Jan
18

Juice Cleanse!

I’m a huge fan of juicing. I just love it!! And because so many of you have asked me to elaborate on it, I’ve decided to share what my juice cleanses look like from start to finish!

So let’s start at the beginning shall we? Okay well wait, one second. First and foremost let me say, I am not a nutritionist and I don’t claim to know everything. I just know how my body reacts to juicing and it’s nice to shed 5-7 pounds when I’m feeling bloated. I also know it’s not for everyone – so if you’re totally anti juicing, might I suggest you check out these healthy quinoa salads I’ve been whipping up post juice cleanse!

Okay, ready? Let’s go.

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I usually juice for about 5-6 days. 2 years ago when I first started, it was a 3 day cleanse. Which really means 9 days… because there is a 3 day pre cleanse and 3 day post cleanse schedule that I follow. That means, in the 3 days leading up to the cleanse, I cut out basically everything except fruits and veggies. I eat lots of loaded salads with different veggies, drink boat loads of tea, and obscene amounts of water to prepare myself.

So once I’ve got the 3 days of pre-cleansing under my belt, it’s time to hop into the juicing stage. Let’s talk equipment. I have the Breville Slow Juicer. It’s amazing. I’m obsessed and I like the “slow” juicers because you actually extract more fiber and nutrients from the fruits and veggies which gives you more pulp and gives you a bit of a thicker juice and all that jazz.

So during my 3, 4, 5, or 6 days of “juicing” I drink about 6 glasses of juice a day and 6 glasses of water. I make 3 kinds of juice and for lack of better names, I call them by color:

Green Juice

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Red Juice

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Orange Juice

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I usually have 3 large glasses of green juice, 2 orange juices and 1 red juice. And then there is the strawberry almond milk I have at the end of they day.

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So here’s what a day would look like for me:

7:00 am wake up – drink some white ginger tea

8:00 am – Green Juice #1

10:00 Orange Juice #1

12:00 Green Juice #2

2:00 Red Juice #1

4:00 Green Juice #2

6:00  Orange Juice #2

8:00 Almond Milk and some more white ginger tea

And that’s about it. Then it’s off to bed where my dreams are usually filled with food. Just kidding, kinda, not really. It’s hard when I live in the food world not to dream about food!!

Post juice cleanse I slowly work my body back onto normal food. I eat lots of raw veggies to start and then slowly work in fruits, quinoa, farro etc. I usually try to stay off of meat for a few more days because that’s just how I roll. And I can promise you when you work your way around to having a burger post juice cleanse – it’s going to be the most delicious thing in the whole wide world. Omg. Seriously.

If you’re new to juicing, I’d say start with a 3 day cleanse. They aren’t easy – and you want to make sure you aren’t going crazy all the time! So I vote for starting on the shorter side and seeing how your body reacts. And for sure, don’t skip the pre and post cleanse – I’ve done it before and it’s not pretty. Your body basically kicks you in the stomach. Trust me.

Day 1 is always the hardest for me because I am “head” hungry. Which basically means I think I’m hungry… but really I’m not. I’m just bored and want to eat. Truth is, I’m packing my body with so many micro nutrients, it has plenty to run on. I just start day dreaming about grilled cheese sandwiches and then I go crazy. So if you’re juicing, you should probably stay off the food section of Pinterest. :) By day 2 I feel like a million bucks. I sleep better at night, wake up in the morning ready to go. (I literally jump out of bed and Thomas thinks I’m a crazy person) Okay and this might sound weird, but you actually see things more clearly. Not figuratively… I mean literally. Things are sharp and crisp and you’re just ready to take on the day!

So… you might be wondering why I juice? Well, I love it. I do it about every 2-3 months as a way to re-set my body and let it rest. And have you guys ever seen that movie, Fat Sick and Nearly Dead? It’s kinda life changing. I’d highly recommend it if you’re into this kinda thing. It’s super inspiring.

Alright. Ready for some recipes… I am going to give you recipes for all 4 of the liquids I drink during the cleanse. And each recipe is enough for 1 glass.

