I'm Zoe. Thanks for stopping by my small corner of the internet. Here you'll find things that I love, places I adore and stories of people who make me happy. I write about everything from books and beauty to food and everything in between. Enjoy xx
Juice cleanses seem to be one of the latest crazes and after reading Rachi's review I was so intrigued I wanted to give one a go. For me it was about giving my body a break from difficult to digest foods and getting a big dose of nutrients. I had also heard that a side effect some people experience is that after the cleanse they find themselves craving healthier foods as opposed to sugary treats which is something I was hoping I would experience.
I chose to complete mine while I was on school holidays as the life of a teacher does not always allow for frequent bathroom breaks and consuming 500ml of liquid every two hours or so. After contemplating the MANY juice cleanses available in Sydney I decided on Lucky You, I had read a few reviews and generally liked their philosophy and information.
So in I booked and anxiously awaited the delivery of my juices! Here is how it went:
Day 1
10:30- Juices arrive! I feel like a kid at Christmas time, I have already had my morning lemon water as recommended and am ready to start. I am in the 9am-12pm delivery zone which is fine for me as I am hoping to delay the first juice a little as I tend to get hungry in the afternoon, but I would have struggled if they arrived later I think (something for those to consider in this delivery zone). I was very excited to start with my smoothie, as recommended I tried eating it with a spoon to encourage chewing and aid digestion, I kind of alternated between a spoon and small sips, I did however make an effort to chew, a little weird but nothing I couldn't get used to, I enjoyed the smoothie and it left me feeling very satisfied.
12:30- My second juice of the day, Green Juice B, was quite delicious. The 500ml size is really quite big, I don't think I'll be getting hungry over the three days, but I am finding it hard to keep up my water intake. I had quite a bit of water this morning though so I'm not too concerned. Energy wise I feel good, I am just having down time today with my family as I wasn't sure how I would go. Toilet trips are quite frequent, my body is not used to all this fluid!
2:15- Spicy lemonade time and it has a bit of a kick! The Cayenne Pepper leaves a bit if a burn in the tongue but it's actually quite a nice change and breaks up the green juice hit I've had this morning. My tummy is starting to feel quite full and I may struggle to get in enough water this afternoon but I may just have some herbal tea because I'm feeling a little cold so that will be good for my fluid intake!
4:30- Red juice time... I am not a fan of beetroot so this was the one I was dreading the most but it was ok, I struggled to get to the end because I was feeling quite full, but I got there!
5:45- This is by far the most "green" tasting of the green juices, no fruit except for some lemon, and to be honest it does taste a little like a garden. This is the time where we remind ourselves how much our bodies love these things and that we've almost made it through day one quite well! Heading off to the movies now with my Cashew milk and ice pack!
9:30- Movie was great! (Jersey Bous for those intrested..) Cashew Mylk was delicious, I think it's nice to have a "treat" to end the day with, it's a good motivator to have something yummy to end the day. Now it's bedtime! Feeling like I may have a slight headache but I also might just be tired, still feeling a little full but overall the day went well and I think I did ok! We'll see how tomorrow goes...
Day 2
9:00- I was a little restless at first last night but then once I was out I was really out and slept very soundly, I woke up feeling good, not bloated at all, quite flat-stomached actually, and not at all hungry. My skin seems a bit clearer, although I've been told that can happen and maybe it's my imagination a little! It's a little cold and raining outside so I'm having a it of a slow morning, I might end up a little behind schedule again today but that's ok, off to make my lemon water now!
1:00- I drank my spicy lemonade in the sun today, it was lovely to get some fresh air! I've been working on a painting today, I think it's good to have a little project to keep myself distracted, although I'm not really craving anything, mostly just over drinking so much liquid, but I'm at the halfway mark now which is exciting! The smoothie went down well as did Green Juice B, so far Day 2 is going well!
3:15- Struggling to get the Red Juice down, the taste is fine, I'm just struggling with consuming all this liquid! I'm going to aim for half...
