I should probably start off honestly and tell you that I did not take any of the advice that was given to me for the "before you start your Blueprint juice cleanse" portion of this journey. Why would I only eat fruits and vegetables the day before beginning a three-day juice-only cleanse when I could stuff myself with cold pizza, white toast with butter, oversized Milka chocolate bars, sushi and a venti dirty chai latte? Yes, I hate moderation.

I've always wanted to do a juice cleanse, but as a (very) broke college student, it's been tough. Blueprint® was generous enough to send my mom and I two of their "Renovation Cleanses," the cleanse that the company suggests for beginners, so that we could try the cleanse for all of you and report back. Each day, we drink six juices (listed below) paced throughout the day. 

Side note - my mother is in much better shape than I am. She eats - for the most part - a diet without gluten, sugar, or dairy. I, on other hand, exercise when I feel like it (so every couple of weeks) and tend to eat like I'm going to die tomorrow and don't want to miss out on any last opportunities. Let the games begin.

The Juices

The Blueprint juice cleanse consisted of 6 juices.  These juices were all rich in vitamins and nutrients, and tasted pretty darn good.

Juice #1: "Kale it Up" - kale, apple, ginger, romaine, spinach, cucumber, celery, parsley

Juice #2: "Pineapple Power" - pineapple, apple, mint

Juice #3: "Kale it Up" take two

Juice #4: "Lemon Reset" -lemon, cayenne, agave

Juice #5: "Beet Blast" - beet, apple, carrot, lemon, ginger

Juice #6: "Cashew Blueberry Boom" - blueberry, cashew, dates, cinnamon, vanilla

Day One

I woke up feeling super determined to get this thing going. My binge eating episode the day before, naturally, didn't have me feeling so great, so cleansing my body actually sounded pretty great. Certainly some anxiety about the amount of liquid that is entering my body in a days length, but still willing to try. 

I began my day with a glass of hot lemon water, as suggested. Then, in my healthy kick of motivation, I headed to the gym. I don't suggest going to the gym with just lemon water in your stomach. By 10:45, I was back in bed drinking my first green juice of the day (and of my life). I had expected it to taste like grass, but I was actually surprisingly refreshed.

At noon, my stomach was shouting at me so I took juice #2 to the face. I'm a big pineapple girl, so I loved this juice and drank it with no complaints. At this point, I had broken my seal and could not, if I had tried, stop peeing.  My mom could not stop texting me about how thirsty she was. We both probably needed to drink more water, even though it felt like we were drinking infinite amounts of liquid. 

By 1:45, I'm only on juice #3, but I'm so bloated and full of liquid. My head had started to ache, most likely to a lack of water. Finally on to juice #4 at 4:30, but sipped this one slowly and downed the rest of it by 6pm when I also had a cup of hot black coffee. 

I had juice #5 at 7pm. Beets and I do not get along, but I was also surprised with the natural deliciousness that came with this juice. By 8:45, I was determined to finish my last juice of the day with a bang. 

Consensus: So far, so good. 

Day Two

My mom started day two for me with a nice warm cup of lemon water and my first juice of the day. Yesterday I could not bear the idea of drinking one juice after another, but today, I'm hungry. 

At 11:15, I drink my second juice. My head is starting to hurt because I'm not drinking enough water. Two hours later, I start juice #3. I'm not really hungry anymore, but I don't want the daunting idea of four juices in a few hours before bed hanging over my head. Juice #4 follows soon after. 

By 6pm, I'm on juice 5, sipping it slowly. At 8:30pm, my mom and I sip on our last juices of the day together. I am day dreaming about white bread with butter while my mom says that she "doesn't think this cleanse is so bad."

Consensus: But mom... I want pasta...

Day Three

I wake up pleasantly surprised that I'm already on the third day of my Blueprint juice cleanse and haven't snuck any cheetos in yet. I'm going into Manhattan today, so restraining from street food and cupcakes is going to be hard. I start my day with some hot lemon water and start my juice excursion whilst on the train.

Juices 2-4 are devoured pretty much one after another. I spent the day with my hands covering my stomach because I'm so hungry. Upon arrival back home, I give myself half an avocado because I literally cannot look at liquid anymore. I just want to eat some goddamn solids. I drink the final two juices with pride and crawl up in bed as to avoid any other foods. I cannot stay away from toast for too long, but lasting three days was an achievement. My mom admitted that she really missed chewing. It was time for us to get back into the kitchen.

General Consensus

I finished this cleanse feeling hungry and in desperate need of some white toast with butter. However, all toast jokes aside, I really enjoyed cleansing my body of the toxins and junk that had been collecting up into it. I really believe that the cleanse rebooted my digestive system and helped me understand more about the importance of what I put into my body. 

If I were to do it again, I would have followed the before and after instructions more promptly as to be better prepared for the cleanse. It certainly would have been easier to do had I had nothing to do while only drinking juice, but life doesn't stop for anything so neither does the cleanse.

tea, cake
Sara Rukeyser

The Blueprint juice cleanse helped me understand how and why we need to pace our meals and saved my mom and I some time in the kitchen. Although this was a sustainable plan for "eating clean" for a couple of days, a long term plan must now be applied to maintain the cleanliness of my body and mind.

For more details about the cleanse, check out Blueprint's website.