![\"carrot](\"https:\/\/www.dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/carrot-juice.jpg\")
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By Cat Poland<\/a><\/strong>, a writer who shares her experiences with life and motherhood at Mom on the Range<\/a><\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n You know what\u2019s cute? Baby bellies. Aren\u2019t pregnant women adorable?<\/p>\n You know what\u2019s not so cute? Baby bellies when you\u2019re not<\/em> pregnant. I\u2019m not making a blanket statement about the size of other women\u2019s bodies and what I think they should or shouldn\u2019t look like. I\u2019m talking solely about my own.<\/p>\n It\u2019s annoying. Pants don\u2019t fit well, and forget about wearing maxi dresses without getting \u201cthe look\u201d from others. Is she, isn\u2019t she?<\/em> When a family member put her hand on my belly and asked if I had \u201cnews,\u201d I lost it.<\/p>\n What if I did a juice fast?<\/strong> (Or cleanse, as some might call it.) I just wanted to look not so pregnant. And I was curious. Would I have renewed energy as some claimed? Would I cure my pesky battle with constipation (thank you, hormones). Would I feel rejuvenated?<\/p>\n There was only one way to find out. I bought a refurbished Breville juicer on Amazon and searched the interwebs for a juicing regimen. I decided three days would be a good test. I came across the Joe Cross 3-Day Weekend Juice Cleanse<\/em>, and was attracted to the simple to follow shopping\/recipe sheet<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n I could hear my dietitian friend\u2019s eyes rolling as I printed it off. I know she\u2019s not a fan of juice cleanses. Something about your body needing fiber, and protein and yadda yadda. I mean, I guess she\u2019s kind of on to something, as this fellow dietitian agrees.<\/p>\n \u201cFollowing a very restrictive diet that is eliminating essential nutrients can be dangerous. If you are drinking juices in place of real food, you will fall short on a number of nutrients your body needs, namely protein and fiber,\u201d says Lauren Blake<\/a><\/strong>, clinical dietitian at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center.<\/p>\n OK. I heard the critics, but I just had to see for myself. After all, it\u2019s just fruits and vegetables, right? And just for three days, right?<\/p>\n As it turns out, it wasn\u2019t the worst thing I\u2019d ever done<\/strong>, but it wasn\u2019t the best thing, either. No miracle secret energy store was found and it wasn\u2019t a silver bullet to my ever-present tummy pooch. I did enjoy the taste of several of the recipes, and it expanded my produce palate. I even learned how to repurpose all that leftover pulp into some tasty recipes, like this Apple Carrot Chocolate Cake<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n And sure, I lost weight. Seven pounds. And my belly was pretty darn flat. That felt good.<\/p>\n But you know what felt bad? The extreme dizziness, mental fogginess, and feeling like I just needed to eat some ever-loving turkey breast. I was never really hungry during those three days, but there were times when I felt like my body might just shut down if I didn\u2019t have some sustenance. As for claims of reduced constipation? Try the opposite. Then again, what do you expect when you\u2019re eating no fiber?<\/p>\n Oh, and let\u2019s not forget about the expense. I spent more than $120 in produce alone. I\u2019m sure I could have been a more savvy shopper and saved money<\/a><\/strong>, but still.<\/p>\n When it comes to juicing, I can say I came, I saw and I didn\u2019t conquer. I\u2019ll still have a juice every now and then, but I\u2019ll take my protein, my fiber and my round little belly over feeling like that again.<\/p>\n Also Read:<\/strong><\/p>\n The Dark Side of Juicing: Why Too Much Juice Gets in the Way of Good Health<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Best Smoothies on Twitter: Recipes in 140 Characters<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n 5 Summer Foods That Keep Your Metabolism Burning<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Cat Poland, a writer who shares her experiences with life and motherhood at Mom on the Range. You know what\u2019s cute? Baby bellies. Aren\u2019t pregnant women adorable? You know what\u2019s not so cute? Baby bellies when you\u2019re not pregnant. … Continue reading ![\"grocery\"](\"https:\/\/www.dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/grocery.jpg\")
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