What do people usually associate juice cleanses with? Starvation, unhappiness and maybe even some tears. But, I tried my first ever juice cleanse, and I can confidently say that it was (surprisingly) an enjoyable experience.
The juice cleanse was from Babo, a local healthy food spot on campus known for their popular, cold pressed juices. However, many people still don’t know about their one-day or three-day juice cleanse options.
This cleanse is a great option to try after spring break when too much partying (PV anyone?) or eating too much good food from home (guilty) has taken its toll. Plus, it’s a great way to detox without going into complete starvation mode.
Now, the honest truth is, if you don’t like drinking juices- you won’t like doing a juice cleanse. But, if you’re like me and love fresh pressed juices, or if you are willing to be adventurous, I would seriously consider trying this cleanse.
If I, a juice cleanse newbie who has an extreme attachment to my daily solid meals, can do it, so can you. Here’s a break down of each juice and what it felt like to be nourished with liquid for a full day successfully.
Juice 1: Matcha Tea
I drank the first concoction around 11:30 am, and to my surprise, the tea filled me up completely. I lasted my whole English 125 class without so much as a stomach grumble.
The juice is made up of two extremely detoxifying ingredients, matcha powder and cayenne pepper, which are both known to be metabolism boosters. The strong flavors were sweetened with honey and diluted with water.
After drinking the juice, I felt energized because of the caffeine in the matcha. For all you caffeine addicts who think you can’t survive a day without your morning cup of joe, matcha actually has more caffeine than coffee does.
DISCLAIMER: The juice tastes like a honey green tea, but the cayenne pepper gives it a strong kick. To distribute the pepper, be sure to give it a good shake, so that you’re not left choking down sips of pure cayenne. Yum.
Juice 2: Grass is Greener
Next up was a bright green juice, which I drank around 2 pm (I know, I was shocked I lasted that long, too). The juice was super light and refreshing, and it was mildly sweet because of the apple.
Drinking this juice around lunch time was great because the combination of celery, kale and cucumber fixed my craving for a salad from Salads Up.
SPOON TIP: Sip the juices slowly. Savoring all of the flavors over a long period of time helps your body register that you are full, and it’s not like you can munch on anything else, so take your time.
Juice 3: Ruby Juice
When I went to drink this bottle at 4 pm – I was definitely hungry, but I still hadn’t reached the point of hanger that I was expecting to be experiencing. The bright red drink had strong notes of citrus from the grapefruit, but the main taste was beet.
I was happy to discover that I couldn’t taste the tomato because tomato in a juice seemed a bit odd. The combination of citrus, beets, lime and spearmint also seemed strange, but nonetheless, these flavors came together to create a refreshing juice.
SPOON TIP: This ruby juice will stain your mouth ruby red. Save yourself the embarrassment of a friend having to tell you that your mouth is bright red, and gargle with water after you drink the juice. Trust me.
Juice 4: Trophy Wife
I was super excited to drink this juice at around 6 pm because it contained everyones favorite super food: CHIA SEEDS. Chia seeds are known to be extremely filling, which made this juice the perfect “dinner.”
The drink tasted very sweet, and if you like apple cider, then you will love the cinnamon apple combo. At this point during the day, I was craving real food, but I still wasn’t hungry. Definitely a strange feeling.
Juice 5: Live Long & Green
I still had a long night ahead of me, so I drank the next juice around 8 pm. This drink tasted the most detoxifying, and the flavors of cucumber, kale and lemon left me feeling super light.
Even though two hours had passed since Juice five, I wasn’t even hungry when I started to sip on this juice. Considering the amount of food that I typically eat in a day, it was miraculous that drinking only liquids had warded off my hunger this long.
Juice 6: Berry Almond
I drank the berry almond juice around 9 pm, and boy did they save the best for last. The final juice came in a fun sized bottle, and everyone knows that mini things are way cuter and thus, way more fun to eat/drink.
The drink was sweet and tasted like blueberry almond milk, which quite frankly should be a thing. It acted as the “dessert” of the cleanse, but it didn’t include the guilt and hours spent pondering food baby names that comes along with eating real dessert.
All in all…
Doing a one-day juice cleanse was a great way to detox without completely hating life. After a day of many more trips to the bathroom than usual, and after becoming aquatinted with the recycling bins on campus, I can say that the process was a positive one.
I felt lighter, more full and energized, but most of all, I felt accomplished. There’s really something special about being able to look yourself in the mirror, after a day of only drinking juice, and say, “You freakin’ did it.”
If this article has convinced you that you can complete a juice cleanse, you can find more information about Babo’s juice cleanse, or order a juice cleanse online here. Plus, since we’re all college students on a budget, if you purchase a cleanse anytime between now and March 20th you’ll get 10% off your purchase. Happy detoxing to all, and to all a goodnight.