I’ve been curious about juice cleanses for a long time. Are they actually good for you? Are the supposed detoxifying benefits noticeable? Is it just a trendy way to starve yourself?
This week, I decided to find out myself.
My reasoning behind it was that I’ve been feeling bloated and getting stomach aches ever since I started Arizona State in the fall. Maybe it’s due to stress, late night trips across the street to the classiest authentic Mexican restaurant (Taco Bell), or the occasional dining hall slice of pizza, but I’m someone who usually prides myself on eating a super clean diet. So Tuesday evening I decided to drive myself to Nekter Juice Bar in Tempe to splurge on 12 bottles of juice – the only thing I would be eating for the next two days. I definitely consider myself a foodie, so I was terrified but also excited to find out what positive benefits it might have on my body!
(Photo Credits: Nekter Juice Bar)
Two Days Prior:
I began to remove all processed foods, meat, dairy, and gluten from my diet. The day before, I tried my best to only eat fruits and vegetables, mostly raw. My last meal in the dining hall was a huge plate of fruit, large salad with tomatoes and cucumbers, and a baked potato. I also read that vegan soups are perfect for the days leading up to a cleanse. Basically, you just want to prep your body so it is easier to adjust to only drinking liquids.
(The Market Salad from Freshii which contained mixed greens, carrots, beet mix, avocado, almonds, mango, and honey dijon vinaigrette)
Day 1:
As I always do, I woke up ravenous and couldn’t think of anything but my usual omelet or oatmeal bowl, carefully topped with fruits, nuts, and shredded coconut. I was dreading a midterm I had in a couple hours and desperate for my usual iced Americano with extra soy.
However, I grabbed my first juice, Healing Greens, from my mini fridge and began to sip on it. Surprisingly, it actually tasted great and somehow filled me up in combination with lots of water. Since herbal teas are okay on a cleanse and actually aid the detoxification process, I picked up a venti iced unsweetened green tea on the way to my midterm and it gave me the energy I needed to focus. I drank juice number 2 (Turmeric Citrus) during the test and it was so refreshing! At noon I walked back to my dorm and began to sip on my lunch (Classic Greens) which was pretty good, but at this point my stomach started to rumble and I began feeling lethargic.
Once I got to my room I ate a couple handfuls of raw almonds and drank a lot of water which helped the hunger go away. For the remainder of the day, I just took it easy (physical activity is not recommended because calorie intake is so much lower than usual), and continued to drink my next juices in the order they were numbered (Charcoal Lemonade, Calming Greens, and Original Superfood Protein). I was ecstatic when I finally got to open the last one, a super creamy and delicious blend of almond milk, dates, cinnamon, and vanilla. The fact that it contained 430 calories, 11 grams of protein, and 24 grams of fat gave me hope that I could make it through another day. A few hours after that, pardon my french, shit hit the fan.
I was absolutely starving, sad, and was planning on giving up and selling my next day of juices to a friend. I even ordered a large greek salad to be delivered to my dorm around 10:00, but I ended up falling asleep before it arrived and waking up in the morning to 4 missed calls and a voice mail from the delivery guy. I took this as a supernatural sign that I should go on with my cleanse for one more day.
Day 2:
To my surprise, my hunger had subsided by the time I woke up and I felt full of energy! I attended my two classes with my Nekter cooler full of juice and an iced green tea in hand. I even saw improvement in my focus and participation in class, probably due to the fact that I was so proud of myself for not giving up and was nearing the light at the end of the tunnel.
Later that night, I went to dinner with friends and decided to order a salad with just raw vegetables to have with my green juice. My absolute favorite drink in the cleanse, the Superfood Protein with almond milk, was a yummy dessert to end my busy day, and it gave me the energy to stay up until 11 and finish all of my homework.
(A delicious mix of almond milk, dates, vanilla, and cinnamon. It tasted like a milkshake!)
The Morning After:
I cannot even explain in words how excited I was to eat real food when I woke up in the morning! Similar to day 2, I wasn’t starving when I woke up and felt full of energy, but I was so excited that I finished my cleanse that I immediately walked to the juice shop in the Sun Devil Fitness Center and ordered a protein shake.
I built my own with banana, almond milk, plant based protein powder, and a little bit of cold brew coffee. It honestly tasted like a thousand tiny unicorns were dancing around in my mouth. This gave me the motivation to get through my 9:40 class, and right after, I walked right to Freshii to get a salad. I scheduled a massage at the SDFC at 12 to hopefully rid my body of even more toxins! Even though I definitely experienced some pangs of hunger over the last 2 days, I’m so happy I decided to do this juice cleanse! My stomach is definitely less bloated and I am craving raw almonds and avocado instead of my usual pizza. I have no idea how, but junkie food just doesn’t sound appealing anymore. Hopefully I will continue seeing similar results as time goes on!
(My protein shake)