Everyone and their mother are doing a juice cleanse. My friends, in-laws, even my boss are all talking about doing a 3-5 day juice cleanse. It is even mentioned on the radio every single time I’m in the car. There is a lot of information on the health benefits or why it’s BS, which I’ll discuss in an upcoming article. However, as a juice-cleanse curious person, I had a more challenging time figuring out how to prep for a juice cleanse.
Time Crunch
Friday night, after an incredibly unhealthy two weeks where I gained back a few pounds that I spent a month losing, I decided to bite the bullet. I Googled juice cleanses and found a lot of options where you can buy bottled juices. Despite the plastic waste, I strongly considered going this route. Although I have a juicer, making three days’ worth of juice sounded super time-consuming. Not only do you have to peel and prep the fruits and veggies, but the cleanup alone also seems like a huge pain in my huge butt.
However, I know myself well. That plus the lectures from Mel Robin’s on the Five Second Rule, I decided that I couldn’t wait to purchase juices. The quickest delivery would take five days, and I did not want to start during my work week. Plus, the ones that ship quickest seemed to be more expensive. So I decided to save waiting time by taking on the time commitment of juicing everything myself. If you don’t have a juicer, you’ll have to wait to get one if you go to the juice-it-yourself route.
How to Prep for a Juice Cleanse
The first step in preparing for a juice cleanse is deciding wether you are going to buy your juices or if you want to making the juices yourself. All Amazon links in this blog post are affiliates.
Self-Juicing – How to Prep for a Juice Cleanse
If you’re going to self-juice, my weird phrase for making the juices yourself at home, you will need to consider the following. By the way, it cost about $100 to buy three worth of fruit and veggies to juice enough for two people.
Buy a Juicer
If you don’t already have one, you’ll need to buy a juicer. A food processor or blender will not work for a juice cleanse. The whole point is to nourish your gut with nutrients from liquids while giving it a break from digesting the fiber, aka the pulp. If you have an orange-juicer, this alone will not be enough. Luckily, you can buy juicers in a variety of price ranges.
I have the Aicook Juicer that cost me $49.99. You can buy it used on Amazon for as little as $39. I chose it because it has over 5,000 five-star reviews, and I can personally vouch for it. It works well and does wonders separating juice from the pulp. Plus, it is also easy to clean. I picked it over the Aicook Slow Masticating Juicer, which has a $169.99 price tag and equally impressive reviews. There are many others out there, so it’s up to you to decide which to go with.
For lemons and limes – which I love to add to my SodaStream water, I love to use the Ailikete Lemon Squeezer Manual Citrus Press Juicer. It costs $8.99 and is super easy to use, even if you are weak like I am. I can’t open a jar of pickles, but I can squeeze a lemon dry without even cutting it first (this does splash it everywhere, so just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.)
Research Recipes
I strongly recommend that you research recipes before you shop – not all fruits and veggies go well together. You are more likely to complete your cleanse if your juices taste great and if you have a variety. Would you enjoy eating your favorite food five times a day for three days straight with no variety? Probably not.
I’m also telling you to do your research because I didn’t. I walked into a store with zero recipe ideas and a rumbling stomach. Never shop hungry or without a plan. This is a recipe for making bad food choices, especially for a three-day juice cleanse. I am now at home looking at an impressive mound of fruits and veggies. Not only do I not know if they will be enough for me and my unwilling husband to do the juice cleanse, and I have no idea how I’ll combine them all.
Luckily, it’s the weekend, and I live near stores, so if I’m missing anything, I’ll just go back. But to save time and unnecessary stress, I suggest you don’t wing it like I did and do just a little bit of planning. Looking up recipes will also help you understand what can and can’t be juiced. Bananas and avocados, my smoothie go-tos cannot be juiced! Cabbage, celery, peppers can and should be juiced! YUM.
Be Over Prepared
Not eating for three days seems doable in theory. However, it can get challenging fast. Take it from me, I do intermittent fasting, and even that is hard. In order to help me succeed at this juice cleanse, I bought a few bottles of 100% juice V8. I also have an impressive collection of caffeine-free teas. Don’t forget that caffeine is a no-go during a juice cleanse.
If you’re dependent on coffee, this could make it a lot harder for you. I recently gave up coffee and spent several days suffering from a caffeine withdrawal headache. If you are serious about your juice cleanse, you may want to give up coffee a week in advance. My headache on day two was so bad that I couldn’t work; it would have killed my juice cleanse efforts for sure.
Plus, if all else fails, I have many kencko and YourSuper powders made with 100% natural and vegan ingredients. While these are not ideal for a juice cleanse, I am happy to have them as a backup. Consider having a backup option that is still made from all-natural raw vegan ingredients but could help you in case you have a moment of weakness.
I will also prepare at least a day, if not all three days of juices in advance. That way, when I go to the fridge to do that thing where I open it to see if anything delicious has magically appeared, I can reach for a juice rather than something microwavable and unhealthy. Set yourself up to succeed by being over-prepared!
Don’t Stress About the Mess
It took us three hours to do all the juicing. There was a huge mess at the end of it and so much pulp. The whole point of juicing rather than blending is to give your digestive system a break. However, it is a massive waste of food. Luckily, there is a lot you can do with it, including baking! You may also be able to feed your pets some, depending on the animal and the vegetable or fruit. Finally, if you don’t want to re-use it, at least do your best to compost it. If you don’t have your own compost, you may be able to find a farm/garden center in your area that would be happy to take it.
If you are a label freak like me, I recommend the Brother P-Touch, PTD210, Easy-to-Use Label Maker.
