Juice cleanses were super trendy a couple of years ago, but the excitement quickly died out once nutritionists started to report they’re not that good for you. A quick Google search will likely result in far more negative articles than positive ones, which was enough to deter me from ever wanting to try out this trend. However, I got curious after seeing an advertisement for a juice cleanse outside of Freshii, so I decided to do some more research. Juice cleanses aren’t for everyone, but “juicing” in moderation does have some benefits, and most people report feeling refreshed and energized following a cleanse. I was worried about feeling too hungry, but the Freshii juice cleanse is different than traditional cleanses because, in addition to a day’s worth of juices, they offer a full-size salad packed with protein at the end of each day. It’s also available in a one-day package for only $30, which sounded like a great deal for an impulsive buyer like myself.
Why did I decide to do a juice cleanse?
I thought it would be a good way to “reset” my body after a few days of eating poorly due to stress and a jam-packed schedule. I normally have a very healthy diet, but a busy week led to take-out for dinner one too many times, and I was feeling tired and gross. I thought a juice cleanse would be a good way to refuel my body with the nutrients it just can’t get from pizza alone and get me back on track to healthy eating.
Before you start, it’s important to make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons. A juice cleanse will not cause you to lose 10 pounds or magically cancel out a weekend of binge-eating fast food. I did not do a juice cleanse to lose weight – that’s not how it works. Do your research in order to decide if it’s right for you. Freshii’s cleanse also emphasizes listening to your body – if you feel so hungry that the cleanse is interrupting your day, then it’s time to eat real food.
9:00 am – Juice #1
I started off my morning with the Green Energy juice, which is made with kale, spinach, romaine, green apple, cucumber, and lemon. I was told to drink this juice first because it was supposed to give me energy for the entire morning…but I’m not convinced this could ever replace a coffee. It tasted like a weird mix of cucumber water and sour apple candy. I didn’t hate it, but if you’ve never had a green juice before, it will probably just taste like grass to you. I normally go to the gym every morning, but I decided to skip it this day because I’m always starving after – this turned out to be a good decision because this juice didn’t exactly fill me up.
12:00 pm – Juice #2
I wasn’t super hungry by this point, but it had been a couple hours, so I had my next juice. My second juice of the day was the Reviive juice, which is made with carrot, turmeric, pineapple, ginger, and lemon. This juice initially tasted a lot better than the first one, but I also like the taste of ginger, so I expected to enjoy it more than a juice that was just made from different kinds of lettuce. Like I mentioned earlier, it tasted okay at first, but by the end, it started to taste just like dirt.
2:30 pm – Juice #3
My “afternoon snack” was the Mighty Detox juice made from pineapple, green apple, celery, cucumber, and ginger. By this point I was starting to get hungry and kind of fed up of drinking juice. This juice literally tasted like a freshly mowed lawn. I have never felt so excited to eat a salad for dinner – I just wanted to have anything but juice at this point.
5:00 pm – Juice #4
The final juice of the day was the Red Power juice made from beet, lemon, ginger, and carrot. I was unbelievably disappointed by this juice – the bright red colour looked so promising, but the flavour completely let me down. I don’t know if it was because I hate beets, or because I was just so sick of drinking liquid grass all day, but this juice tasted the worst of them all. I didn’t feel hungry anymore the second I tasted it because I instantly lost my appetite. I almost wanted to give up at this point because it tasted so bad. I’m thankful this article isn’t sponsored by Freshii because I have nothing good to say about this juice.
7:00 pm – Salad
Finally, I was given a full-size salad to end off my day. The Metaboost salad is made with spinach, kale, goat cheese, mango, almonds, carrots, edamame, and a balsamic vinaigrette. The salad was pretty good, but by this point, I was willing to eat anything that tasted edible.
My Final Thoughts
After completing my one-day juice cleanse, I kind of understand the hype surrounding it. I did feel refreshed and energized following the cleanse, but I also felt really hungry by the time I had my salad. My goal was to “reset” my body after a few days of eating far too much junk food, and I felt like the cleanse helped me to achieve this. However, I’m not convinced that this is the best way to get back into the habit of healthy eating. I think meal-prepping some healthy, filling, and balanced meals would likely have the same effect on your body. The juices were definitely an acquired taste – if I were to ever do another juice cleanse, I would try the juices beforehand so I would know what I was getting into. The juices weren’t awful, but when you’re super hungry and cranky, it’s hard to pretend that you actually like it.
Overall, trying a juice cleanse made me more aware of the impact of the foods that I’m putting into my body. Maybe next time I need to grab something quick to eat when I’m busy, I’ll stop by Freshii instead of Taco Bell…but this time for solid food.