I Tried a Juice Cleanse, Here’s What Happened…

I’d like to think I have quite the curious personality and eating healthy and taking care of my body is something that I strive for everyday, so when one of my co-workers recently expressed her interest in trying a juice cleanse, I was all for it. I had never done one before but had heard about all its perks and benefits – detoxify and energize my body? Sure – why not give it a try?

Because of its close proximity to our workplace and early pick-up options, we decided to go with Freshii’s Juice Cleanse.They offer 1,3 and 5 day juice cleanses, but

the sheer thought of going a couple of days without actual solid food made me want to curl into a ball and cry, so my co-worker and I opted to start with a 1-day cleanse – baby steps.

I was able to order the juices the night prior and have them ready for pick-up the next morning before work. The 1-Day Quickie Juice Cleanse consists of four juices and a detoxifying salad for $30. Juices are to be consumed every 2.5-3 hours apart and finished off with the detox salad.

Here’s what happened…

8:00 a.m.

I started my morning with a glass of warm water and lemon – as per the instructions when completing the juice cleanse. This is already how I start my day off on a regular basis so this wasn’t anything new for me.

8:30 a.m. – Juice 1

I waited half an hour after drinking my warm water and lemon to consume my first juice – Green Energy – made up of apple, cucumber, kale, lemon, carrot, romaine and spinach. This juice actually had a really pleasant taste despite the fact that it looked brown and quite gross.

Super impressed.

 11:00 a.m. – Juice 2

By mid-morning I was feeling pretty good, my energy was certainly up and it was time for my second juice – Carrot Zinger, which contained carrot, apple and ginger. Again, this drink was fairly delicious and went down rather smooth.

No complaints here.

 Tip: The instructions say to drink between 8-10 glasses of water throughout the day in addition to the juices. This helps if you start to feel hungry during the day – it keeps your stomach full and also helps to flush out toxins in your body. Just a heads up though, you will be going to the washroom A LOT.

1:30 p.m. – Juice 3

By the time lunch time rolled around I was starting to get a little hungry, but I was determined to pull through. Juice number 3 – Mighty Detox – made up of pineapple, cucumber, celery, apple and ginger, was the worst tasting juice. The downfall? Too much ginger in my opinion. You definitely feel like it’s a detox with the pang of this juice – I cringe just remembering this one.

3:00 p.m.

By the late afternoon, my stomach was growling and I began to feel the hunger pains. No amount of water was going to help with this so I decided to eat some raw veggies – red peppers, carrots and broccoli. The instructions suggest that if you must eat something during the cleanse to eat raw or lightly cooked fruits and/or vegetables. No shame in my game! Listening to your body and doing what feels right for you is extremely important here.

 4:00 p.m. – Juice 4

While eating raw vegetables did help with some of my hunger pains, at this point I was ready to get this juice cleanse over with. My last juice of the day was Red Power complete with beets, carrots, lemon and ginger. I didn’t mind this juice at all as I personally like the taste of beets and eat them fairly often. My co-worker on the other hand? This was her absolute least favorite of the juices – she practically gagged drinking it.

Different strokes for different folks.

 6:30 p.m. – Detox Salad

Most. Exciting. Moment. Of. The. Day. The last part of the cleanse called for a detoxifying salad and boy was I ready for this! The Metaboost Salad contained field greens, spinach, kale, carrots, mango, edamame, almonds, goat cheese and balsamic vinaigrette. It was super yummy and actually quite filling.

I still wanted real food though…

Would I do it again?

In all honesty, it wasn’t that bad. Although I was super hungry towards the end of the day, I must say I did wake up the next morning feeling extremely refreshed. To my surprise I definitely felt lighter, less bloated, more energized, and I found myself craving fresh fruits and veggies. I would definitely do the cleanse again and highly recommend it. If I can feel this way after only 1 day, I can only imagine how I would feel after completing a 3 or 5 day cleanse!

Have you ever tried a juice cleanse?