocery store, (although my kitchen does not look exactly like Gwyneth’s does), and began our detox on Tuesday morning.
Day 1
I woke up feeling ready to tackle my first day of the detox and my first day at my summer job. For breakfast was a Pineapple Arugula Cilantro Green Smoothie that I thought was a little too lettuce-y, but I somehow managed to get down. As a big breakfast eater, I was hungry about 10 minutes later and dreaming of chocolate chip pancakes. Lunch was roasted sweet potatoes (an adaption of Goop’s Black Daal-Stuffed Indian Spiced Sweet Potato) which I loved, and dinner was spaghetti squash with pesto. I found myself with a huge headache and lack of energy at work and wasn’t sure if this detox would be worth it.
Day 2
No surprise but I woke up hungry after my first day. On the docket was Steel-Cut Oatmeal with Chia Seeds and Strawberries. It definitely left me fuller than the day before’s breakfast and was a lot yummier. About an hour later I was once again starving, (suprise suprise), but chugged some water and made it to lunch. For lunch I ate the Quinoa and Arugula Salad which was definitely one of my favorite meals of the entire process. I could tell that my body was adjusting to this detox because at dinnertime I actually wasn’t starving. Maybe it was the lack of an appetite for Kale and Sweet Potato Soup, or maybe the detox was working its magic on me.
Day 3
On day three the first thing I did was jump on the scale. I was down about a pound and a half. It was probably water weight, but was determined to finish the last day strong. Day three was by far the easiest because I had already gotten used to the unique foods and smaller portions. The last day was special because I got to eat waffles for breakfast. Not sugary, syrup drenched waffles, but pistachio ones had to do.
For the first time in my detox, I wasn’t hungry after breakfast and actually made it to lunch without turning into a hangry monster at work. I didn’t feel malnourished or have a headache for the entire day, unlike the two days before. Lunch was a Thai salad with Cashews that I couldn’t get enough of.
After snacking on my leftover salad for the remainder of the afternoon, I ate Roasted Sweet Potatoes for dinner, marking the end of the detox. Okay, so maybe I lied and ate some dark chocolate too, but chocolate is never a bad thing after a long day.
Reflection
After three days of giving up all the foods that made me happy, I seriously thought about if it was worth it or not. Sure I dropped two pounds and had more energy when it came down to it, but a lot of it was water weight and it wasn’t enough to have me hooked. Three days is not a lot of time so severe changes shouldn’t be expected, but it was good to feel like I cleansed the sins of last semester and can now enjoy my favorite summer foods in moderation. Although I will never look like Gwyneth, it was cool to feel like I was eating like a celeb for a few days. If you’re looking to kickstart your healthy lifestyle, try Gwyneth’s detox, you won’t regret it.