BE Green Week 2 – Follow Miriam’s Journey!
by Miriam Campbell
Week 1 Detox brings New Challenges
So after my comfortable and easy re-introduction to green smoothies during my transition week, this week brought with it some difficulties – both in terms of logistics and the mental battles brought about by social pressure. Oh, and Easter. The temptation of unstructured time, hot cross buns and Easter eggs….want to see how I handled it?
24 Hour Water Fast – Eeek, or Sweet?
At the beginning of the first actual week of the 21 day Green Smoothie Detox, the guidelines suggest partaking in a 24 hour water fast. This is in no way mandatory, and you can just continue to have green smoothies or raw meals if you have any kind of blood sugar or similar issues.
I had both ups and downs during my water fast. I did not enjoy the fact that by 8:30am at work, my tummy was already grumbling and asking to be fed – how was I going to survive another 10 hours like this?
I passed on going to the gym at lunch, and instead went for a short walk (as it was raining a little) down to the nearby garden centre, and loitered around the plants and herbs for some fresh air.
I was busy at work, so that helped the time pass, and every time I felt hungry, or my tummy rumbled, I would have more 
water. I did experience quite a powerful (dull and throbbing) headache, so when I got home at 5pm, I tucked myself up in bed with my two favourite “k’s”, my kindle and kitty
At 6:30pm, I broke my fast with a generous sized apple and spinach smoothie. The next morning, I was pleasantly surprised to awake happy and filled with energy – I might have to try this 24 hour water fast thing on a more regular basis!
Have Vita-Mix, will Travel
I blissfully continued through the week, politely declining the various offerings of Easter eggs, and falling back on my no 
dairy policy when pushed about it (dairy appears to aggravate a skin condition I have, so I have been mostly dairy free since January this year).
The difficulties began when we headed down south to attend Warbirds over Wanaka. We were staying with my brother, and one of my sisters and her family would be joining us for the Easter weekend. I packed the Vitamix in the car, along with my knitting, and Green Smoothie Detox Menu Planner, and emptied the fridge contents into the chilly bin (cooler) in preparation for the next 8 days away from home.
This was when things started to fall apart a bit. I did well during the daytime – I made a large green smoothie for breakfast, and packed the remainder into my thermos containers to consume throughout the day.
The real challenge was dinner time – away from my home sanctuary, and with large numbers of family members around. I
wanted to be 100%, fully committed; I really thought I could do it! I can be quite hard on myself, and often, I am of the attitude that it is “all or nothing”.
In the end I succumbed to the perceived social pressure and compromised. I ate some cooked food at dinnertime, sitting around the table with my family, and supplemented with extra raw vegetables above those that were on offer. I felt this was the best I could make of the situation, but it does also mean that I am now contemplating extending my Green Smoothie detox past the official ending date, to enjoy the full effects of 21 days green.
Contemplation for the next week.
There have been some triumphs (24 water fast, check) and some challenges (eating in a social environment). I have another week on holiday, with the next 5 days away from home. I am going to take some time to listen to some of the great teleseminar resources that are included with this course, and try to introduce some of my family members to green smoothies, so that I feel more comfortable eating this way in front of them. Week 2 of the detox brings the challenge of three full days of only green smoothies, blended green soups or green juices!
Visit the blog next week to see how I accept the next weeks challenge!
Thanks for reading!