So far, we’ve covered the pros and cons of juicing, I shared some fabulous juice recipes with you and I even gave you my completely unbiased review of the Breville Juice Fountain and the Ninja Professional Blender … Now let’s venture further into the world of juicing – the juice cleanse.
Battle of the Juice Cleanse
Like juicing, the juice cleanse is not a new concept, but it has certainly been revitalized as of late. The made-to-order juice cleanses are especially popular. Companies are popping up all over the internet, offering their own unique blend of juice bottled with a fab hipster label and designed to pretty much change your life. While they may not be able to accomplish that task, a juice cleanse can make you feel better (especially if the week prior to the cleanse you were over-indulging). The concept of a juice cleanse is to drink nothing but the juice of fruits and vegetables for a period of 1-5 days in order to ‘restart’ your system.
I personally don’t mind the fact that while on a cleanse you aren’t supposed to eat any other foods – I consider it a break from planning my meals and cooking. During a normal work day, I am busy with errands, laundry, running, cleaning, work and I welcome the chance to not have to stop and make myself a snack or lunch because that just subtracts from the amount of time I have to get everything done while my kids are in school. Keep in mind, though, that if you are doing a juice cleanse with the sole purpose of losing weight, you will probably be somewhat disappointed.
You can certainly DIY a juice cleanse – if you have enough room to store all that produce. Or if you are lucky enough to be growing it all in your backyard. Dr. Oz has a straight-forward 3-Day cleanse on his website. Ordering a juice cleanse online is a shortcut – but in this case, if you factor in having to buy the quantity of produce needed, it’s worth considering.
What to Expect
A few days prior to the cleanse it’s wise to eliminate alcohol, caffeine, sugar, processed foods and white flour so it’s not such a shock when you start the cleanse. (Truth: I cut down on caffeine and sugar but never eliminated it completely, and I was fine).
You may experience some stomach discomfort, headaches, hunger pains, etc., during the cleanse. (Truth: I did not, but I know it’s common).
You will need to consume 4 – 6 juices for each day of the cleanse.
Technically, you are not supposed to eat during the cleanse, but if you absolutely must – make sure it’s something easily digestible. Suja suggests raw fruits, veggies, avocado, broth-based soups or a baked sweet potato.
The Breakdown
Price:
Suja: 3 day – $162 plus shipping (based on my location $63.18)
Blue Print: 3 day – $195 plus shipping (based on my location $30)
Urban Remedy: 3 day – $179.97 plus shipping (based on my location $45)
Taste:
Suja wins by a long shot. After that, Blue Print and Urban remedy were about the same.
Customer Support:
About the same – all great customer support via phone and email. And I did have the opportunity to call/email each of the 3 companies for various reasons, I would even be so inclined to give Urban Remedy a slight edge here for the fact that they returned calls so quickly.
Website/ordering procedure:
Suja wins again; very simple to use and understand website. The cleanse information is straightforward and easy to access.
Blue Print has only subtle differences, but enough to be somewhat annoying to yours truly. Different names for different types of cleanses, you have to search at first just to find where to order but then it’s smooth sailing.
Urban Remedy – if you don’t get distracted by the other items they try and up sell you on, their website is acceptable.
Overall Winner
SUJA… I have ordered each of these cleanse at least twice, but Suja is the one I return to when needed. And now that my local natural market sells some of their juice blends, I often pop in for a quick breakfast or lunch juice.
Most importantly, you need to weigh your intention against the cost. Completing a DIY juice cleanse doesn’t fit well into my daily life at the moment, but the Juice Cleanse to order was not only a great fit but a bit of luxury I allowed myself. Whichever route you decide to take, consider giving the juice trend a try – I suspect it will be around longer than you think (just make sure to use organic or homegrown fruits and veggies!).