For the longest time, I’ve wanted to do a juice cleanse to detoxify and renew and all that other great stuff that a cleanse offers. Since we’re all stuck at home right now, I figured it’d be a good time to try one out. I picked the Cleanse 2 option from Pressed Juicery and decided to cleanse for three days. The total cost of my order came to around $100 which seems pretty standard.
Everything came packaged well and the bottles were numbered on the top to signify the order that I should drink them in. The directions stated to drink the first one when you wake up in the morning, and then follow along with the rest every two hours. Seemed pretty simple, right?
Cleanse 2
Pressed Juicery offers three different cleanse bundles. Cleanse 1 for beginners, Cleanse 2 for those who want to balance taste with efficacy, and Cleanse 3 for the advanced. Cleanse 2 is the most popular bundle and as I always follow a healthy diet, I figured I’d bypass the beginners option and pick this one. It included the following six juices:
Greens 2
Citrus 2
Greens 3
Roots 3
Citrus 1
Vanilla Almond
Day 1:
I originally planned to begin this juice cleanse further down the road and when I checked their website, Pressed Juicery said they’d deliver the juices to me on Monday (5/18) so I thought I’d start on Tuesday (5/19). In a turn of events, I received the juices less than an hour after I ordered them on Saturday (5/16) in the morning, so I figured I may as well start right away. Of course this meant I had done nothing to prepare nor knew that my dinner the previous night was going to be my last for a bit. Still though, I figured I could do it. I had a few thoughts ranging from, “I guess I’m doing this now? Okay, here we go?…” to “I can’t wait to feel much healthier and cleaner” to “Why am I doing this again?” But mostly, I was just excited to do my first juice cleanse and I had no idea what to expect other than stuff that I’d read online.
9:00 AM — Greens 2
The first juice had apple, cucumber, celery, lemon, spinach, kale, and parsley. I was a bit unsure at the first sip, but quickly got used to the taste and ended up liking it. Since this was my first juice of the cleanse, I was excited to drink this one and get started on my journey.
11:00 AM — Citrus 2
The second juice had apple, pineapple, lemon, and mint. This one tasted great and I had no problem finishing it. I was still feeling awake and productive, and only felt a little hungry.
1:00 PM — Greens 3
The third juice had apple, cucumber, celery, lemon, spinach, ginger, kale, and parsley. This one tasted very similar to the first juice, however, there was a refreshing kick from the ginger and it helped to keep me feeling full.
3:00 PM — Roots 3
The fourth juice had apple, lemon, ginger, and beet. I was feeling pretty tired in the afternoon and had a tiny headache, but that could have just been from a lack of sleep or pure tiredness of this unknown reality that we’re currently living in. The Roots 3 juice tasted strongly of beet and the ginger was very strong, which was an odd combination, but I ended up somewhat adapting to the taste. This one was a great mid-afternoon energy boost.
5:00 PM — Citrus 1
The fifth juice had cucumber, pineapple, coconut water, lemon, and aloe vera. This tasted light and refreshing, and I felt pretty hungry around early evening.
7:00 PM — Vanilla Almond
The sixth and final juice had vanilla, almonds, dates, and sea salt. After the first sip, I was a bit weary because it tasted like a milkshake without any sugar and was slightly chalky, but I quickly got used to it. The nut milk was filling and the perfect way to end a day full of juices.
Day 1 Thoughts
At the end of the first day, I was just happy to have survived without relying on solid foods for my meals. In preparation for this cleanse, I read a lot of other people’s experiences online and most said that they drank coffee or snacked a bit to help them get through the day. I don’t like coffee and rarely consume caffeine so I didn’t have any withdrawals on that end, however, I definitely missed solid foods a bit. I ate a small handful of almonds and made some fresh, air-popped popcorn to snack on. I went to sleep feeling full and satisfied with the results.
Day 2
I woke up feeling light and like I had eaten solid meals the day before. I had heard that the second day is always the worst, so I was a bit weary going into it. It probably didn’t help that I kept seeing food all over social media and Chrissy Tiegan’s Twitter account. Still, I carried on.
9:00 AM — Greens 2
I still felt full from the Vanilla Almond drink I had the previous night. The Greens 2 juice was the perfect way to start the morning. I felt awake and ready for the day.
