Today marks day two in my juice cleanse. The hardest effect I am having to deal with? Cravings. Pretzels, pizza, some meal I can chew, and my biggest; Licorice. I love licorice, I now should add 'loved.' Yesterday, (day 1), I would get seldom and yet random delicious whiffs from my lovely fruity friends. I would grab the bag and hold it wanting to eat them but, quitting on day one is just... sad. Wanting to start a whole new healthy lifestyle, I set the bag back down. Why did I not just throw it away you may be pondering right now? That leads us to today, magical day two. Where the magic happens.
I opened the bag. No, not to eat them. A major breakthrough. I finally trusted myself that I would not go on a candy eating spree and choke down the whole bag. I grabbed the pieces and I got a headache. The smell is just gross to me now. I would rather much have an apple. It frustrates me that these pieces mimicked colors of fruits and vegetables. While the veggies and fruits hold many nutritious and yummy benefits, the licorice does not. Yes, maybe the ¨good tasting factor,¨ but, turn that bag around and... well... there is basicly no nutritional value what so ever. Citric acid, natural and artificial flavors, corn syrup, palm oil, and dyes just to name a few ingredients. Did I mention that three pieces are 120 calories? If you know me, you know I eat a whole bag. There are 35. Do not worry, I did the calculations. Are you ready? *Drum Roll* 1399.9 calories in a bag. That is 31 nutritious apples on the healthy side. Sick, hungry, and tired is what I felt when I finished the candy, but after one, sometimes two apples depending on the size, I feel energized and full. I would prefer an apple thank you.
I no longer think of Licorice as a treat. I would love an orange, celery with peanut butter, or something that would improve my health and taste good. Eating them always made me feel sick, but they tasted so good so why not eat more? Doing this cleanse helped me realise what is important to my health and to take a step back and make healthier choices. So what is stopping me? What is stopping you?
