Tales of a First-Time Juice Cleanser

With the start of a New Year and in the spirit of making New Year’s Resolutions, I decided to try a juice cleanse to kick off 2015. While I’d love to lose a few extra pounds, I wanted to give this juice cleanse a try to detox my body and start the New Year in a healthy way. In the past I never really had an interest in trying juice cleanses, but it’s a New Year so why not give something new a try? I am always looking for ways to lead a healthier lifestyle, plus after the holiday season filled with eating and drinking, I figured it couldn’t hurt!

People choose to go on a juice cleanse for a number of reasons including cleansing the body of toxins, offering a large amount of nutrition to the body and helping to reduce your appetite. While different cleanses can vary, generally a juice cleanse consists of strictly drinking a variety of organic juices for one, three or five days while also drinking plenty of water. You must also abstain from alcohol and caffeine.

Once I decided that I wanted to try a juice cleanse, I knew I wanted to try one for beginners and decided on Suja’s Original Fresh Start 3-Day Juice Cleanse. Suja Juice features organic, non-GMO and cold-pressured juice in a variety of flavors. The three day cleanse I chose includes Glow, Fuel, Purify, Fiji, Green Supreme and Vanilla Cloud. My favorite flavors were Fuel, which had an orange and fruity flavor, and Glow, a green juice with a minty flavor. I was surprised I liked the green juices as much as I did since I have never been a fan of green drinks in the past but these were delicious!

A few days before the cleanse, Suja Juice recommends you start cleaning up your diet to make the juicing transition easier, that means eliminating caffeine, alcohol, dairy, red meat, sugar, white flour and bread products, and maximizing fruit, vegetable and whole grain intake. I started my juice cleanse the day after New Year’s so I didn’t have a whole lot of time to clean up my diet but I would definitely recommend it if you’re able to.

On the first day of my juice cleanse, I started my day with a warm glass of water with some lemon (you can also use apple cider vinegar) then when I was hungry for breakfast I drank my first juice. I spread the juices out throughout the day so every 2 or 3 hours I had a juice while still drinking plenty of water in between. You repeat the same steps each day of your cleanse and after the cleanse is over, it’s recommended you start eating food again by introducing gentle foods first like smoothies, soup, salad and vegetables.

To be totally honest I did not complete the full three days of juice cleansing, I only made it 1.5 days. I am still really proud of myself since I never thought I would get through one full day and I actually learned a lot about myself and my diet in the process.  First, I was really surprised I could make it through a day on just juices alone, especially when I was out and about surrounded by temptations everywhere. I also learned that I really love to eat. I know that sounds silly because everyone loves to eat, but when you are just drinking juice, you realize it even more so. Throughout the juice cleanse I actually wasn’t hungry at all I just really missed eating foods which I think was my downfall, but I do feel like the cleanse helped to reduce my appetite. Although I wasn’t hungry, I did have a headache and felt tired both days but I attribute this towards the lack of caffeine in my system since I typically drink 2-3 cups per day. That brings me to another lesson, I need take more breaks from coffee to give my body a break from caffeine. Lastly, I learned that I actually really do like green juices I just have to find the right ones for me (thanks Suja Juice!).

I would definitely try another juice cleanse – not for the weight loss aspect but more for a reboot on my diet and to get into the habit of eating healthier. I’m also going to try to incorporate juices into my diet, whether it is having one for breakfast or for a snack. All in all it was a great experience and really made me a take a look at my eating habits and was a fantastic kick off to a healthy year!

For more information about Suja Juice, visit www.sujajuice.com or check them out on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.