I used to roll my eyes at juice cleansers and those who swear by it. Like…. how could someone go a WHOLE day without eating food? It was wild to me. I thought it was self punishment at it’s finest. However, after some research and thorough planning, I wanted to give it a try for myself (I once encountered a massage therapist who literally cured his stomach cancer by going on a 70 day juice cleanse.. no JOKE). Now, I’m no expert in nutrition and I’m not here to give you personal health advice but after trying a 1-day juice cleanse for myself, I have a few things that I’d like to share and I’ll also give you the scoop on the benefits of cleansing and the results I got.
Disclaimer: as someone who struggled (and sometimes still do) with body image, self-confidence and disordered eating, I was afraid that this would trigger me. I didn’t want this process to be a source of punishment. So instead, I genuinely did my best to see this cleanse as a way for me to LOVE and care for my body, not change or harass it. Not to lose a few pounds (because this is NOT a long term weight loss solution.. more on this later). With that in mind, if you do plan on doing a cleanse make sure your mind is right and that you do it for the appropriate reasons.
Reasons to juice cleanse:
According to Huffington Post, juice cleanses no matter 1 or 3 days helps with digestion (balances the microbiome), gives you better sleep, elevates your energy, clears your skin, improves your sense of wellbeing, assists in detoxification, gives you better mood and boosts your immune system.
My method for the 1-day juice cleanse:
The typical juice cleanse consist of 6 bottles of juices a day, with a mixture of citrus fruits, veggies, spices and other fruits. I chose to do my first cleanse with Wholesum Kitchen, with their cleanses start at $45.
If you think juicing is something you see yourself implementing into your lifestyle, I say invest in a mastificating (cold press) juicer (buy second hand if you need to, find one on OfferUp or LetGo). That will help you save some money in the long run.
How I did my juice cleanse:
Prep:
The day before, I ate a combo of proteins, fats and whole grain carbs. I wanted to say my proper farewell to the foods that fuel me and that I love oh so much. I also got a workout in and pumped out a lot of work in the home office so that I can slow down my pace for the cleanse.
Day of:
- I drank a bottle every 2-3 hours
- I made sure that I was being active and not simply sitting at home (but also, I kept it as low stress as possible)
- I drank lots of water ..lots of it
I started out with an early juice at 7 am. I did some errands, and then I was in the office. That day, I scheduled a massage appointment so that really helped me stay low stress and relaxed. If you can, I’d pencil in a 30 minute massage (gives you even more help with the whole detox thing). After this, it was around lunch time but instead of going home, I visited my good friend over lunch at her place. This really helped me not fall into the habit of trying to find something for lunch and any thoughts about food.
I did a lot of driving that day for my day job as a nanny and so it was pretty low-key. After I got home from work, that was when I felt the most uncomfortable. I wanted to either prep dinner or eat a snack. What helped me most when I got home was going outside for a bike ride, I didn’t work out that day because I simply didn’t have the energy to and I didn’t want to stress my body. So moving my body with a ride and a gentle yoga flow after really helped.
Towards the end of the day, my body was crashing a bit from not having any solid food and all the sugars. Juice is great and all but in reality, there’s still a lot of sugar. That’s why it’s important that you drink h2O and incorporate a nut milk into your cleanse (or make your own and use more veggies!). The cashew milk that I saved for last really helped me at dinner time when I felt hangry, tired and irritable. I went to bed early that night because I was sleepy, yes, but I was also looking forward most to a solid and hearty breakfast the next day 🙂
The good / PROS
- I enjoyed not having to think about what to eat for my next meal, it saved a little bit of brain power.
- I felt really hydrated throughout the day
- After fully completing the cleanse, I felt quite proud of myself
- I loved how I felt like I was getting in all my nutrients. My body directly absorbed all the goodness, without any solid food or fiber to stop it.
- Helped me kick my bad habit of grazing
The not-so good
- The only thing I did for exercise was light yoga and a bike ride, which is fine but I really did miss my daily workout!
- I had a slightly raw throat from the juices that I had (I know weird lol)
- I felt like I was having a lot of sugar. Next time I do a cleanse, I’d want to juice my own so that it can be 80% veggies and 20% fruits. So be aware of that! It’s natural sugars but still.. sugar is there! Since juices don’t include the pulp or any “meat” from the veggies or fruit, there’s no fiber so insulin goes up quick, be aware of this.
- Dinner time was hard, all I wanted was a hot meal with Myles.
Follow up;
I felt amazing, I slept well and I don’t know if I was excited to eat but I was happy as a clam. A lot of people claim that on a second day of a juice cleanse, that’s when you really feel the “high” of it all. I weighed myself and to my surprise I was at 113.5 lbs, I lost about 4 lbs that day. It was actually kind of scary but I knew that most was water weight and that I would gain it back (not an issue at all). I saw my skin clear up, my mind became sharper, I slept like a baby, and in general, I felt more grateful for the food that I ate and felt renewed. Going on a cleanse made me appreciate the meals that I got to share with Myles or my family. Food is such a huge part in connecting with others and I missed that the most on my juice cleanse. But I’m glad I did it because I felt more gratitude towards my meals and overall, I’m really happy with the results I got.
I feel more aware of my body and what it really needs. It felt like I got a fresh start. I’m thinking about incorporating a cleanse now every month. It might not be exactly only juices for a whole day, I’m thinking I’ll add smoothies to my next cleanse.
5 days later…
I see a huge improvement in my skin tone and texture. I feel lighter and more aware of myself. I’ve been regular everyday since the cleanse, I didn’t go #2 the day after my juice cleanse. But after that, it was all good. I gained the 3-4 lbs that I dropped from the cleanse (totally expected). Juicing is not for a long term weight loss thing (a vegan diet is though, heyo!). I went back to eating my high calorie, high protein, high fats, low processed junk diet and slowly started to work out again. I felt a little fragile on the juice cleanse and didn’t work out so being able to exercise after made me feel back totally back to normal.
What now?
In general, I’m proud for being able to complete the cleanse, if I end up doing another, it’d be juices that I make myself and I’d use it as a way for me to start fresh on my diet and mindset. I love feeling like I got to start over. Next time, I’ll definitely take advantage of that and incorporate healthier eating and habits after a cleanse because it’s the perfect time. So to conclude it, I’d do another cleanse in another month but this time be more purposeful and I’d DIY it!
Enough about me, would you do a juice cleanse or have you ? I wanna know!
If you have any questions or comments, i’m here for you!
with gratitude,
Bella
