Juice So Good

The purpose for this post has morphed several times over the last week.  My husband and I embarked on a five day juice cleanse this past week.  The juice we used is made by a Minneapolis company named Juice So Good.  They have a location in the skyway and sell to upscale grocers as well as our yoga studio - Corepower.  Corepower has advertised a sponsored juice cleanse in the past, but the timing has never been right.  With running season over and a vacation approaching, we decided now would be a good time to give it a shot.  We created our own cleanse based on our food preferences.

To give more background on Juice So Good, they are a juicing company that makes 10 different juices - all packing about 3 pounds of fruits, veggies, and/or nuts into each 16 oz bottle.  The juice is cold pressed and never pasteurized so all of the nutrients from the food are preserved in the juicing process.  The juices contain foods such as green bell peppers, kale, spinach, apple, ginger, pineapple, carrots, beets, celery, pear, cayenne pepper, and cashews.

The cleansing process is pretty straight-forward.  You get six 16 oz bottles of varying juices each day.  You start the day with hot lemon water, drink the juice about every 2 hours, and drink a bottle of water in between.  Then you end the day with tea.  It's supposed to flood your body with nutrients and kind of reset your cravings to focus more on healthy options.   Each day has about 1200-1400 calories depending on the juices you choose.

I had several motivations for doing it.  I'm always up for a challenge, especially if it is food related.  It seemed quite healthy.  I wanted to drop a few pounds before vacation.  I was curious.  It seemed somewhat therapeutic and I liked that it required a lot of discipline.  Plus, it is so easy!!!!!  I just bought the juice at the yoga studio where I was already at every day and didn't have to get groceries, do dishes, or cook.  It all sounded great.  I set out with incredible resolve and enthusiasm, especially since I was doing it with my man.

So here's what happened:

• On day one I did not feel well because all the fluid made my stomach expand quite uncomfortably.  Additionally, the cashew juice was incredibly delicious so I downed it after a workout.  Well, it contains 24g of fat per 16 oz which is much higher than even whole milk.  Way too much fat at one time.  I was pretty sure I was going to vomit for most of the evening.  So lesson learned.  Don't drink the cashew all at one time and don't drink juice, water, and tea every two hours. 
• Day two I felt a lot better.  I felt like I was getting the hang of it, starting to enjoy it, and could still work out.  I probably felt the best this day.
• Day three I still felt pretty well.  I still worked out and was feeling comfortably full all day but not too full.
• Day four I was pretty exhausted.  I did work out but was struggling.  I was also incredibly cold.  I am always chilly, but only drinking cold juice throughout the day in the winter made me way more cold than normal.  So that was uncomfortable too.
• Day five.  I was done.  I was so physically uncomfortable, I can't even really put my finger on it.  To my standards and my norm, I was protein and sodium deficient.  I have never craved meat so bad in my life.  So I decided to only have 3 of the 6 juices and just go back to solid food.  

And here's my assessment:

• The juice is delicious.  I even liked the super green ones.  
• The juice has a good variety of food in it so I didn't really get bored.
• The juice has a huge amount of vitamin A and vitamin C.  I wonder if the cleanse could be more balanced to include vitamin B and more protein, salt, and iron.  This would make it more balanced for muscular people and would better resemble a normal diet.  
• The juice collection is too sugary for my taste.  It's all healthy sugar from fruit and veggies, but I just wasn't used to taking in that much sugar.
• I would prefer the use of almond milk to cashew milk.  Almond milk isn't quite so fatty.
• I will continue to drink the juice occasionally because it is a healthy boost and it's filling, but it will only enhance my diet, not be my diet.  
• This cleanse would be absolutely perfect for someone who habitually eats processed, refined sugars and carbs and wants to make a change.  This cleanse will allow you to still get your normal sugar intake but in a more healthy way, and will teach you to crave sugar from fruit instead of from cookies and muffins.  But for someone who eats a lot of protein, you will absolutely need to eat organic meat throughout the process to feel right. Everyone is different, other people might fall in love with this cleanse and do it semi-regularly.  Maybe a few days instead of five days would be better too. 
• All in all it was a very interesting experience.  I feel like I learned a lot more about my body and what I need in a diet.  I am glad I did it and will enjoy incorporating the juices into my diet occasionally (I say occasionally because they are expensive).  
• There is a juice called Radiance that is made up of pineapple, green apple, cucumber, and lime that will now be our margarita mix of choice.  Throw that in a blender with tequila and ice and you have cocktail perfection.