With the right Juice cleanse, some people say it’s possible to detoxify the body from everyday toxins. It’s also possible to feel more energised as the digestive system has been given time to rest. The nutrients from fruit juice and vegetable juices are said to be able to provide you with more mental clarity. Whether you already have a healthy lifestyle or not, the good thing about a juice cleanse is that the benefits are endless! Detoxify your mind, body and soul.
Table Of Contents
What Is A Juice Cleanse?
In a nutshell, a juice cleanse is where you only consume your food in liquid form from nutritionally dense fresh juice found in fruits and vegetables. Whether this is for a day or a slightly longer period of time, your only source of energy is through these juices.
This isn’t something that should be done for long periods of time as it can have negative effects if done long term as a meal replacement. However, in the short term, it can be very effective in…
- Lowering blood pressure
- Flushing out toxins
- Aiding digestion by clearing the digestive tract
- Promotes good bacteria in the stomach for a healthy gut microbiome
- A great way to experience quick weight loss on a plant-based diet
- Clearer skin
- Can help to lower cholesterol levels
- May improve energy levels
- Better overall health
- May improve blood sugar levels
- Boosts the immune system through a higher mineral intake
Why Juice Cleansing?
As well as detoxifying the whole body, juice cleansing gives the liver a chance to reduce its workload. The liver is a primary organ for carrying out the process of detoxification.
It’s important the juice you use is fresh and not pasteurised. Pasteurising is done using extreme heat which destroys vital nutrients.
The Side Effects Of A Juice Cleanse
During a juice cleanse, it’s possible to experience some side effects that although unpleasant is part of the process. You may notice you have a stronger body odour and bad breath. Pimples may also appear in different areas of your body. This is just your body trying to release any toxins.
You may also experience more gas/bloating as yeast or parasites die off. This is only temporary and a good indication your body is detoxing well. A warm cup of herbal tea is the perfect addition as it could help to reduce any bloating discomfort.
If you are experiencing any of these side effects, make sure you continue to drink lots of water throughout the cleanse to help flush things through your body. Another tip that could help would be to drink your juices more slowly. Jugging back the entire juice in one go, could, and is likely to make you feel more unwell. Take your time with it and instead perhaps give yourself an hour, or half-hour window to drink your juices.
Use A Wide Variety Of Fruits
Make sure when you’re juice cleansing you use a broad variety of fruits and vegetables for a more balanced diet. This will ensure you’re still getting all the essential nutrients your body needs through the natural juice you consume.
For example, don’t just have carrot juices, or beetroot juices. Read through some detox juice recipes (if you’re making them yourself) and get a good combination of different fruits and veggies.
Also, while on your juicing diet, it’s likely you’ll be lacking in healthy fats so make sure you do include some nut milks on a daily basis to help top this up a bit. However, if you don’t want to include healthy fat through nut milk, you could also add a few drops of olive oil to your juice diet. Neither of these options is classed as solid food, so you won’t be cheating.
Use A Company For Your First Time Juicing
OK, so using a company to do your juice cleanse will be a lot more expensive. However, they know what they’re doing, and will have a good variety of recipes to send you. This way you can learn how to do it yourself and maybe next time try doing it on your own – especially if you want to save money.
For my first time doing a juice cleanse I used the company Plenish. Here you can choose whether to do a 1 day, all the way up to a 7-day juice cleanse. Of course the more days you do, the more expensive it will be. For your first time, stick to a shorter time period as you just don’t know how your body will respond to it.
The 3-Day Juice Cleanse
I did the 3-day juice cleanse and found that was plenty as a beginner. However, if you’ve done it before, you might find one of the longer ones more beneficial.
With the 3-day cleanse you get…
- x18 500ml juices
- x9 juice shots
- x3 teas
- x1 straw
Each of the juices is numbered 1 – 6 and you will have one of each of the numbered juices per day, along with 3 of the shots. The juices are all organic and cold-pressed, with the nutritional hit of vitamins and live cultures from 3 potent juice shots, so you’ll still be getting all the nutrients your body needs. The juices will also provide you with 100% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C and B12.
One thing to note is that this particular juice cleanse will only provide you will 1,024 calories per day which is considered to be a very low calorie diet. Important to note if you are used to having much more than this in your usual diet. However, due to the volume of juice, it’s likely to fill you up in a different way than food would.
