Cleansing With the Stars

Update 12/6/2010:

September Crawford is extending her offer for 20% off her Red Carpet Cleanses juice cleanse for the next week to all "Live and Diet" readers!

AND there is no minimum number of days to purchase. The discount applies to any length cleanse, from 1 to 10 days. Use promo code: tladla20 to enjoy your limited time offer.


As a general rule I don't recommend cleanses (many have too few calories and not enough nutrients). But there is a time and place for everything...

That time and place for me was Wednesday after an almost week long Thanksgiving-spurred junk food diet. I was feeling bloated and sluggish, and I needed to jump start my body back into good health.

So I tried out a 1-day nut, fruit, and vegetable juice diet.

Now don't call me a hypocrite.

Cleanses can be good if your motive is to re-energize and purify your system, and not to lose weight. I don't agree with weight loss cleansing because you'll gain it all back when you begin eating solid food again. When your goal is to simply purify your body and get an enormous serving of nutrients in a short period of time, cleanses are A-list-OK.

My cleanse of choice was Red Carpet Cleanses' Juice Cleanse.

It consists of 6 tasty juices blended to perfection, and delivered straight to your doorstep at 6 a.m. the day (s) of your cleanse. Svelte model Molly Sims says she loves it.


September Crawford, a local raw foodie and consultant for many popular L.A. cleanses, created the plan to eliminate toxins and give people a full body detox. It can be done for a day (like I did), or up to a week.


"The biggest benefit of a one-day cleanse is to build energy by reserving your digestive energy, and relocating it to healing something else in the body that needs attention," September tells me. "It is a pick-me-up, and best to be done on a Wednesday, mid-week when we are in a slump."

The cleanse claims to flush out pesticides, heavy metals, and residues of molds and fungi that build up in the body from years of exposure via the foods we eat, the air we breathe, and the water we drink.

So with this goal, I began my road to recovery.


The cleanse comes with a handy card detailing what time to consume each beverage.

The first juice, Electrolyte Lemonade, consisted of lemon, ginger, stevia, and sea salt. I drank it hesitantly at 7 a.m. for my first "feeding."


Then I headed to work, armed with a large supply of water and tea, my only other allies for the day.


Around 10 a.m. my next meal came in the form of the Ace of Blades: a cucumber, celery, lemon, ginger, apple, probiotics, and superfoods concoction.

Around noon, I got the biggest caloric boost of the day with the Rawkstar Smoothie. This creamy drink tasted absolutely fabulous with kale, mango, cinnamon, almond milk, stevia, and sea salt.

When my stomach began to growl again at 2 p.m. the bright orange Some Tang with carrot, ginger, apple, and lemon came in to save the day.

Another Ace of Blades at 4 p.m. carried me over during the car ride to my hour long massage before dinner.


Oh yeah, I must have forgotten to mention. September doesn't recommend any intense exercise (light yoga permitted) during the cleanse. Instead, pampering rubdowns and sauna soaks are the approved activities for the day. I could get used to this :)

To finish off the flush, I concluded my cleanse with the Liquid Churro Smoothie. This was the tastiest one of all, made from soaked cashews, vanilla, cinnamon, maca, and stevia.

I'm not going to lie, it was tough for me. I was hungry most of the day. But the hunger wasn't unmanageable.



Between the 6 drinks you take in a total of 1080 calories, not too far below the lower range of 1200-1600 calories recommended for dieting. So you're not starving yourself, especially if it's only for one day.

I went to bed early that night as instructed, and hoped to wake up feeling fresh.

On Thursday morning surprisingly, I didn't feel hungry. I woke up feeling lighter, mentally and physically. Obviously I can't scientifically test if my body was thoroughly cleansed of my multiple Thanksgiving stuffings. But if I had to gauge it subjectively, I would say it worked!

If you too want to try this juice cleanse, September is giving a 20% discount off a three-day plan for all "Live and Diet" readers.


Just tell her you heard about it here, and get you'll get a discount off the normally $90 a day.

Try it in time to look and feel your best for the rest of the holiday season!

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