4:15- Ok, I'd like some food now! I don't feel hungry at all, but I'm cold and I feel like eating real food, something warm, something crunchy! I'm not craving anything naughty but I saw my sister roasting some veggies yesterday and I just keep thinking about them...
5:00- It's time for Green Juice A now and I just can't bring myself to do it, it's the one I struggle with the most, so I've decided to have a warm bath instead!
6:00- Out of the bath and am feeling so much better! I gave Green Juice A a good go but I couldn't quite finish it, I've already had 2 litres of juice today, give me a break!
8:00- I even struggled with my Cashew Mylk tonight and I thought that would go down a treat. Overall feeling good just quite full and like there's no room for any more liquid in me! I am glad that I'm on the home stretch. Going to watch something and have an early night I think.
Day 3
8:30- Feeling good again! My skin is definitely looking good, possibly just because I'm insanely hydrated! I think today will be ok as I respond well to achieving things and already this morning have felt good about finishing my last Aloe Vera elixir, go me! About to have my last smoothie! Woo!
11:00- Last Green Juice B! I've just been shopping with my sister and watched my niece and nephew eat hot chips, that was tough. But I resisted, and I feel really good that I resisted!
1:00- I think the Spicy Lemonade might be my favourite, it's pretty delicious and the cayenne pepper kick really sets it a part from the others, this might be one I try and re-create post cleanse.
4:15- Feeling good today, better than I did yesterday but still over the drinking, there is so much to drink! Not hungry at all and energy levels pretty good.
6:30- Just finished my Cashew Mylk and am officially done! I'm proud of myself for completing it but I'm so looking forward to eating real food tomorrow!
10:00- Bed time! Note to self, watching Heston cooking on Masterchef is probably not wise while juice cleansing, I wanted all the food! I am looking forward to making something delicious in the morning. I really feel like veggies and meat, I don't feel like anything sweet which is usually what I crave so I think that's interesting, we will see what happens tomorrow...
One week later- I still feel really good, my cleanse has definitely made me more aware of what I am eating and I am still feeling like healthy foods which is very nice as the Winter months are usually when I snuggle in with a few too many treats… I am better at drinking water too, I guess consuming all that liquid got my body used to it..? Who knows.
The verdict-
Overall I feel good about the experience, I am glad that I did ok without any severe headaches or anything, I think I feel reassured that the fact that I didn't react badly means my lifestyle is ok! I don't generally drink caffeine or very much alcohol so for people that do the symptoms may be stronger.
I think I would do it again, I think it would be better to do in the warmer months as consuming all that refrigerated liquid would just be that little bit easier. I will remind myself that Day 2 is the hardest and that it really does go very quickly and you will be all cleansed before you know it!
Smoothie- alkaline water, kale, silverbeet, spinach, mango, banana
Green juice B- green apple, cucumber, celery, spinach, kale, silverbeet, cos lettuce, parsley, lemon
Spicy Lemonade- Alkaline water, lemon, green apple, stevia, cayenne pepper, Celtic sea salt
Red Juice- beetroot, cucumber, celery, spinach/kale, silverbeet, cos lettuce, parsley, green apple, lemon
Green Juice A- cucumber, celery, kale, silverbeet, spinach, cos lettuce, parsley, lemon
Cashew nut Mylk- alkaline water, activated raw cashew kernels, medjool dates
Have you ever done the juice cleanse thing? Would you do one?
Zoe xx
Categories:
health and wellness
Wow I'm so impressed! You did so well. I'm keen to try a juice cleanse but can't until I stop breastfeeding (dammit!) might try this in 6 months or so when I can :) xx
I would love to give one a go and some of those juices sounded delicious!!!!
Hi Zoe! How great is dry brushing?! Love it! We love the fix juices, not necessarily a full on cleanse but definitely for when you need something refreshing :) Great blog! <3 <3