Shots Only
However, if a full juice cleanse doesn’t sound like your kind of thing, or you want to ease yourself into it, then these juice shots could be ideal.
You can get the below shots in packs of either the ginger immunity shot, turmeric defence shot or the berry gut health shot.
The packs are £18, or £16.20 if you set up their subscribe and save option.
I went for the ginger immunity shot and had it first thing in the morning every day to give my immune system a boost over the cold winter months.
My Personal Experience Juicing
As this was my first time doing a juice cleanse, I wanted to document my experience to share with you in case you’re planning to do one.
I have to be very honest and after the first day, I was very close to giving up. I was so hungry but also felt very bloated and uncomfortable. This could have been because I’d never experienced having so much juice in my body before without food to soak it up. Going to bed hungry wasn’t the best feeling but I woke up feeling much better and almost instantly had more mental clarity. This was something that surprised me as I wasn’t expecting anything to happen so fast.
I loved drinking the shots and most of the juices, however, I wasn’t a huge fan of the shield and kick juices as they were both quite spicy. That said, you do get used to them quickly and having a lot of water with them really helped. Weirdly, drinking through the straw instead of from the bottle or in a glass also really helped – no idea why.
For me, keeping in mind it was only temporary really helped me get through it. I definitely wouldn’t do it for more than 3 days but I would do it again, maybe once or twice a year to detox.
Doing A Juice Cleanse Yourself
If you do decide to do a juice cleanse yourself, make sure you do your research beforehand to ensure you’ll be getting enough calories by following dietary guidelines and you’re consuming the right vitamins and minerals.
You’ll also need to plan ahead and get all the juices either prepared ahead of time or get all your ingredients ready to go. The last thing you’ll want to start doing when you’re that hungry is to start having to juice everything – which can take some time.
However, if you don’t want to follow raw vegan diet recipes, you could simply use your favourite whole fruits and vegetables to create your own new recipe to enjoy throughout your days of juicing.
At Home Juicing Equipment
Make sure you get yourself a good juicer, preferably a cold press juicer to give you the best tasting and most nutritious juices possible. I’ve had the Nama juicer for a few years now (for the odd juice here and there) and love how clean and pulp free the juices are. You just can’t beat a cold pressed juice – if you can afford one!
However, if not, there are many other types of juicers available, and a cheap electric juicer will be just fine. A high-speed blender will also do in the short term. You will, however, need to run the juice through something like a nut milk bag to get rid of the excess pulp. This will essentially give you almost the same as freshly pressed juice from a cold press.
You’ll also need a sharp knife, a blunt knife will drive you mad, especially if you have a lot of chopping to do!
Then finally you’ll need either some jars, or containers to put your juices in once they’re ready to go. If you can, use glass jars or containers as the juices will last better in them instead of plastic alternatives. Also, if you’re trying to be more sustainable, the glass will last longer, looks nicer and is more environmentally friendly.
The Benefits Of Juicing
Juice cleanses have a number of health benefits. However, they can also have negative effects, so do your research before you begin.
Juice cleanse benefits include…
Better Health – Drinking fresh juices will boost your intake of vitamins, minerals, and other anti-inflammatory compounds. This is especially the case if you can include things such as turmeric, ginger, lemon and even cayenne pepper.
Removes Toxins – Juice cleanses can flush out toxins from the body. Although do your research as there is limited scientific proof to support this!
Better Digestion – Juice from the raw cleanse contains enzymes that help to improve digestion. Scientific research has been proven to show that juice-based diets can improve bacteria in the gut. This can also lead to substantial weight loss in a short space of time. If nothing else, it will give your digestion a bit of rest without having to digest food for a day or two.
Do you think you’ll give a juice cleanse a try? Do you think the benefits of the juice from the raw cleanse would be enough for you to give it a try?
FAQ’s
How Long To Do A Juice Cleanse?
Consuming nothing but juice for more than 7 days is not advised. Your body needs other sources of food. Doing a juice cleanse for longer than this could result in negative effects and isn’t recommended.
What Can You Eat On A Raw Juice Cleanse?
When drinking juice from the raw cleanse, the most beneficial ones to include would be anything super colourful. Drink the colours of the rainbow.
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