A New St Louis Favorite
- Elizabeth Hough
- Feb 24, 2018
- 6 min read
After moving from Oklahoma in 2015 I had hoped our new home in Illinois, just across the river from Saint Louis, Missouri, would be filled with lots of local small business restaurants, focused on health, with fun atmospheres, and local flair would be in abundance just as it was in Oklahoma City. I searched and searched but struggled to find anything. After about a year of living in Illinois, I finally heard about SymBowl. With spending a month in the hospital, followed by 2 months in Alabama at training, then a seven month deployment to the desert and the fact that it was an hour drive from our home, I didn’t have my first SymBowl experience until October 2017!!! I instantly feel in love. The restaurant was fun but still classy. They had the same values I have when it comes to health and the environment. But best of all their food was to die for!!!!!!!!!!!! The following was pulled from their website
“SymBowl is a healthy, fast-casual restaurant located in Kirkwood, Chesterfield and St. Charles that focuses on specialty diets such as gluten- free, anti-inflammatory, vegan, paleo and more. SymBowl also offers whole fruit smoothies and fresh juices made to order. The customizable menu utilizes healthy recipes for a fresh, whole-food meal. Since opening in 2012, we have evolved into a crazy, quirky hybrid: part juice and smoothie bar, part fast-casual “steam-fry” shop. Overarching all of this is our commitment to using whole food ingredients, local products and providing great versatility in our menu. We are the place that uses ingredients from the “perimeter” of the grocery store. Want healthy and fresh? Want to know what you’re putting into your body? If you are eating for weight loss, healthy eating, or simply looking for a place to bring the family and enjoy a fresh meal together, please come by and visit us!”
The description alone sold me!
More Medical Restrictions
Fast forward to February 2018. I had a CT scan done by my doctor to see if they could determine why I was suffering from so much stomach pain, bloating, and constipation. I had to arrive at my appointment two hours early to drink the contrast agent, barium sulfate, which allows for better imaging of the gastrointestinal tract. I went into the appoint assuming everything would show up normal and I would yet again be left with unanswered questions. After my scan the technician had me wait on the table as they discussed whether or not to send me to the ER. As you can imagine my thoughts were racing and my heart was pounding. What is so wrong with me that they would send me to the ER?! After what seemed like an hour, really only about 15 minutes, the technician came over and explained that the liquid contrast should have spread throughout my entire GI tract by now, however, it went to my small intestines and just stayed there. Along with an excessive amount of bile. After going to your small intestines everything should then move into your large intestines. My large intestines were completely empty, not a thing was showing in them, which according to the technician isn’t normal. They ended up letting me go and told me to stick to liquids with the exception on one sold well cooked meal a day until I saw my primary care doctor.
The following day I received an email from Lacy, one of the SymBowl’s staff members, explaining their new Refresh and Detox program. The program consists of drinking three fresh juice blends (Morning Juice, Noon Juice, and Moon Juice) per day along with a bottle of their homemade Bone Broth and a container of fresh veggies (Chop Chop). Ummmmm…. How perfect is this?! And at the very exact moment that I needed it! Sign me up!!!
The detox is meant to keep you full and it is was so nice to just grab the bottles from my fridge and go, no meal prep needed for those three days… another added bonus. Below is a quick description of each item in the kit:
Morning Juice is freshly juiced cucumber, carrot, and ginger, and includes 1 TBS of Coconut Kitchen’s Lemon Coconut Butter blended in.
Noon Juice is cucumber, carrot, & parsley, with 1/4 Avocado and 1 TBS of Charlie’s Sprouts Energizing Blend (sunflower, pea, and wheatgrass sprouts) blended in.
Moon Juice is juiced beets, cucumbers, carrot, kale, lemon, and 1 TBS of Coconut Kitchen’s Dark Chocolate Coconut Butter.One 16 oz bottle of
Bone Broth per day is standard for the program, but for a vegan option, there is a Green Ginger Vegetable Broth.
And Finally...
The Chop Chop is a raw kale, spinach, roasted chicken, and carrot salad chopped fine, (Substituting almonds for chicken upon vegan requests!)
The kit includes 9 total 16oz juices (one of each per day) 3 16oz bottles of bone broth, and 3 16oz Chop Chop salads.
It does not matter what order you consume them in, they were made with the flavors of breakfast, lunch and “dessert” in mind, but really it’s a matter of getting all of those nutrients in over the course of the day.
The intention was to create a doable, comprehensive raw/juice detox program that wouldn’t leave one hungry at all. They include a list of acceptable snacks to have on hand if you feel hungry: celery/apple with a no sugar natural but butter, avocado with slice of chicken or turkey, lightly salted nuts.
My Experience
I already eat so clean. Always maintaining a paleo diet and bouncing on and off of AIP and Low FODMAP. I rarely do paleo treats and I try not to add any sugar or sugar substitutes to any of my foods. I limit prepackaged food to emergency situations only. That being said I wasn’t doing the program expecting to see any physical or mental change. I was simply doing it as an easy way to fit my current diet restrictions. The food from Symbowl is always over the top amazing and I wasn’t expecting anything less with this Refresh.
I went through Day 1 (Friday) loving every minute of it! I added an extra meal to keep me satisfied (zucchini, bone broth, kale, spinach, and collagen combined in a blender). I honestly couldn’t wait to go to bed that night because I was looking forward to drinking the juices the next day. The Morning Juice was favorite! I’m not sure why, I just really enjoyed it. All three of the juices were really good and I never dreaded drinking them. They were enough to sustain me until the next meal which is suppressing because I am always hungry. Anyone who has spent a significant amount of time around me knows I am a bottomless pit that never stops eating. I just never get that feeling of being full. Which doesn’t help my digestive issues. I combined the Chop Chop and Bone Broth into one meal. I heated it up on the stove added a little extra chicken and some avocado for a perfect savory meal. I saved this meal for supper because I needed something solid before bed or I just couldn’t sleep. Day 2 (Saturday) and Day 3 (Sunday) were just as great as Day 1 and I was completely sad to see the Detox end. By Day 3 I was wasn’t feeling any different than I had before I started the Detox but like I said I wasn’t expecting too.
But then the Magic happened! Waking up the day after the Detox ended (Monday) I felt like a whole new person!! I had slept well and didn’t wake up with night sweats for the first time in months, I felt so well rested, full of energy, and my brain fog had lifted. My mood was at its peak and I was radiating positivity. This continued into Tuesday and Wednesday. While my stomach was still a mess (although my bloating was down… I could button my pants again, and the pain dramatically decreased) I was so happy and excited to have part of me back. The old me, the one that’s always smiling, the one that looks at the world with optimism, the one ready to concur the world, and the one enjoying every minute with the ones I love.
I wanted to do the Refresh again! Not only would I get the benefits of less time meal prepping, delicious food, better able to cope with my gut, but I also got Elizabeth back. I looked at my planner to see if I could make the hour drive again that week. Score! Nothing scheduled, no after school activities. I placed another order and the second time around was just as magical as the first. I really believe this is just what I needed to get my body moving in the right direction. While I still have a long way to go and so many unanswered questions I finally believe this is something I can one day overcome.
Near and Far
If you are in the Saint Louis area and want to try the Detox and Refresh or just want to try Symbowl in general they currently have three locations Chesterfield, Kirkwood, or St. Charles. You can find more information, their menu, and hours on their website.
If you are not in the area check out their Podcast Find Your Inner Flavor. They have lots of great informational and inspirational content.
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