Last week I decided to go on a 2-day juice cleanse from my favorite Greenhouse Juice Co! I had been contemplating a juice cleanse for so many months and with the start of the new year and all that post-holiday feasting, I was ready to take the plunge.     

What it entailed: The  Green Cleanse contains two hydrators, one nut milk, three juices and two boosters.

Standouts: I can truthfully say that I enjoyed all of the drinks, but my favorites were definitely the  Brazil Nut Milk &  The Giver.

Challenges:

1)   The carryall - My first day on the cleanse I was busy travelling around the city, which meant that I had to keep a full day of juices with me. I felt a little bit like a walking juice vendor! Thankfully I had a vehicle with me so I only had to have a few on me at one time, but physically carrying these full bottles was something I hadn’t thought to consider. Next time I will definitely better plan out my cleanse days.

2)   The cravings – Normally, I am one of those people who have many little meals/snacks throughout the day. The multitude of drinks in the cleanse definitely aligned with my habits, but I really missed munching on something solid! The first night was the toughest when I finally got home and had more time to realize my cravings and all I wanted was a little snackeroo.

Benefits:

1)   The “de-bloat” – Almost all of the juices had detoxifying and antioxidizing properties, which really helped with my bloating issues! I woke up the second morning and felt so amazing that another full day of cleansing did not worry me one bit.

2)   The glow – My skin has never felt better! The juices gave my body some much-needed hydration after all those holiday parties. I have eczema that comes/goes, which this cleanse definitely helped with. Finally, this rigorous detoxifying cleanse really helped to flush the toxins out of my body, which helped minimize my skin issues.

3)   The goodbye – Prior to the cleanse I was drinking way too much coffee and had been wanting to cut down my consumption, but it felt impossible when my body had become so dependent on it. The couple of days without coffee really made me realize that I didn’t need a constant intake of caffeine – so I might be saying goodbye to coffee altogether in 2016!

Repeat offender? Yes, I would definitely do this again.

Cleanse Tips:

1)    Plan ahead – try to plan the juice cleanse on a light schedule day(s) as possible! Your body (specifically energy levels…and maybe even your friends) will thank you for that extra little step of planning.

2)    Drink lots of water – I know, this cleanse is already fully liquid so why am I suggesting more liquid?! I found that drinking water throughout the day helped rebalance my taste buds. When I had more water the second day, the juices went down much easier.

3)    Herbal teas – it’s important to stay warm during a cleanse (especially since the winter weather has now finally hit!). There’s nothing like a warm enveloping hug from a hot cup of tea! Herbal teas that aid the detox are great mid-day additions during the cleanse.

4)    Mindfulness – there have been a plethora of reviews about juice cleanses listing various reactions people have such as light headedness, moodiness, fatigue, and weakness. If you haven’t done a cleanse before, I would advise you to listen to your body and make the necessary adjustments to your routine to ensure that you have a successful cleanse!

5)    Post-Cleanse - slow and steady wins the race – keep listening to your body because after a couple of days of cleansing, going back to a regular solid diet could give a little shock to your body. Keeping on a mostly plant-based, whole food diet is a good segway out of the cleanse.