I’m sure at some point or another you’ve heard the words “juice cleanse” before – but what exactly is it and why do people do them?

I was recently presented with the awesome opportunity to collaborate with Orlando’s very own Juice’d company to explore this very question. Though I was quite familiar with what it was, I wanted to experience first hand the why. I surprisingly had never done a juice cleanse prior to this and thought it was about time I took the leap. So before I go into details about my personal experience, let’s answer some basic questions.

What is a juice cleanse?  

A juice cleanse is typically done for 1-7 days with a person only consuming raw (ideally organic) juice from fresh fruit and vegetables. For maximum results, the juice should be extracted using a hydraulic press as opposed to other methods. This type of extraction is referred to as “cold pressed” and is the most ideal for juicing because it uses no additional heat or oxygen which transfers and maintains all the nutrients from the produce into the juice.

What are the benefits?

The benefits of a cleanse vary per individual depending on the length and quality of juice – but the most common results include:

• Cell repair
• Detoxification
• Digestive Reset
• Immunity Building
• Food Sensitivity Identification
• Anti Aging
• Candida Removal
• Alkalinity
• Elimination of disease

& much much more. With the benefits also comes the possibility of side effects though which is completely normal. Click here to learn more about them along with other common questions: FAQ 

My Cleanse 

I want to begin by expressing how grateful and impressed I am with Juice’d Orlando. They helped ensure my first cleanse experience was super smooth and were available every step of the way to answer all my questions through out it. They helped decide which cleanse was best for me as well as what juices I should be including in it. If you’re a local to Orlando I HIGHLY recommend you cleanse with this outstanding company.

Although I consider myself fairly healthy, I still was unsure of what to expect and decided to go with their “Basic Cleanse” which includes 6 drinks a day: 4 juices and 2 nut mylks ($60). I love the fact that they include nut mylk for beginner cleanses as they are a bit more hardy and help the body adapt to the decrease in calories.

Juice’d also makes it super simple for you to choose a plan as they’re all broken down based on various levels of intensity on their site. After choosing my plan, I consulted with their GM Genesis and she kindly walked me through what juices she recommend I include and also suggested I choose one nut mylk a day versus two to crank up the benefits. You can actually read all the juice descriptions online, pre select them (or call in for guidance if you need to!) and simply schedule a time to go pick up.

Here’s what my cleanse packs included:

Day 1

My original strategy was to drink one juice every 2 hours to make them last but I soon found out that “intuitive drinking” (as I like to call it) worked best for me. This approach allowed my body to just guide me to when I needed to drink as oppose to try to schedule it out. Ironically enough it still almost worked out to every two hours with the exception of one.

Day 1 drink schedule

10:00 am: Roger Rabbit

12:00 pm: 1/2 Forever Young

1:30 pm: 1/2 Forever Young

3:00 pm: Majik Mylk

5:00 pm: Heart Throb

7:00 pm: Watermelon Chia

9:30 pm: Popeye Punch

I started my first day off strong, feeling energized and confident until around 2:30-3pm when the hunger started to kick in. I made sure to drink tons of water in between my juices and it was also recommended that I fill each bottle with water after it was finished to make sure I was doing so. As a result I peed A LOT during this cleanse haha.

Around 7:00 pm I had to dig deep to not focus on the hunger but after chugging lots of water I managed to get passed it. I luckily didn’t experience any headaches or any other crazy side effects but I did notice a decrease in my physical energy. I also noticed some of my senses were beginning to highten (my hearing in particular) as I became sensitive to loud sounds and noises as we watched a family movie before bed.

Day 2 

I decided to stick to the same intuitive based drinking for day 2 and this is where the good stuff started to happen. By good stuff I mean my body was really beginning to cleanse and I could certainly feel it. I woke up feeling sluggish and very irritable (low patience and overall cranky). My guess is that for the 9 hours I slept without consuming anything my body was going to work.

Day 2 drink schedule:

10:00 am: Knightro

12:30 pm: 1/2 Green Giant

1:30 pm: Green Giant

3:00 pm: Matcha Mylk

5:00 pm: Heart Throb

7:45 pm: Beats by Juice’d

10:30 pm: Green Monk

After drinking my first juice of the morning I instantly felt a new burst of energy. I noticed that my body was beginning to adapt to the juice and the hunger wasn’t as strong throughout the day either. I found myself thinking I could have possibly even done one more day and my mind felt clearer and lighter than before. As the end of day 2 approached I reflected on how recharged my body felt and felt guilty for not always being this in tuned with it. The last juice (Green Monk) was rough to get down but I guess it was best to go out with a bang!

Final thoughts 

The next morning I had no urge to eat cooked food. My body was on a natural high and I didn’t want to pollute it with anything. I decided to eat raw foods for the day (fruits and light salads) and am certainly a lot more conscious of what I’m consuming / how it makes me feel. I am SO glad I did this and highly recommend you try it at some point. Two days are plenty to get your feet wet and of course you can always do more later down the road. Your mind and body will truly thank you. I also ended up losing a little under 2 pounds which is mostly just water weight that will come back but it definitely helped give me that push to get my body toned again.

If you’re local to Orlando, the kind people at Juice’d are offering 10% off your cleanse to anyone who mentions my Instagram handle (@chooseloveart) and it’s TOTALLY worth it. I hope my experience gave you a little bit of insight as to what to expect (although everyone is different) but you can also click HERE to check out my Instagram “juice cleanse” highlights and watch my journey every step of the way via video stories.

Til next time,

~ Chantel