Detoxing with Juicefresh

Editor’s note: please keep in mind while reading this story:

1. There is no diet or nutrition plan, which suits everyone
2. We do question the concept of detox – you cannot fix yourself in a few days, if you have been living off of junk food for years
3. We like to experiment, for good or for bad, and sharing the experience is a part of it.
4. If in doubt, consult with your doctor – nutrition is a serious topic, and extreme changes might affect your quality of life

So, we’ve made it to middle of January already! How are your New Year’s resolutions going? Did you promise yourself something like ‘Get healthier’, ‘Lose weight’ or ‘Eat cleaner’? If you did, then you are probably thinking about detox too – it’s fashionable, and everybody is talking about it these days anyway. Guess what, we have tried it, and we cannot wait to tell everyone more about it.

As a trial place we chose Juicefresh – a relatively new place, which partners with Madonna’s Hard Candy Fitness studios.

The three-day-long Detox Cleanse was meant to help us fighting symptoms of everyday life such as headaches, tiredness, sleep problems, stress, weight issues and having a poor immune system; all with 6 bottles of juice and 2 liters of water a day.

Six colorful bottles with funky names (REDvolution and Beach Please are my favorites!) are to be consumed every 2 hours. As the rules are, Monday was chosen to be the start day.

The first juice of the day The More The Merrier – bright green color, and very refreshing taste of  celery,  lemon and wheatgrass – definitely helps you to wake up almost better than coffee (you will still crave for coffee in about 15 minutes).

Then comes Power Up – still green, but this time more fruity (apple and pineapple) and gingery.

REDvolution – right in time for lunch, a more hearty taste of beetroot and carrots.

Yogiflow – was my substitute for ‘I need something sweet after lunch’ – orange, carrots and a bit of spicy curcuma turned out to be perfect for the matter.

Powerbalm – the sweetest one, with fruits, lemon and zucchini for a late snack at 4 pm

and finally Madagascar Delight – the most nutritious and most special of all – cashew milk, flavored with vanilla and cinnamon, that left me thinking I am drinking stardust every time.

More information on all of the juices can be found here.

To sum it up, my diet for the next 3 days would consist of a little less than 3 liters of juice a day.

Now, let’s go over the list of concerns that might have appeared:

• ‘Only juices?! I will be hungry all the time!” – hell no. My cravings were strong on Monday, but by Wednesday drinking all 6 bottles was making me feel stuffed. Besides, as I was told, it takes about 3 kg of material to produce one bottle – knowing this leaves me thinking I will not starve to death.
• ‘But proteins? And fats? You cannot get it all from only fruit and vegetable!’ – well, this is why the last drink of the day is made of cashew – 18g of protein and 44g of fat per 100g on nuts, as google tells me.
• ‘But warm food! I cannot have only cold and liquid meals all the time!’ – oh come on. It is just for 3 days. If warm food is so important, I would probably not try cleansing on the coldest winter days, but for the rest – you will never even notice.

However, telling you that it was all perfect, would be a lie too. A Few things, that I could not imagine before, were making my days a little not so … happily green:

• Social factor. Be ready to explain people why you are not coming for lunch, and what’s up with all the bottles, and why are you doing it to yourself etc., etc., etc.
• You will want to brush your teeth often. Very often. Maybe it is my special thing, but it felt like not chewing makes my teeth stay covered with not visible yet tangible taint.
• Not chewing itself – oh, all those little things we realize only when we miss them.
• Old habits and cravings. Suddenly, you are ready to give a life for a cup of coffee.

On the bright side:

• Your belly will probably go flat(er) – which is a great feeling in and of itself.
• You will sleep better. There is no heavy food your body needs to digest, and therefore no nightmares, no discomfort, no spinning around to find a comfortable position.
• Swellings and blue circles under eyes will not plague you anymore – no trick here, just leaving out salt makes unnecessary water go away.
• If you tend to have sugar craving, by day 3 you will not even think about it anymore. Again, no trick here – fructose and spices cover for this, and as any addiction, you get off sugar by stopping to eat sugar.
• Your mood will stay more balanced
• So far so good, and the pros definitely outweighed the cons for me.

Will I do it again? Hm. Frankly speaking, I doubt it. Not because I did not like it, but because I like food too much, and restricting myself to 6 bottles of juice a day in a world where there are already so many rules and restrictions just does not sound like too much fun. I do think, however, that a bottle of juice can serve you as a great snack if you are in a rush, and it is definitely healthier for your body and mind than a chocolate bar or döner to go. Besides, making your own juices is fun, and leaves you a lot of room for experiments!

Juicefresh
Leipziger Platz 12
Berlin, Germany
+49 30 20607555