Green Juice

Ingredients

  • 3 leaves kale, stem removed, roughly chopped
  • 1 handful spinach leaves, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
  • 1 bunch parsley, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 English cucumber
  • 2 sticks celery, roughly chopped
  • 1 apple, halved and seeds removed
  • 1 inch piece fresh ginger
  • 1 lemon, rind removed

Instructions

  1. Place everything into a juicer and juice!
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Red Juice

Ingredients

  • 1 apple, quartered
  • 2 red beets, quartered
  • 3 large carrots
  • 1 orange, rind removed
  • 1 (1-inch) piece of ginger
  • 1 handful spinach

Instructions

  1. Place everything into a juicer and juice!
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Orange Juice

Ingredients

  • 9 carrots
  • 1 orange, rind removed
  • 1 apple, quartered
  • 1 slice pineapple, skin removed
  • 1/2 of a lemon
  • 1 inch turmeric root

Instructions

  1. Place everything into a juicer and juice!
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Strawberry Almond Milk

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup raw, unsalted almonds
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/2 tablespoon Agave Nectar
  • 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
  • 1/2 vanilla bean, seeds removed
  • 3 strawberries, tops removed

Instructions

  1. Soak the almonds in some water for at least 2 hours
  2. Drain the almonds and combine them with 2 cups of water, agave nectar, cinnamon, vanilla bean and strawberries in a high powered blender and blend for about 2 minutes until smooth.
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{ 47 comments… read them below or add one }

Brooke January 30, 2013 at 7:44 pm

Wow. Now that I’ve done the three day cleanse I can see what you’re talking about. I think just jumping into the cleanse (which I did) was pretty intense and I’ll make sure to do the pre-game warm up next time. Thanks for the great recipes! Time to start saving up for a juicer!

Reply

Brooke January 30, 2013 at 7:45 pm

Ps you’re so right about staying away from Pinterest…And Instagram, too!

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Ana February 2, 2013 at 2:55 pm

Gaby this is super inspiring and helpful… I’ve just started my first three day juice fast, not easy but I am sure it’ll be worthy

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Gaby February 2, 2013 at 3:15 pm

good luck ana!! you’ll be great :)

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Stacey February 7, 2013 at 3:23 am

I’m new to juicing- but I just got the Breville slow juicer! Do you make a larger batch to drink for the day or do you make a new drink each time? I work and go to school currently- so making a new drink every few hours doesn’t seem possible. Thanks ;)

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Gaby February 7, 2013 at 7:25 am

I made big batches at the beginning of each day!! That way I only have to clean the juicer once :) Have fun juicing!!

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Mary February 9, 2013 at 10:41 am

Hello,
Can I use Vitamix instead of a juicer? Thanks!

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Gaby February 9, 2013 at 4:42 pm

Hi Mary! You can totally use your vitamix but it will be more like a smoothie! Still equally as delicious – but it won’t be just juice. Which actually means you’ll be getting more fiber which is great!

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Theresa Evers February 11, 2013 at 5:02 pm

Making my list of veggies and wondering if you use raw beets oppose to cooked? I suppose it wouldnt be easy juicing cooked beets? :)

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Gaby February 11, 2013 at 5:20 pm

raw beets :) Nothing is cooked so you keep all the nutrients in tact! Happy juicing! if you have any other questions – don’t hesitate to email!!

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Theresa February 11, 2013 at 5:57 pm

Thanks Gaby! Can’t wait to start!

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Theresa February 12, 2013 at 10:43 pm

I went to a few different produce stores and didn’t have any luck finding Turmeric root and found the powder instead. Any suggestions for a substitute or can I just give the drink a dash of Turmeric? ;-)

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Molly February 13, 2013 at 10:20 am

I have a question: I have a blender only, and no juicer. Is it still a ‘cleanse’ if it’s just straight-up the whole vegetables blended together into like a smoothie? I feel like it might be equivalent because of the extra nutrients, fiber, etc., but wondered what you thought.
Awesome recipes, by the way! On my second day of drinking them as smoothies and they’re fantastic. I love the green one :)

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Gaby February 13, 2013 at 2:44 pm

Hey Molly! It’s totally still a cleanse if you use a blender rather than a juicer! I think that’s actually better because you are getting more fiber as you said. Glad to hear that you’re loving it!! I bet you feel great :)

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Morgan February 15, 2013 at 3:27 pm

Starting the pre-cleanse today and I can’t wait to follow your juicing plan! I loved fat, sick and nearly dead and ended up here after a quick google search!

Can’t wait :)

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