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Totally RAW-some

White Ibiza’s blogger and self-confessed fussy eater and junk food lover Miss W embarks on the 5-day raw food cleanse from Passion Café.

Day 1
Being a fussy eater, I decided to take a chew now, ask questions later approach during this detox, rather than let preconceived food preferences cloud my judgment. So when I arrived at Passion Café in Marina Botafoch for breakfast numero uno (the option to dine-in for breakfast is a nice, motivational touch), the bowl of gooey goodness and green smoothie that was set down in front of me seemed a far cry from my regular toast and tea! I was intrigued…

A shot of vibrant green detoxifying chlorella came first – aka, a shot of seaweed. As scary as it looked, I enjoyed the taste and especially the experience… it’s pretty rock and roll to have a shot before breakfast!

Breakfast was raw coconut porridge – creamy, slightly nutty and with a sweet splash of mango on top. De-lish! I felt extraordinarily full afterwards, but rather than needing to roll back into bed, I definitely had the energy to get on with the day.

Ooooh what excitement I felt as I loaded my jam-packed wooden detox box, filled with pre-made raw meals into my car, and a sense of smugness as I carried it through Dalt Vila to my house. “That’s right everyone – I’m one of those girls. Pure, healthy and conscious of where my food comes from. Basically a saint.”

Raw cleanse guru Lana Love’s one rule for each day was that I had to finish the 1.5 litre bottle of pink, salted natural lemonade before I could tuck into my next meal. But of course, minute I arrived home, I couldn’t help myself and had to take a teensy little bite of each meal. They just looked… so inviting!

A massaged kale salad (Massaged? That piece of green leaf has a better lifestyle than me!) for lunch, quinoa tabouleh and raw hummus for dinner, plus a green detox juice (which I really struggled with, so strong was the celery taste!) and a sweet bite sized cake for dessert – I couldn’t even finish it all, took myself to bed early and slept like a baby!

Passion Cafe, raw detox

Day 2
My, oh my, I can’t remember having a headache this intense since the night I drank about half a bottle of tequila followed by half a bottle of Jagermeister. But that’s another story! I was quite surprised to be honest – I thought that amount of health food would ensure I woke up glowing, and basically floating on air! Lana assures me this is normal, and more than likely to do with the lack of sugar from my regular diet combined with the detoxifying properties of many of the raw ingredients.

But… was that a chocolate pancake I spied, being served up for breakfast? Not quite so lucky… but it was a raw flax crepe with cashew cream and caramelised cinnamon apple. Surely, something this yummy can’t be healthy? (I am assured that it is so I scoff it down swiftly.)

Today’s detox box looks even more exciting – a Thai green salad (totally amazing with yummy chunks of pineapple, curried cashews and avocado!), coconut water, a deep red juice, and a noodle box with a raw pad Thai for dinner, which included strips of delicious raw coconut. Again, I found I couldn’t finish it all!

Turns out I really enjoy the salty lemonade, and have no problem finishing it before lunchtime – and you can really tell it’s flushing away toxins, since it makes you need to pee about once every 15 minutes! Luckily for me, I work from home…

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Day 3
Today, no headache, and as I dashed out of the house to collect my day’s meals in the morning, my boyfriend looked at me quizzically and said, “You look… healthy!” (Yikes – how bad did I look before?). But I could see it too – my eyes were bright, white and clear and my skin glowing.

I felt like an LA it girl with my lush looking purple smoothie in the cup holder of my car, and coconut water poking out of my handbag. Yes, I’m that shallow – but if that’s what it takes to make me ditch the red bull and Snickers bars, I’m not going to complain!

My stomach was making weird (loud!) noises all day, and once again, I was grateful for the fact I worked at home. I could really feel a difference in my energy levels, and particularly my concentration… I had no desire to sneak off for a siesta (another perk of working from home!) and ploughed through my day’s tasks like a girl on a mission!

Lana’s raw lasagna was like a revelation (a raw-velation? Sorry, couldn’t help it) for me. I found it difficult to believe this mouth-wateringly good creation – that looked and tasted just like good old-fashioned lasagna – could be good for me. Taste sensational! As was the soba noodle ‘stir fry’ for dinner – if this is vegetarianism… I could be tempted to become a convert.

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Day 4
I jump out of bed early, wide eyed and excited to start the day. Except it’s Saturday, and I’ve got absolutely nothing to do. I’m not normally a morning person, so I know this is the detox at work. Hmmm. I should be annoyed at not getting my weekly lie-in, but instead I’m perky, chirpy and cheerful. Lana Love, you’ve got a lot to answer for.

As the day went on however, I found it REALLY difficult to stick to the detox, no matter how good the food was. Perhaps it was because I didn’t have work to focus on and keep me from opening and closing the fridge repeatedly. Maybe it was because I was watching TV and the food advertisements were driving me crazy. My advice, for those wanting to try this at home: keep yourself busy folks!

In the end, this was the hardest day for me, and Lana assures me this is normal – she says it’s your body fighting against you, and trying to get to go back to its bad habits after the novelty of the first few days of the detox wear off. Damn you body. As the day went on, I felt my energy levels waning. I complained about just wanting to eat something HOT! In the end, I wallowed on the sofa all day and night. Again, Lana says this is completely normal – effects of my blood and organs detoxing. I started to feel bloated… and irritable – shouldn’t be rake thin and glowing by now?

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Day 5
The girl that greeted me in the mirror today was sporting a giant spot on her chin! Que horror! But I was determined to get through the final day… surely tomorrow I will emerge like a butterfly?

Today’s breakfast was my favourite meal from the entire detox and managed to snap my out of my gloomy mood  – a sweet, sticky amazing chia porridge, topped with honey, raspberries and blueberries… like nothing I’ve ever tasted before, and something I am going to incorporate into my diet from now on. YUM! Raw zucchini pasta was on also today’s menu, along with a superfood chocolate mousse and a macrobiotic salad.

Beats anything I could have knocked up in the kitchen at home. In fact, I could get used to eating like this… does the detox really have to finish today?

Passion Cafe, Ibiza healthy eating

THE VERDICT
If you’re anything like me, where biscuits, crisps and sugary soft drinks are a staple part of your diet, this raw food cleanse is the perfect way to kick-start new healthy eating habits. I found 90 percent of the meals to be totally delicious (and the remaining 10 percent were made from ingredients that I am just not a fan of – everyone else on the program loved them!) and each and every morsel was high-end, restaurant quality. After all, they were prepared fresh daily in one of Ibiza’s best restaurants!

I haven’t become a complete raw food devotee – I do love a hot meal when all is said and done – however it did open my eyes to the benefits of a predominantly vegetarian diet. Usually, I insist on meat with every dish, however after a week without it, I could really feel a difference in the way my body was digesting food, and I felt much healthier, lighter, more alert and generally more positive.

I have been inspired to start making my own healthy smoothies, juices and breakfasts… and for everything else, I have Passion Café just around the corner in the Marina… and in Santa Eulalia, Playa d’en Bossa and BFit!