There are so many liquid cleanses out these days that it’s hard deciding which one to go with.
Blueprint seems to be the most popular, but I’ve heard from friends
that since most of the juices are fruit-based they have a lot of sugar and can cause bloating (see yesterday’s interview with Tim Martin),
so I opted instead for a 5-day iZO Signature Juice Feast
(everyone from Erin Wasson to Daisy Fuentes swears by it), which comes with 12 juices and teas a day along with some supplements
(liver detox capsules and herbal laxatives. I didn’t take either though because I’m not into herbal supplements and try to ingest as few pills as possible…rarely even take an Advil!). The juices are delivered to your doorstep by 10:30am (6am if
you live in LA or OC), and come super well-packaged with tons of ice
packs and with a light-weight cooler for when you’re on the go. Unfortunately I did not survive 5 days. In fact I did not survive one full day!
Many of the juices actually taste very good, but I think that 5 days
was a little ambitious for someone who has never done a juice cleanse
before (especially if you’re not vegan). Given my very active lifestyle
I’ve come to the conclusion that the juices, for me, are best kept as
healthy snacks. Jump for more!
If I could do the cleanse over again I would opt to built my own cleanse which I would combine with some solid food. The green juice tastes very good (vegetable-based), as does the red juice (vegetables + apple juice for sweetness), and the Almond Milk (full of protein..this one was my favorite. I could have had 3 bottles!). Again if you juice on a regular basis or follow a strict vegetarian, vegan, or raw food diet, doing a full-on cleanse like this will be a lot easier for you than it was for me! That said the juices, even combined with food, can do wonders for your mood and energy level. See below for my daily recap!
Day 1 – After my morning workout I go home to find my first day’s
package of juices. Wow do they come well packaged with all kinds of ice
packs and seals. I try my first juice and it’s actually good – a green
juice that surprisingly doesn’t taste like someone’s front lawn! I then
follow it with the red juice which is refreshingly sweet (it’s made
with fruit, but no added sugar). Next up is the Tea: Activate which is
for spleen health and rather bland. Hmm my mind is starting to wander
towards the idea of food and I question whether I should just sprinkle
these juices in between my food rather then full-on cleanse. No no,
it’s only day #1! I cannot give-up already. The next tea is for kidney
health and is called Replenish; it tastes like seaweed and I skip it.
Start working, but am starting to develop a headache. I’m not even
hungry at this point, but am feeling dizzy. I drink water and follow it
a bit later with iZO Pro, the Almond Milk protein drink which is nutty
and delicious – wishing there was more than one of these a day and
making a mental note to find out the health benefits of this particular
drink.
I keep working, emailing, phone calls, then go for the Lemonade (master
cleanse-style with cayenne pepper)..I can’t get more than a sip down.
Drink water. I follow-up with another red juice then Supergreen which I
couldn’t get down. At this point it’s nearly 5pm and I am hungry and
have headache. I cave-in and eat some peanut butter and chocolate
ganache. Feel a little bit guilty.
Work for a bit and then finish day with some sips of the Elevate tea,
lots of water, the green juice, and an apple.
Day 2 – Wake up feeling light and fresh..wishing it was night-time so I can go out feeling this good about my body! Drink water and green juice before going to my morning workout. It was hard for me to workout quite honestly. I’m used to eating a little bit before my workout and given how little I ate the day before (and since I didn’t finish all the juices), my calorie-intake was not high enough for me to handle the class. I came home had a red juice, the almond juice, water and some nuts, turkey, apple, and a piece of chocolate. I’ve decided to modify the cleanse to suit my lifestyle (clearly!). Honestly I love going to the gym as crazy as it sounds and I don’t think I could handle my morning class without food. I go through the day drinking the juices I like and eating small meals. I feel great. Healthy. No headache. Not dizzy. Lots of energy.
Day 3 – I have some juices left over so I keep drinking them as healthy snacks. I have to say my mood is up and I feel refreshed. I haven’t lost any weight (though if you were to stick to the cleanse and to exercising, there is no doubt in my mind that you would). Mostly I’m very happy to have discovered how easy it is to incorporate these juices into my daily life. I don’t think I will ever attempt to do another liquid-only cleanse (I feel like for me I would drink only juices and then get too much of an urge to binge on chocolate…), I prefer to focus my energy on eating right and exercising, but I will definitely be ordering juices from iZO to complement my diet:)