11:00 AM — Citrus 2
I was feeling pretty hungry at this point and social media kept taunting me with pictures or videos of food. I also needed to go grocery shopping and well… I wanted to see if I had the willpower to handle it so I went to Whole Foods, where I spent less than $30 which is possibly a new record for me. I couldn’t stop thinking about the food that I was going to make on Tuesday once the cleanse was finished.
1:00 PM — Greens 3
I could feel my stomach growling and I was feeling pretty hungry around the afternoon. I also kept thinking about all the food that I had just bought from Whole Foods and the various meals I planned to make. It was a struggle.
3:00 PM — Roots 3
At this point, I was really hungry. I took a nap because I was feeling a bit tired and I woke up even more hungry. I began to really understand what people meant when they said the second day was hard.
5:00 PM — Citrus 1
The feeling of hunger hadn’t gone away yet, but I continued to drink my next juice. I felt somewhat excited to have gotten through the halfway mark of the cleanse, but a bit of dread knowing that I had another full day left.
7:00 PM — Vanilla Almond
Ah yes, the end of the second day. I made it. The Vanilla Almond juice was the best way to finish the day, serving as a “dessert” drink.
Day 2 Thoughts
The second day was really hard and I definitely felt hungrier than the first, partially because this was the second day where my body didn’t get food and also because the adrenaline of the first day had worn off. I ate a couple plain rice cakes and a small handful of pumpkin seeds to keep my energy up. I managed to get through two days and started to feel excited about the prospect of only one day left.
Day 3
It felt great to know that I had made it to the last day, but the number one thing on my mind was knowing that I would be able to eat solid foods the next day. I was currently working out every MWF but decided to skip the third morning, as it was suggested to scale back on more intense workouts while cleansing.
9:00 AM — Greens 2
I woke up feeling full but as the clock crept towards 9:00 AM, I started to feel hunger sinking in. The first juice of the morning helped but it did not satisfy my cravings.
11:00 AM — Citrus 2
This one was my favorite juice so I was really excited for it. The feeling of hunger was definitely present, but it wasn’t as bad as the previous day as my body had slowly begun to adjust to the cleanse and lack of solid foods.
1:00 PM — Greens 3
I felt a little hungry around lunch time, and this juice did not completely satisfy my cravings. The one thing keeping me going? Knowing that I was halfway through the day and almost done with the entire cleanse. What a great feeling.
3:00 PM — Roots 3
Another juice and one drink closer to the taste of real food. After three days of the cleanse, this juice was by far my least favorite. I couldn’t get past the combination of beet and ginger, and it always left me with a weird burning sensation in my throat.
5:00 PM — Citrus 1
My last “dinner” juice. I was less hungry than the night before, but really craving those teriyaki noodles that I bought from Whole Foods. Nonetheless, I pressed on.
7:00 PM — Vanilla Almond
The last one! I was finally done with the juice cleanse.
Day 3 Thoughts
The first two days, I finished each juice within 30-45 minutes. On the last day, I found that it took me almost an hour to finish each one. And while I could tell that my body was adjusting to the cleanse, I was glad that it was coming to an end. Like the previous day, I ate two plain rice cakes and a small handful of pumpkin seeds to keep me going.
Overall Thoughts
This was my first juice cleanse and it definitely was an interesting experience. Will I do it again? Maybe, but not anytime soon. I found myself feeling a little lighter, but it wasn’t anything life changing. Halfway through, I realized that since I already ate clean, my results may not be as drastic. I’ve been a vegetarian since I was 5, don’t like eggs or milk, and steer clear of most cheese. I don’t consume caffeine or sugar very often, and I only drink alcohol occasionally. I figured that since my diet mainly consisted of fruits and vegetables, this cleanse may not have a huge impact on me like it does for others.
Another huge reason that I would be hesitant to repeat this cleanse often is the amount of waste that it generates. In fact, it’s one of the main things that made me question whether I should even do this to begin with. A three-day cleanse leaves you with 18 16 oz. plastic bottles which is not sustainable. Ideally, the packaging for juice cleanses can start being more eco-friendly; such as offering 6 48 oz. bottles in biodegradable packaging.
While I think that juice cleanses are a great way to detox, it’s also important to remember to snack if you’re hungry. I don’t think that I would have been able to complete the cleanse without a few small snacks, which I thoroughly enjoyed each day.
If you are interested in doing a juice cleanse, I would definitely suggest Pressed Juicery. They create great bundles at different juicing levels and quickly deliver if you’re located in the Los Angeles area.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.