Cleanse

Failing to plan is planning to fail. Before you start your cleanse, it’s recommended you take steps to ensure you have a smooth and successful transition to a liquid diet.

• A few days before you start your cleanse, begin by reducing, and ultimately eliminating, chemical stimulants and refined sugars from your diet including alcohol, caffeine, processed cane sugar, and corn syrup. Limit your intake of red meats, fried and processed foods, and complex gluten foods like bread and pasta. Consume a diet of mostly raw vegetables and lean proteins leading up to your cleanse.
• Plan your logistics. Your juices need to stay chilled at all times. If you have work or school, or errands to run, invest in an insulated lunch bag or cooler with ice packs to make sure your juices stay cold while you’re out of your home, and ensure you stay on your juice schedule.
• Plan on taking it easy during the duration of your cleanse. Try to have nothing to do on the days you are cleansing. You are consuming far fewer calories than normal, and your energy levels will reflect this. Refrain from heavy exercise and try not to overexert yourself. Plan on needing extra, deeper sleep and rest throughout the day. Your body is doing a lot of work. Help it!
• Cleanse with a friend! If you have a friend who has been dying to do a juice cleanse, encourage them to cleanse with you. The emotional support you’ll provide each other will go a long way into making the detox easier, and it’s nice to have someone who’s going through the same thing as you are. You can also help keep each other accountable and are more likely to complete your cleanse successfully.

Begin your first juice within 45 minutes of waking. Doing so will jump-start your metabolism and get your day off on the right foot.

Drink your juices in order and space them out every three hours. This will make sure you’re constantly and consistently supplying your body with the proper nutrients. In addition, keeping a regular drinking schedule will help your body adjust quickly during the initial transition of the fast.

Drinking water is essential during your cleanse. The live nutrients in the juice will allow your cells to dump built-up toxins, and the water will help wash them all away. Try to match your water consumption with your juice consumption ounce-for-ounce.

Keep your bottles sealed and chilled until you’re ready to enjoy them. Consume each bottle fully before opening the next, as too much oxygen exposure will reduce the longevity and nutritional value of the juices.

You may experience some fatigue, irritability (being “hangry”), headaches, and other general discomfort during the beginning stages of your cleanse. These are good things! They’re all signs that toxins are being dumped from their hiding places in your body and are fighting their last fight before elimination. You may find yourself heading to the bathroom a few more times a day. This is normal as well; your body has to rid itself of those pesky toxins every way it can.

If you’re on the “jüs ’til dinner” cleanse, we suggest eating a light, lean meal at least 3 hours before going to bed. This will ensure full digestion before your body shuts down for the night.

Congratulations! You’ve made it through your cleanse and your body is thanking you. Before you ease back into a normal (and hopefully healthy) lifestyle, it’s recommended you take a few steps to help successfully transition back to eating.

Your stomach has shrunk from the lack of food, and you’ll need to introduce food back into your body carefully.

full cleanse:

Start your morning with something very light and easily digestible. Soft fruits (bananas, oranges, melon), smoothies, simple soups, etc. are all great options to break your fast with. Make sure the foods are “pre-digested” by using a blender, eating foods that are mostly broth based, or eating soft, easily digestible foods.

Gradually increase toward more solid foods like rice, quinoa, whole vegetables, etc., and see how your stomach responds. If you feel discomfort, keep drinking those smoothies until a little later in the day, then try again.

After you can handle these foods in moderate quantities, experiment with other foods in your usual diet and see what works. You should be back to normal by this point, but don’t overdo it before you feel comfortable at all stages.

jüs ’til dinner:

Start your morning with a smoothie or piece of fruit or vegetable to help your transition back to your fully solid diet.

Gradually increase toward more solid foods like rice, quinoa, hearty salads, and lean proteins throughout your day. You should be back to normal by dinner time, but don’t overdo it before you feel comfortable at all stages.