If you’ve been feeling sluggish, bloated, constipated, have bags under your eyes, suffer from acne, or if your tongue has a yellow or white coating and the underside has large blue veins, it’s likely time for a detox. There are many ways to go about detoxing, but today, I’m going to focus on the ever popular juice cleanse.
What is detoxification?
The point of detoxification is to clean the blood, allow the digestive system a rest, and to rid the body of toxins. You get the added benefit of pushing the re-set button on your diet.
A juice cleanse is basically a juice fast in which one only drinks fruit and vegetable juices for 1-3 days. Because it takes the body a minimum of 7 days to clean the blood, a juice cleanse is only part of a full detoxification protocol.
“Doing a juice cleanse has been said to help unleash the natural healing power of your body by ridding built up toxins. Juicing floods your system with powerful nutrients and antioxidants. It may be the first step toward a long-lasting lifestyle change, or jumpstarting a weight-loss regimen by helping to retrain your taste buds as well as psychological connection to food.” source
Where to begin
It’s very important not to start a detox protocol such as a juice cleanse by going cold turkey. Eliminating alcohol, sugar, caffeine, processed foods and toxins from your environment at least 3-5 days in advance will make the detoxification process much more comfortable and safe.
Drink plenty of warm lemon water, and start consuming whole foods such as legumes, vegetables, and fruits that naturally contain fiber. Fish is a great source of clean protein (wild please!). Including healthy fats such as olive, coconut, grass fed butter, and avocado oil will also support the organs during the detox process.
Set aside a weekend, or day(s) off to actually go through the juice cleanse. Being able to sleep, relax, and let go of stressors in your life is all part of the process.
You may want to try a juice cleanse if:
You’re coming off of a water fast. Add juices and broth back in first, then fruits and veggies, grains, then proteins and fats.
You’d like to cleanse your body before starting an elimination diet.
You’d like to jump start weight loss.
You’re experiencing any of the symptoms listed in the first paragraph.
Your health care practitioner has recommended a detox.
You’ve been consuming a lot of sugar, caffeine, processed foods, and/or alcohol.
Choosing a juice cleanse- purchase vs. homemade
If you’re a do-it-yourselfer like me and think “I’ve got a juicer, I’ll just go and buy some fruits and vegetables and make my own juice!” You may want to think again. Not only is it imperative to have the correct combination of ingredients to keep the sugar quantity as low as possible (and taste good), making 6-8 juices per day is extremely time consuming. You’ll be spending the day prepping ingredients, juicing, doing dishes, and possibly running to the store because you didn’t realize exactly how many fruits and veggies you’d need.
Add to that the fact that most home juicers aren’t that effective at extracting all of the juice. Mine mostly pulverizes the fruits and veggies, all whilst extracting a tiny tablespoon full of juice. Therefore, purchasing a prepared juice cleanse, is more cost effective than trying to do it myself.
Keep in mind that stress reduction is key to the detoxification process. Even though I like to cook, I need a break once in a while. The very idea of having a juice cleanse protocol land on my doorstep, with easy step-by-step instructions, no grocery shopping and no dishes, had me researching juice cleanses in less than a minute!
The stellar reviews on Amazon sold me! I partnered with Super Detox Me Juice Cleanse and started cleaning up my diet whilst awaiting the arrival of their juices.
Rather watch than read? Watch my video about my experience juice cleansing:
Here’s what I loved right out of the gate about the Super Detox Me Juice Cleanse kit:
They’ve done all the work for me
The packaging is simple, beautiful, eco-friendly, and portable
I didn’t even have to go to the grocery store
No dishes!
They’ve clearly put a lot of thought into this program with well thought out ingredients and instructions.
I love what it doesn’t have- NO GMO’s, no fillers, no sweeteners, no preservatives. Just good, clean ingredients.
Best of all, it’s a no brainer. The quick and simple instructions tell you exactly what to drink and when to drink it!
They’ve included ingredients such as cinnamon (blood sugar stability), turmeric (inflammation), chia seeds (fiber) and acerola (vitamin C to help sweep away toxins). Plus, on the back of each package Super Detox Me has told me the benefits of the ingredients.
Sugar content is consistent with a juice cleanse.
“When juicing, you lose out on some of the fiber content found in whole fruits and vegetables, but a benefit of juicing is that it gives your digestion system a break from working so hard to process a large meal.” source
Typical side effects
Normal side effects include feeling spacy, tired, and cold. Take a walk, a nap, or cuddle up by the fire and read a book.
“Restriction and being miserable isn’t the point.”
Side effects to pay attention to
Juice cleanses are high in sugar so if you start to feel shaky, light headed, or nauseous it’s likely an indication of blood sugar instability. Don’t just suffer through as it can be dangerous to continue to consume sugar of any kind when blood sugar becomes unstable.
If you’re like me and know that your blood sugar is easily swayed to the dark side, start the juice cleanse by adding protein powder to your juice. This will get your blood sugar on the right track, instead of trying to backtrack once it’s out of control. Protein powder is extremely easy to digest, and won’t inhibit the cleanse.
Another way to stabilize blood sugar, is to add fat. Sip bone broth with fat and you’ll feel warmer and more stable, eat half an avocado, or add it to the smoothie listed above. Adding fiber to your juice is another way to keep blood sugar stable. Either add some chia seeds to the juice, shake it up and let it sit for awhile, or add something like psyllium husk powder to your juice.
Who should NOT partake in a juice cleanse:
If you are pregnant, nursing, diabetic, a child, are suffering from candida or have a pre-existing health condition, then juice cleansing is not for you. That being said, it’s a good idea to play it safe and check with your doctor, naturopath, or health care practitioner before starting a detox protocol.
Many thanks to Super Detox Me Juice Cleanse for sponsoring this post! Please note that all opinions are my own. Proceeds from sponsors allow me to continue to do what I love to do- help make the world a healthier, happier place!