So you’ve read my first post HERE about why I think it’s worth considering a juice cleanse(or ANY type of cleanse!)!  You’ve checked with the doc if you have any health conditions, and you’re ready to get rolling on your first juice cleanse.

This post is going to contain some recipes, tips, and resources for you to jump into this great habit. So here we go!

One other thing I want to mention before you get going is that many folks will say that fasting or a cleanse isn’t a good way to maintain a healthy weight.  I hear what they’re saying – we shouldn’t be using a fast to give us permission to eat nutrient deficient food the rest of the time. But I also think that intermittent fasting (another post for another day), juice fasting, and water fasting is also a great way to detox. And this in turn DOES help us manage our weight, blood sugar and toxic load better.  

There are a growing number of studies showing that reducing eating windows to less than 8 hours a day can help protect the body against obesity, increase the body’s ability to heal and even be preventative against cancer and diabetes. More studies are popping up showing that cleansing and fasting are  powerful in healing and protecting from disease. Here are a few studies that I enjoyed reading.

• Fasting 16+ hours a day helps the body guard against cancer, diabetes and obesity
• Fasting combined with chemo helps slow growth of breast cancer and skin cancer and AND makes cancer cells more susceptible to chemo
• Bimonthly fasting can reduce cancer risk and factors

BEFORE YOU GET GOING

Grab a juicer!  I’m going to tell you which one we got, but I will echo what Lorainne Day has said.  Use whatever juicer you’ll use! If you have one in the cupboard that’s collecting dust and finances are tight, use that.  If you have one that juices larger quantities and time is your nemesis, use that. THIS masticating juicer was the one we decided on. Masticating juicers preserve the vitamins and nutrition of the juices the best.  This type of juicer also helps the juice stay fresh for several days while preserving the nutrients and vitamins. But again, use the juicer that fits your lifestyle best!

Schedule some time off of work or take a long weekend.  A juice cleanse is amazing, but it could initiate some detox, which can lead to some possibly unpleasant symptoms.  You may feel extra tired, need some extra sleep, deal with some headaches or possibly even have some body aches. This is how your body deals with getting rid of the extra toxic load that it’s been carrying. 

My personal experience is that I’ve been tired for 2-3 days, and I usually get a good headaches around the middle of day 2. These symptoms don’t last more than three days for me. This will depend on your toxic load, if you’ve fasted before,  and how intensely you are doing your cleanse. Get some help with your kids, plan in some extra naps, and be sure to drink huge amounts of water! It will be worth it in the end!

SUPPLEMENTS AND HYDRATION –

I stay on all my supplements during my juice cleanse.  Fish oil, food based supplements, probiotics, and my green powder stay on the diet!  I make sure to drink at least 8-10 ounces of water (I love it with lemon!) in between each juice, and I drink even more if I’m dealing with detox headaches.  I’ve also found that essential oils are a really great support to help with any discomfort. Peppermint can help support if my head is feeling less than optimal, and Lemon Vitality and Grapefruit Vitality help to support the liver and decrease any cravings.  I also used Deep Relief if I was dealing with head and neck tension, which is usually something that pops up when I’m working through detox…even if I’m just cutting out coffee for a week or two! Essential oils are a huge part of managing the toxic load in our home, and you can hear my story of how we’ve used them in our home HERE.

PLAN YOUR SHOPPING LIST – 

Making sure you have all the fruits and veggies you need will be SO helpful as you jump into your juice cleanse.  Running to the store when you’re already working hard to make your juice can be a real pain in the rear.  Plan out your recipes or at least have ideas for each one throughout the day. You’re going to want to juice anywhere from 4-6 times per day with tons of water in between.  I’m usually pretty darn hungry through the first day and then my blood sugar settles after that. We tend to do veggies in the morning, always include greens in the juice, and allow for some fruit juice in the afternoon.  Some homemade almond milk can also slow the detox a little if you’d like to include that once or twice the first couple of days. I’ll include a recipe for that one as well.  

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Mid-Morning Toxin Flush

• 6 medium carrots
• 2 small beets or 1 large beet with tops
• 1 red apple
• 1 small lemon (skin cut off)
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 handful spinach

Lunch Pick Me Up

• 4 stalks celery
• 4 oranges (peels cut off)
• 3 medium carrots
• 2” slice turmeric (skin left on)
• 3” slice ginger

Afternoon Sugar Craving Blend

• 1/2 medium pineapple
• 3 medium carrots
• 2” slice ginger
• 1/2 cucumber
• 1 small beet (no tops)
• 1 small lemon (peel cut off)

Evening Juice Blend (sorry…no clever name for this one!)

• 2 stalks celery
• 1/3 pineapple
• 1 nectarine
• 1/2 cucumber
• 1 handful spinach

Almond Banana Pick Me Up

• 2 Cups Homemade Almond Milk
• 1 green banana
• 1 handful spinach
• 2 teaspoon organic cacao powder
• 1 teaspoon maca powder 

If you’re doing a modified cleanse, a small portion of lean chicken in the evening can be a good support or a raw protein powder in some of your juices.  While I’m nursing, I also let myself have a little lean protein or I allow myself some almond milk with a banana. And I would not do a cleanse at all if I were pregnant.

OUT OF THE HOME OPTIONS

If making juice is not an option for you, there are a few options available.  The first is available to anyone in the US. Rejuv Juice is a great resource, and they ship for anyone who orders more than $69.  Their fit cleanse is a great juice detox intro for anyone trying it for the first time.  They have some hemp and almond milk smoothies included for the end of the day, which would make this a little bit of a less intense juice cleanse.  Their juices in the beginning of the day really are packed with great nutrients, veggies, and fruit. And they bottle in glass bottles!!!! These are straight up raw, unpasteurized and not treated juices.  Juice from the Raw is also a great resource, but is only available to those in certain states on the East Coast.  They also do a lot of “smoothies”, so you’d want to make sure that you’re getting the cold pressed juices for your cleanse instead of their other products.  They do freeze them to ship them, so that’s something to consider. Pressed Juicery is also an option.  They have a high pressure cleansing process, which I normally tend to shy away from.  But they enlisted some help from the UCLA School of Medicine, and the study shows that it’s still full of nutrients, antioxidants, and high in fiber.  They also have varying levels of cleansing, which can be great for a beginner or an advanced cleanse. Feel free to check them out HERE. As far as I can tell, their products are not organic and they are bottled in plastic.  So that’s something to throw into the decision! There may also be a great, organic juice bar in your town that may not be online.  Poke around locally if you are looking for some support with getting a juice cleanse going!  

AFTER YOUR FAST

It’s very important to note that coming off of a juice cleanse should be done as slowly as possible.  Take a day or two to eat raw fruits and vegetables and take it slow. You’ll find that food tastes pretty darn good and you may be more excited about eating non-processed food than you have in a long time!  

PLAN YOUR NEXT ONE

Fasting is a great practice to work into your health routine on a regular basis.  There are so many ways to fast and give your body a break. Juice fasting, water fasting, intermittent fasting, and broth fasting are just a few.  The goal is to give your digestion and body a break and give it some space to heal and detox. My hubby and I have decided to do intermittent fasting on most days but we also try and do a 48-72 fast of some sort each month.   Good luck on your juice cleanse fast, and I’d love to hear how it goes!

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