FROM ASPEN, WITH LOVE
FOOD MATTERS
THE HONEYBEE JUICE BAR TAKES THE FEAR OUT OF CLEANSING
I DIDN’T DO myself any favors at the start of my first cleanse with the Honeybee Juice Bar in Aspen. On Sunday night, in preparation for four days of cold-pressed green juice, chia seed smoothies and root vegetable soup, I settled in for a nutritious dinner entrée of organic Oreostyle cookies, a glass of white wine and a bite of my son’s leftover mac ‘n’ AMIEE WHITE cheese. I hadn’t done the BEAZLEY suggested mindful wean from coffee, sugar and alcohol. Even as I savored my last cookie, I knew my body was going to be in for a shock. This wasn’t my first cleanse, but it may be the cleanse for which I was the most excited. Since the Honeybee Juice Bar opened two years ago, owner Kate Linehan had the intention of offering a juice cleanse program. I all but stalked her about it, nudging for info on when it would begin. In January she finally offered her first four-day program, and 28 Aspen and Basalt residents, including myself, took part in the experience. This is the perfect cleanse for the first-timer as well as the more vigorous cleanser. The days consist of four bottles of fresh-pressed, ultra-nutritious and very tasty juices (two in the morning and two in the afternoon), a thicker chia seed smoothie for lunch and then a mix of chopped vegetables that are to be boiled in water at night. The mix of fruits and vegetables in each of the juices are chosen for their alkalizing properties and ability to balance blood sugar so there are no highs and lows in the day, according to Linehan, and the chia in the midday shake helps with pulling toxins from the digestive system. On the first day, I was no saint. Having eaten so much junk the night before, I woke up hungry and ate “offmenu” so to speak a bit that morning. I hadn’t fully committed and that was a mistake. It took me most of the day to get into the right state of mind, but
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Febr u ar y 7-13, 2013
by dinnertime and having enjoyed the vegetable soup provided, I was into the routine and looked forward to day two. The second day of a cleanse is notoriously difficult for many, as it was for me. The body is experiencing serious symptoms of detoxification – and for me the second day of no coffee or sugar put me in the detox fog only to make way for a raging headache later in the day. I should have gone home and lay on the couch, but instead I pushed forward with swimming lessons for the kids. My head was pounding and I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it. By the time we got home from dinner, it was two Advil for mama and lights out. But like the rainbow after the storm, I woke the next morning energized with the feeling that I could do this cleanse forever. I felt fantastic! There is a lightness and an overall sense of well-being that fills you on this cleanse. I loved the fact I was drinking ample, freshly squeezed juice that maintained all of its nutrients without having a
chance of breaking down like many other cleanses. I connected with a few other cleansers too and the accessibility to discuss the cleanse — its challenges and benefits — dramatically helped with the success rate for us all. THIS IS NOT a weight-loss cleanse. Instead, this is for so many of us who just aren’t eating as well as we know we should. It’s a way to clean the slate and start anew. It gives you a new perspective on the effect of food on body, mind and spirit, and makes you conscious of how good food — even in juice form — can make you feel like a million bucks. Amiee White Beazley writes about food-related travel for the Aspen Times Weekly. She also works at Woody Creek Distillers. Follow her on Twitter @awbeazley1, or email awb@awbeazley.com.