“Conscious participation in your relationship to food and eating requires waking up to the reality of what is happening. It requires giving attention to the inherent needs of your body,” writes local author Myra Lewin in her book Freedom in
“Conscious participation in your relationship to food and eating requires waking up to the reality of what is happening. It requires giving attention to the inherent needs of your body,” writes local author Myra Lewin in her book Freedom in Your Relationship with Food.
I’m couch-bound and pajama-clad while reading these words and sipping a fresh-pressed juice called Omega This. The ambrosial elixir, made by Kauai Juice Company, feels deeply nourishing. I’ve given myself a mini spa vacation: three days to reclaim my health and sanity.
Over the past several weeks, too many obligations left me feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. My body demanded the simple comfort of sugar, salt and fat. With no time or patience to cook nourishing meals, I ate out. A lot. I decided to break my cravings before they broke me.
In the documentary Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead, Joe Cross trades junk food for a juicer and over 60 days, loses 100 pounds and heals from a debilitating autoimmune disease. The story compelled me to research juicing and as I do, I imagine fresh made juice — nutrient dense and packed with vitamins and minerals — infiltrating my cells like scrubbing bubbles, cleansing them of toxins until they sparkle. I learn people do cleanses to reset their system when the seasons change, free themselves of addictive substances, or heal from illness.
Last December, my husband Dan and I lived on juice for three days. We spent $200 on organic produce at Safeway and followed Cross’ plan. Every two hours we’d clean, juice and drink, then clean the juicer, sink and ourselves. It seemed like just as we finished making and drinking one juice, it was time to start over.
This time, I pamper myself with a three-day cleanse designed by Kristal Muhich of Kauai Juice Company. Walking up to the outdoor counter, I pick up juices for Beginner Cleanse ($74 per day). Each juice is made in house and each day includes five, 17-ounce juices; one, 17-ounce milk; and two, 2-ounce elixirs. Nuts, local fruit and organic vegetables are deftly blended into flavorful combinations and each drink is numbered in the order I’m to drink them.
On Day One, I begin at 8 a.m. with Drink 1: Glow. The light and mildly spicy drink is made with kale, cucumber, chard, romaine, parsley, celery, apple, lemon and ginger. At 10 a.m., I discover Drink 2: Omega This; sunshine in a bottle. Sumptuously flavored, it’s made with chia seeds, pineapple, tangerines, grapefruit, soursop, lilikoi (passion fruit) and fractionated coconut oil — which, my KJC handout says promotes a balanced metabolism and increases energy.
This is so easy. The alarm on my phone goes off every two hours; I pop a top and insert the glass straw I bought from KJC. An hour before “lunch,” I slug the Everything Shot. Made with moringa, a medicinal plant that’s used to relieve joint pain, lower blood pressure and promote sleep. Drink 3: Mo Beta, is a sweet, earthy blend of beets, carrots, apple, lemon and ginger. Nitrites in beets are converted to nitric oxide, which boosts blood flow, muscle contraction, and neurotransmission.
Drink 4: Mintacolada, is sweet and refreshing and made with pineapple, coconut water and mint. I feel decadent savoring these deeply hued, flavorful drinks. Drink 5: Mr. Walker, made with parsley, chard, carrot and celery, is named in honor of Norman W. Walker, a pioneer in vegetable juicing and nutritional health.
Just before my final drink, I down Life Saver. The potent shot, made with turmeric, ginger, garlic, apple cider vinegar and Hawaiian chili peppers, promises to be the ultimate cold buster. Drink 6: Island Milk is calming and rich, and the perfect ending to a day of juicing. Made with macadamia nuts, cashews, alkaline water, vanilla, agave and Hawaiian sea salt, it’s high in protein and healthy fats.
I don’t know if my cells were scrubbed till they sparkled, but on the third day of my cleanse, the morning fog that usually hangs low in my head has cleared. By 10 a.m., I feel so energetic that I spend two hours digging in my garden.
Juices are also available for single purchase. For more information, visit KauaiJuiceCo.com.
• Marta Lane, a food writer on Kauai since 2010, offers farm to fork food tours and is the author of Tasting Kauai: Restaurants – From Food Trucks to Fine Dining, A Guide to Eating Well on the Garden Island. For more information, visit TastingKauai.com.
