My review of the "Cooler Cleanse"

So if you've been following me on Twitter you'll know that I recently completed a 5 day "Cooler Cleanse." There are actually many different types of cleanses one can do and this particular company sends you a package of all the freshly pressed juices and other stuff you need to drink to follow it right. I've read a lot about the Blueprint cleanse but never been curious to try it, but when a friend of mine mentioned he was on this one, I was quite intrigued.
First let me explain what prompted me to do a cleanse at all. I'm currently in NYC and unfortunately while I'm here, I tend to eat a lot unhealthier than I would at home, especially during dinner time and over the weekends. I wanted something to give me a break from all the junk food, and just give my system a rest for a while. I find that when I'm on a junk food diet, my body craves more junk, but whereas  when I'm eating "clean", my body seems to favour fresh foods and salads naturally. I was hoping that would be the ultimate outcome of my cleanse, at least for a little while! While I have a lot of weight to lose, I really didn't do the cleanse for weight loss, as I realize that it's probably water weight that is being lost, and that will come back on with one bowl of hot and sour soup! Yet, every single person who messaged or asked me about the cleanse asked me questions like, "So is it working? Do you see a difference? Have you lost weight?" As I said, that was not my ultimate goal, and honestly, I didn't weigh myself before, during or after the cleanse, so I don't know I even did lose anything. In my opinion, if you're doing it for weight loss, don't bother.
Ok now let me get to the part about why I decided to do this particular cleanse as opposed to a DIY at home one or any other ones out there. The cooler cleanse has quite a low portion of the juices coming from fruits- I liked that, as it means their sugar content is lower. I liked that all the stuff I was drinking was freshly pressed or came from fresh ingredients, and they weren't powdered shakes that I was drinking mixed with diuretics or anything else funky out there. The Isagenix cleanse is another popular cleanse out there with powders of a patented formula.. While some may be tempted to try that, it's not for me! The main reason I liked the Cooler Cleanse was also that in total your daily intake was 1200 calories, which for me was a huge positive. I don't want to be doing a weird cayenne pepper and syrup cleanse that may make me drop weight and completely screw my metabolism in the process. 1200 is actually a LOT of calories and almost half of that comes from the final drink of the evening which is either a brazil nut or almond nut milk which tastes like a milkshake. It's very satisfying and is something to look forward to during the day.. and it also means you don't go to bed hungry.
The cleanse has an option of doing a 3 or 5 day cleanse and I opted for the 5. I think the next time I'd much rather do the 3 as I think it is adequate time to give your body a break from eating solid foods. The company sends you 6 drinks to have a day (I took a picture of the box shown above) and you drink one of these every few hours. You get a sufficient amount of vitamins from all the vegetables they use as well, so you're really not depriving your body. You are supposed to ease yourself into the cleanse which of course I didn't do.. which meant I had headaches the first day and was absolutely MISERABLE the second.. like I couldn't step out of the house miserable! By the third day however I was fine, and so on. I did however, ease myself out of the cleanse for the first two days after. It's a different story that I had a scrumptious Five Guys burger on the 3rd day post-cleanse! :)
If you live in the US, definitely check the company out which has actually been started by Selma Hayek. It's a great way to kick start a healthy lifestyle as it will leave you feeling energized by day 5 and by the end of it, you'll be glad you did it!
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For information on the cleanse, check out their website www.coolercleanse.com
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Book Review- A Suitable Boy

I'd read A Suitable Boy twice when I was at boarding school, many many moons ago. To say no other book or writer has had the effect on me ASB or Seth have had may sort of be an understatement. My first reading saw me have sleepless nights and finish the book in 4 days, and my second reading took me a generously paced 5. I've wanted for years to go back and reread the novel but had visions of me not being able to sleep and being a social recluse for days on end and I kept putting it off. Last summer in NYC however, I figured it would be the perfect place and setting for me to embark on it again.. I had the time and definitely the inclination, and hence went out and bought the book. Unfortunately it wasn't up till last week I was able to grab the book off my shelf and give it a go for the third time around. I finished it in 6 days.

The book is so much more than it's description- a story about 19 year old Lata whose mother embarks on a journey to find her youngest daughter a suitable groom. The story is about that yes, but is also about the families involved, the cities involved, the entire political situation in India at that point and the fabric of Indian society in general. The book weaves such a rich tapestry around you, paints such a beautiful picture that you're almost sad and bereft when it's done.

When I decided to reread the book this time, I wanted to be reminded by what made me fall in love with Seth in the first place. I after all, used to have a framed letter from him hanging up on my wall through my college years and a laminated picture of him in my wallet (please try to not judge me). Yes, the book is absolutely beautifully written and I found myself getting lost in the characters and feeling their emotions so deeply almost as if I knew them. But what struck me as most weird was my realization of how well the book ages and how I've aged with it. To put into perspective, the first 2 times I read the book, the internet was not commonly found and I had no access to it while at boarding school. Yet, reading the reviews on amazon.com will show you that there is no part of the book even now that seems in any way outdated or irrelevant. This is something I'm hoping Seth will be able to replicate in the sequel to the book that he is working on, named A Suitable Girl and due to be out next year.

As I mentioned earlier, I was also pretty taken aback to see how I had aged with the novel too. Between the 3 potential suitors Lata has, there is Kabir, the Muslim boy in her college she is in love with, Haresh- the shoe-maker that her mother finds the most suitable and Amit Chatterjee, her sister in law's brother who is a charming, witty poet. Aah Amit Chatterjee!! Though Seth denies fashioning the writer after himself, I honestly felt the most connection to this lovely character and during my previous reads, was Team Amit all the way! This time however, maybe because I was older, I was able to look a bit beyond what was immediately on offer and understand a bit better what qualities she should be looking for in a life partner. As I was probably younger than 19 the first two times I'd read it, my view on what to look for in a suitable boy were obviously a lot different than what they are now and I found her choice a lot more shockingly agreeable this time around. I wasn't expecting that.

In any case, if you're looking for a good summer read that will encapsulate you into a whole new world, look no further. It is my most favourite book hands down, and I can't recommend it enough!
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