Buying Juices – How to Prep for a Juice Cleanse
If you decide to buy juices, then you have a lot of companies to consider. I like to shop on Amazon because it’s fast, and I can usually find the best prices on it. Before you shop, consider checking out this article on superfood terminology so that you can understand what all the health lingo actually means. So here are a few companies that I personally considered going with:
5-Day Juice Cleanse by Juice From the RAW
The 5-Day Juice Cleanse by Juice From the RAW costs $119.99 for a 20-pack of bottles. I am going for a 3-Day cleanse unless I like it so much that I decide to continue. They have a 3-Day one that costs $99, and it has 18 bottles. Both options have pretty good reviews. These are marketed towards weight-loss. However, this claim is questionable, and I will be writing about that in an upcoming blog post.
These are cold-pressed rather than blended. Pressing produce helps keep the nutrient-rich enzymes intact and is the healthiest way for you to get your raw, unadulterated juices. Cold-pressing provides 3-5 times the nutrients and enzymes than your average juice. It is made from fresh fruits and vegetables. The juices are sent frozen in special packaging to keep them cold and maintain freshness.
They are sent unpasteurized and are meant to be consumed within 3-4 days upon arrival unless frozen. So if you’re going to buy them, time everything correctly to ensure your safety and give you a better chance of completing the juice cleanse! I guess I should also mention that this company also has a 9-Day Vitamin-C Immunity Cleanse option for $119.
3-Day Skinny Cleanse by Raw Generation®
The 3-Day Skinny Cleanse by Raw Generation® is another great option. They have a five and seven-day option as well. Drink six nutrition-packed juices each day, three days = 18 bottles. These juices eliminate bloating, burn more fat naturally, brighten dull skin, and feel more energized long after completing your cleanse.
There are six flavors of100% cold-pressed juices per day that you can enjoy in any order: (2) Sweet Greens, (1) Citrus Carrot, (1) Sweet Roots, (1) Cool Greens, and (1) Tarte Greens. Made from fresh fruits and vegetables, our juices will leave you feeling fuller and more satisfied for longer. They are all made with 100% raw plant-based ingredients.
Although the ratings are slightly lower than Juice From the RAW, this cleanse also has some excellent reviews. I assume it is because they are 100% marketed towards weight-loss, and most juice cleanses don’t actually make you lose fat weight. While there are weight loss benefits that I’ll discuss in a future article, doing a juice cleanse will not likely result in long-term weight loss. Although maybe I’ll find research to convince me otherwise.
3 Day Original CORE DEEP Detox Juice Cleanse
The 3 Day Original CORE DEEP Detox Juice Cleanse doesn’t claim to make you lose weight, which I love. But it does use another problematic word… detox. Our body is fully capable of detoxing on its own which is why so many people hate on juice cleanses. I’ll be discussing this in that future article I keep mentioning as well. Anyway, this cleanse is designed to boost metabolism, jumpstart weight loss, and kick bad habits to the curb.
For $119, LEMONKIND offers 24 functional superfood-infused juices (8 unique juices per day.) The flavors include Chlorella Infused Greens for Detox & Hydration, Aronia Berry Lemonade for Immune Support, Alphonso Mango Peppermint Green Tea for Energy, Turmeric Carrot Gingerade for Antioxidants, Blueberry Cinnamon Chia for Digestion & Sport Health, Turmeric Pumpkin Spice for Enhanced Mood, Avocado Pineapple Wheatgrass for Beauty & Digestive Health, and Mango Sea Buckthorn for Beauty + Skin Defense.
What makes this one different from the others is also the packaging. These juices are not in bottles but rather in squeezable packets. These seem more convenient but are even more of an environmental disaster as they cannot be recycled. This is another big reason to consider juicing everything yourself.
3 Day Juice Cleanse Detox, 24 Powder Packets
This 3 Day Juice Cleanse Detox comes in the form of 24 Powder Packets and costs $54. Not only is this a greener option in terms of plastic waste and the transportation cost of liquid, but it is also one of the cheapest options. Although I haven’t tried these powders, I can speak from my experience with kencko that powders can be delicious and nutritious.
Unfortunately, this cleanse has significantly worse reviews. The biggest complaint seems to be the flavor. However, there are many satisfied customers giving raving reviews as well. You can also try to buy the one-day version for $29 and see if you like it enough to commit to a full three days. These are also great because you can easily take these with you on the go, even if you’re cleansing while traveling!
3 Day Juice Cleanse by Raw Fountain
The 3 Day Juice Cleanse by Raw Fountain is another great choice. There are six flavors plus ginger shots! So for $119, you get 18 bottles and three shots. There is also an option that replaces one of the flavors with coconut water. Personally, I am not a huge fan of coconut in my smoothies, so I love that it’s an optional addition.
Out of all the juice cleanse sets I researched, this one had by far the best ratings. Even in their description, they say: “We get nothing but amazing feedback for these juices; everyone loves the taste. If there are any concerns WHATSOEVER please contact us, and we will do everything to BRIGHTEN UP your day.” Judging by all the people raving, I believe their statement! This would probably be the one I would choose if I was buying juices instead of making my own.
Summary: How to Prep for a Juice Cleanse
Preparing for a juice cleanse doesn’t have to be a crazy process. Since I already had a juicer, I honestly just winged it and succeeded despite not being prepared at all. Now I’m on day two of drinking my crazy concoctions, and it’s going just fine. I even think we made too much juice for only three days! But that’s not the worst problem to have.
It cost us $100 and took three hours to create three or more days of juices for two people. Stay tuned for an article on what juice cleanses actually do for your body. I’ll include how it made me and Isaac feel, but I’ll also quote studies from both sides of the argument!
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