With 2014 comes the desire to start anew. A few months ago a friend tried Blue Tree Cafe’s juice cleanse program, and I thought it would be a great start to the new year. I was interested in it not as a weight-loss regimen, but as a detoxification ritual.

Not everyone believes in the benefits of the now-trendy juice cleanse. A WebMD article explains that the body is adept at eliminating toxins, making such cleanses unnecessary. But, there may be psychological benefits. The article also states that people have fasted throughout history as a matter of "demonstrating faith or penitence, and as an opportunity for spiritual reflection."

"It will change your life," is Blue Tree’s motto for the cleanse, and I believe it’s true. The process of cleansing made me think about my relationship with food and the myriad ways I overeat. I’m hoping the awareness will lead to more carefully considered food choices.

For the most part, our eating today is a sensory experience rather than a matter of survival. It takes very little food to stay alive, but we probably evolved to be opportunistic gorgers because deprivation was the norm for our forebears, who had to get their fill when they could.

For those considering a cleanse, it might be wise to consult a physician first, as well as Blue Tree’s cleanse coach Kate Bobka, who doesn’t recommend it for very thin people.

Blue Tree Cafe’s five-day beginner "Renew" cleanse runs $39.95 per day and involves drinking six of their fruit, nut, seed and veggie drinks daily, along with plenty of water. (Seasonal and advanced cleanses run $49.95 per day.) This meant heading to the cafe every morning to pick up my day’s rations.

The drinks amount to about 1,500 calories a day. As a petite woman, I never felt overly hungry, although I craved the visceral textures and pleasure of solid foods. The regimen may be slightly adjusted for a man accustomed to ingesting 2,500 to 3,000 calories a day.

Though the cleanse can last three to 10 days, plan for a few more based on a consultation with Bobka because it takes time to ease your way back into regular meals. For me, that meant two days of building up slowly with fruit, vegetables, raw unsalted almonds and chicken soup.

The Renew cleanse involves 12 blends as follows:

DAY 1

"Perfect Start": Cucumber, green apple, pineapple and mint, for early morning hydration

"Blue Tree Blend": Acai, black cherry, protein powder, raw almond milk, Himalayan sea salt, banana and cinnamon, for protein and antioxidants

"Hydrator": Kombucha and coconut water, a digestion aid

"Lemon Aid": Lemon, beet and water, a liver cleanser high in vitamin C

"Virgin Mary": Tomato, carrot, celery, pepper and lime, filled with beta carotene and lycopene for skin and eye health

"Almond Milk": With dates and water, for boosting calcium, vitamins E and D

DAY 2

"Honey Badger": Apple, lemon, ginger and cayenne to stimulate the digestive system

"Very Verde": Kale, avocado, spinach, banana, coconut water, hemp, chia seeds and apple for fiber plus vitamins A, C and K

"Green Lemon Aid": Kale, celery, ginger, apple and lemon to speed an elimination of toxins

"Hydrator with chia": Kombucha and coconut water with chia seeds for omega vitamins and amino acids

"Carotene Cure": Carrot, apple and ginger full of immunity-building vitamins

"Almond Milk": Same as Day 1, a calming drink before bedtime

The two day’s menus repeat, alternating on subsequent days. You can check out the daily ins and outs of my cleanse at my Take a Bite blog, bit.ly/1d2KrAe.

THE QUICK TAKE

My friends called me a masochist for starting the cleanse the day after Christmas, a prime social time.

The abundance of treats in the office and at parties was a real test of willpower, and I was surprised by how much I could resist. Fats and seafood are my downfall, and my one cheat was a small piece of bacon-mushroom frittata, which everyone was raving about, on Day 4.

The cleanse itself is not difficult because Blue Tree Cafe’s drinks are delicious. The one drink that takes getting accustomed to is the kombucha Hydrator, with its fermented, vinegary flavor. Be glad its full potency is cut by coconut water.

Some say the cleanse gets challenging by the third day because they start missing elements such as salt and fat. Though I did not experience hunger, cafe staffers suggest more water for those who do. This works.

I felt bloated the first few days, but my body adjusted and I was fine. I felt lighter even though I had lost no weight, and after five days I had more mental clarity, my skin glowed and even my vision seemed clearer.

On the first day, I made a mistake of reaching out for a Mauna Loa milk chocolate-coated macadamia nut while chatting in the office. I took a bite before remembering my cleanse and threw the rest away. That made me realize the amount of mindless eating I do on a regular basis.

OTHER REALIZATIONS:

>> I tend to eat by the clock instead of when I’m hungry.

>> Social dining leads to many an extraneous meal. Restaurants are a natural choice for hanging out with friends, but I often eat even when I’m not hungry.

>> I drink much faster with a straw. While at work, sipping the drinks took an hour to two apiece. With the straw, it disappeared in a few minutes. So, if you’re guzzling down Cokes and Big Gulps with your fast food, try removing the lid and sipping.

>> At a potluck with friends, I found that the act of trying to eat more healthfully does affect the people around you. It gets them to consider what they’re eating and what they could drop or curtail in their own lives.

The cleanse’s fruit-and-veggie content serves as a reboot to a system that may be sluggish from constant input of junk food.

If you’re considering a diet and make it through the cleanse first, your diet will feel like a cinch. The hardest work will have been done, and you will likely be reluctant to fill your body with junk food again.

Happy, healthful eating in 2014.

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Nadine Kam’s restaurant reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Advertiser. Reach her at nkam@staradvertiser.com.