Living a healthy lifestyle is one of the top priorities in this whole ‘becoming a better person’/Life Intentional thing I’m doing here. I have a shameful addiction to oatmeal creme pies and Kraft Mac & Cheese. I haven’t been to the gym in over a month. Let’s just say my priorities are out of whack.

I have grown up accustomed to healthy life choices. My mother has been vegetarian since I was nine, and freshly made vegetable juice was a common cup in our home. Granted, I would run to the bathroom and pour as much carrot beet juice down the toilet as I could before I got caught, but I was familiar with it all the same.

Years later, the fad of cold-pressed juice cleanses really piqued my interest. However I could never justify the cost, with most three-day cleanses ranging from $150-$200. Luckily, a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon the Juice from the Raw cleanse. The cleanse is originally $185 on the site, which is about average for a cleanse. But I can save you a ton of money! The code at the bottom of this page is an affiliate code, so disclaimer, I may get a commission should you decide to purchase a cleanse. But rest assured I only recommend because I’m completely in love with the cleanses myself!

Preparation

It is recommended that you prepare your body for the cleanse by cutting out as many processed, wheat, and animal products as you can. I cut out all bread (minus two rolls and one serving of pasta) and all meat excluding one piece of turkey mid-week. I also drank between one and two liters of lemon water a day. Two liters are an awful lot of water a day, and without the lemon added I get headaches. Why? No idea.

My meals consisted of zucchini noodles in veggie spaghetti sauce, salads, veggie tacos, fruit, and other miscellaneous vegetable filled meals. Not going to lie, I really missed bread.

The Juices

1. Sweet Greens: Apple, Cucumber, Celery, Green Kale, Romaine, Swiss-chard, Spinach, Lemon, & Ginger. Rating this one my least favorite. It started out sweet but then had a bitter after taste.

2. Piney Apple Mint: One of my favorites! This drink would be amazing with rum, though that might defeat the entire purpose… I would have never thought to add mint to pineapple and apple, but together their powers unite to form an amazing mid morning drink. I would buy this on its own every day if it were available and I could budget it.

3. Detox Greens: Apple, Cucumber, Celery, Wheat grass, Dandelion, Wild Arugula, Lemon, and Ginger. Another green drink I wasn’t terribly fond of. After the green drinks I tended to get light headaches, but that’s probably because they were doing their job and cleaning me out. The celery is what made these so unfavorable. Everything else would have been fine.

4. Spicy Lemonade: Lemon, Organic Agave Nectar, cayenne pepper. My mother fasts twice a year, but instead of a juice cleanse she puts herself through the ‘Master Cleanse’ which is basically spicy lemonade on steroids. Instead of Agave she uses molasses and a certain kind of tea as well. I have tried her beverages, and I was NOT looking forward to this drink because of it. Surprisingly enough, this became one of my favorite drinks! Served cold and slightly icy, the heat of the pepper is dulled and you get a cold, refreshing drink with a small bite. I do not recommend letting it get warm though. Room temperature and that bite is bound to make you cry.

5. Root Veggies: Apple, Carrots, Beets, Lemon, and Ginger. Thinking back to the days when my mother would make us drink carrot/beet juice, I already despised this flavor. But, like the lemonade, it surprised me. The beets were not as strong as I had assumed and it was more of an earthy carrot juice. Not my favorite, but definitely not the worst.

6. Coconut Infusion: 100% Young Thai Coconut Water, 100% Young Thai Coconut flesh. This was a delicious way to end each day. Think of drinking an almond joy. It was so good!

The Cleanse

It was amazing to me how quickly the three days went by! I would recommend doing the cleanse when you have a busy schedule, but not one that is meal or holiday oriented when you will have to sit and watch others eat while you sip on your third bottle of the day. Many websites warned of becoming light-headed, nausea, headaches, acne, and unsettled stomachs but the only complaint I had was a light headache twice a day. A dab of peppermint essential oil and that was gone within minutes.

I didn’t notice exorbitant amounts of energy,  nor did I experience great fatigue or weakness.  Loud and unusual noises came from my stomach throughout the day, but the desire to eat food was only out of habit and not need. I  have never had much of a sweet tooth, so my cravings only consisted of pining for macaroni and cheese or pimento cheese. (I really like cheese, apparently.)

My final day went by just as easily as the first, and I was actually sad to see my last Spicy lemonade go.  I didn’t start this cleanse for the weight loss, but combined with the week prior, I lost a total of seven pounds. I’m sure some or most of that is water weight and will come back now that I’m eating regularly again, but hey- it still feels nice for now!

Post Cleanse

Following up with the cleanse, I went and purchased a ton of vegetables, soups, flat bread, veggie burgers, fish fillets, and fruit. I plan on cutting out a majority of breads and pastas and skipping my afternoon snacks that I have stashed away in an office drawer. I can do small things throughout the day to make better, healthy lifestyle choices.

But I will tell you a secret. The first bite I had after the cleanse was a fork full of homemade pimento cheese- followed by veggie soup and a salad. 🙂

Overall I give this cleanse five stars. I will definitely be doing it again as well as recommending it to anyone who asks.

As a matter of fact, you can you can use this link for $10 off your order!

A Review from a friend:

I initially decided to try the Juice From the Raw Whenever Cleanse to be supportive of a group of ladies that are much more health conscious than I am.  I felt it would do no harm and might make me feel a little better after the overindulgence of the holidays and Super Bowl.  In that respect, I was right.  The three-day cleanse did help me feel less sluggish and more energetic.  The flavors, even the green and red ones, were delicious.  From the very first night, I slept better than I had in years, and awoke refreshed and energized.  On the fourth day, I really didn’t want to go back to my old style of eating and actually wished for more juice.  I will definitely keep a supply of these juices on hand from now on- for a cleanse or a great breakfast to start the day. Thanks, Kristen! Michelle Elliott

Have you tried a cleanse before? Share your thoughts, comments, questions or experiences below!

Intentionally yours,