Juice Cleanses are nothing new to us by now. With so many new companies exclaiming the benefits of juice fasts and their detoxing qualities, it is easy to get sucked into it all. Here are a few things you really need to know before you decide to take the plunge!
1. Detoxification
Life Juice, a maker of cold-pressed juices, recommends a pre-cleanse diet as follows, “cutting out caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol, increase intake of lean proteins, and plenty of green leafy vegetables. Following pre-cleanse guidelines makes the transition into cleansing simpler, and maximizes the benefits of the cleanse.” Love Grace, maker of organic, cold-pressed juices, contributes, “Also minimize processed foods such as meat, dairy and bread. Instead, stick to fresh fruit and veggies- something without a suspiciously long lifespan. The day before your cleanse, refrain from eating anything after sundown when digestion slows down. Instead, have a juice or some herbal tea if necessary. This will allow you to wake up feeling energized without any food cravings.”
2. Give Yourself a Boost
Once you start your cleanse, Shauna Martin, founder of cold-pressed juice line, Daily Greens stresses, “Green tea is king! Stave off the afternoon wall during a serious juice cleanse with a cup of hot green tea. It is full of antioxidants, will warm you up, and will give you subtle energy boost from its low level of caffeine.” And to combat winter sadness and low sunlight fatigue? “Add a hit of Blue Green Algae from Lake Klamath in Oregon (a wonderful fresh water lake in Oregon where E3Live harvests its fresh water Blue Green Algae aka Aphanizomenon flos-aquae of E3AFA). Blue Green Algae contains over 65 nutrients including a large dose of Vitamin B12,” suggests Shauna. “I recommend adding a bit of the raw powder or liquid form to any green juice or raw milk for a wonderful afternoon pick-me up and mood elevation. We infuse it into our Enlighten Hemp milk which I often drink for lunch and everyone calls it my ‘happy juice’ because of the way I buzz around the office in a better mood all afternoon long!”
3. Befriend Fruit
It is totally okay if you can’t stick to just liquids for the duration of your cleanse. Shauna of Daily Greens elaborates: “When doing a serious juice cleanse I always recommend filling in the gaps between juices with fruit. If you stick to cleansing with green juices only, as I do, you may experience some blood sugar lows. You can fight blood sugar lows with some low-glycemic fruit like a winter grapefruit or a handful of berries.” You can also try a handful of raw nuts, a half of an avocado or even a light salad to get you through the day.
4. Keep a Journal
Whether it’s jotting down a few notes by hand or keeping a running list of your feelings on your smart phone, writing things down is key. Love Grace shares, “Not only will cleansers lose some extra pounds and gain energy, but it’s also very common to experience higher levels of inspiration which may help take your mental productivity to the next level. We believe this is because of a tremendous amount of free energy gained from drenching the cells in vital nutrition and abstaining from digesting solid foods. Write down what you notice during the day, new things you value (other than the missing ice cream) or maybe a few lines of poetry. It will also allow one to capture certain insights and inspirations from a cleanse that can be kept and referred to afterwards to help maintain the positive results. Is this not the goal of juice cleansing after all?”
5. The Morning After Does NOT Mean Devouring Chili Cheese Fries
Love Grace reminds us that even after the cleanse is over, it’s important to keep a balanced mentality about food: “The day after your cleanse, the biggest no-no is immediately jumping back to heavy processed foods. We recommend beginning the day after your cleanse with juice or water and some fruit. Then for lunch you can have a salad with veggies and raw nuts or fruit, and by dinner steamed veggies, cooked grains, and more veggies is recommended. Keeping fresh raw juice in the diet is also highly advised during the days after cleansing to keep your results going strong. Love Grace’s Wellness Programs offers daily juices to help people start the day on a positive note with live vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. When you’re nutritionally fulfilled, you typically have less cravings and perform better in your daily life.”
6. And, Focus on Continuing Healthy Habits
“Since the idea of cleansing is to elevate one’s health its best to maintain a healthy diet and avoid swinging from unhealthy foods to cleansing back to unhealthy foods. We usually recommend a 90/10 approach; 90 percent of the time to treat yourself to the best foods you can find: raw, organic, plant based, and natural. 10 percent of the time you can have whatever you want: ice cream, gluten free muffins, and pizza. We emphasize the enjoyment of food choices, and never making yourself feel guilty for a less than optimal meal,” says Love Grace.
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Would you ever go on a juice cleanse?
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Never in 1 million years would I do a juice cleanse. Those things in my mind are a recipe for disaster! People will wind up binging their way back to being TOXIC all over again, because they’re so hungry from only drinking juice – which by the way, is all concentrated sugar!