My favorite Juice Cleanse Recipes that make for a great juice cleanse and full body reset.
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 cleanse look like from start to finish!
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+ pounds when I'm feeling bloated and pudgy after some serious holiday indulgence. 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 and acai bowls I've been whipping up!
Now that we've got that out of the way... here's the deal!
What does a juice cleanse do to your body?
As I mentioned above, I'm not a nutritionist so you should absolutely consult with one if needed. That said, my personal experience from juicing is as follows. The juices provide a mega dose of nutrients into my body which always makes me feel great. It allows my body to reset when it comes to digestion. The extra dose of vitamins boosts my immune system and gives me way more energy that usual.
How long should you do a juice cleanse?
It's totally up to you. I find that I get the best results when I juice for 3-4 days. You should keep in mind that on top of those 3-4 juicing days, there is a pre and post period that's very important. So if I'm juicing for 3 days, it really means the cleanse is 9 days... because of the 3 day pre cleanse and 3 day post cleanse schedule that I follow.
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 much harder without the pre/post schedule.
How do you prep for a juice cleanse?
I usually prep for 3 days leading up to the cleanse. I cut out basically everything except fruits and vegetables. I eat loaded salads with different veggies, drink boat loads of herbal tea, and hydrate with LARGE amounts of water to prepare myself. No meat, no cheese, no pasta... you get the idea.
What juicer do you use for a juice cleanse?
Let's talk equipment. I have the Breville Slow Juicer which I love. The Hurom is also AMAZING. 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 aka more fiber!
What does a juice cleanse schedule look like?
During my 3-4 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 (3 glasses daily), Red Juice (1 glass daily), Orange Juice (2 glasses daily). And then I cap off the day with my strawberry almond milk.
So here's what a day would look like for me:
- 7:00 am wake up - drink some white ginger tea or hot lemon water
- 8:00 am - Green Juice #1 + Water
- 10:00 Orange Juice #1 + Water
- 12:00 Green Juice #2 + Water
- 2:00 Red Juice #1+ Water
- 4:00 Green Juice #3+ Water
- 6:00 Orange Juice #2+ Water
- 8:00 Strawberry 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!!
What do you eat after a juice cleanse?
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, fish, quinoa etc. I usually try to stay off of meat for a few more days because that's just how I roll.
How do you feel during a juice cleanse?
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 micronutrients, 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 3-4 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 so if you're juicing in bulk every morning, multiply each recipe by however many juices you'll need that day!
Looking for more amazing breakfast ideas? Check out my 100 favorite breakfast recipes here
Juice Cleanse Recipes
Ingredients
For the Green Juice
- 3 leaves kale stem removed and roughly chopped
- 1 handful spinach leaves roughly chopped
- 1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 bunch parsley roughly chopped
- 1 cup chopped english cucumber
- 2 sticks celery roughly chopped
- 1 whole apple halved and seeds removed
- 1 inch fresh ginger
- 1 whole lemon rind removed
For the Red Juice
- 1 apple, quartered
- 2 red beets, quartered
- 3 large carrots
- 1 orange, rind removed
- 1-inch piece of ginger
- 1 handful fresh spinach
For the Orange Juice
- 9 larget carrots
- 1 orange, rind removed
- 1 apple, quartered
- ⅓ cup fresh pineapple chunks
- ½ lemon, rind removed
- 1-inch turmeric root
For the Strawberry Almond Milk
- ½ cup unsalted raw almonds
- 2 cups water
- ½ tablespoon agave nectar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ vanilla bean, seeds removed
- 3 strawberries, hulled
Instructions
For the Green Juice
- Place ingredients for the green juice into a juicer and juice!
For the Red juice
- Place ingredients for the green juice into a juicer and juice!
For the Orange Juice
- Place ingredients for the green juice into a juicer and juice!
For the Strawberry Almond Milk
- Soak the almonds in some water for at least 2 hours
- 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 very smooth. No need to strain.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson / Recipe from What’s Gaby Cooking
What do you mean by a "slice" of pinapple?
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 🙂
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 🙂
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 🙂
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? 😉
Making my list of veggies and wondering if you use raw beets oppose to cooked? I suppose it wouldnt be easy juicing cooked beets? 🙂
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!!
Thanks Gaby! Can't wait to start!
Hello,
Can I use Vitamix instead of a juicer? Thanks!
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!
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 😉
I made big batches at the beginning of each day!! That way I only have to clean the juicer once 🙂 Have fun juicing!!
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
good luck ana!! you'll be great 🙂
Ps you're so right about staying away from Pinterest...And Instagram, too!
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!
I just watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. I am pre-diabetic and already on Metformin. I need to drop 200 pounds so I decided to jump in and try this juice cleanse.
I do wish I had found YOUR site before I started the 3-day cleanse this week! I'm on the first day still (and all 3 days of juices made up already) and I did NOT to a pre-warmup so I'm a little nervous about what might happen. 🙁 Guess I'll tough it out though as I have no choice now. But if I make it through this 3 days alive (haha) I will definitely try some of your recipes and to the pre- and post-cleanses as well. That makes logical sense...just wish I had thought of it yesterday. lol
Soo....what does day 1-3 and 6-9 of pre and post look like? I need to do this and i love juicing! And I need a serious cleanse after the holidays and a month of travel. I drink detox tea and hot water with lemon....but need a week of a cleanse! Tips welcome 🙂
I do all fruits and veggies for pre and post! no booze, caffeine or sugar! Or meat 🙂 So just lots of salads, green tea, and fruits!
These juices sound delicious. I can't wait to try it. Thank you!
I'm curious to know why you don't juice everyday..... I wonder if juicing and eating normal health food everyday would give me the same results. And if juicing gives you so much energy and clarity, why don't you drink everyday?
Hey Paola!
I love juicing, and I do usually make a green juice once a day... but I also love eating, so I like to incorporate the two!
Do you just lose water weight? Do you find yourself gaining it all right back?
I usually keep most of it off! Like if I loose 6 lbs... I only gain 1 back usually. But I'm also eating much "cleaner" post cleanse too!
Gaby, I will juice every now and then when I felt it was time to clean the pipes and love the healthy feeling from it when I do. I am having surgery soon and plan to cleanse post-surgery and can't wait to use your recipes! I am wondering if you could post some of your recipes for pre and post-cleanse? Thank you!
Hey Theresa!
Good luck with surgery first of all!
And yes - I'll be posting a BUNCH of the healthy recipes in the coming weeks. A lot of them already live in the "healthy/figure friendly" section on my recipe index... but I've got more coming for SURE!!
XO
Thanks! I noticed your healthy recipes after I sent my comment. I am so excited to start making your dishes! I love your site- Thank you for sharing such wonderful creative good food!
These look amazing. Any chance you could put up a grocery list for three days juicing with these juices??
Thanks for the recipes and being so open to sharing your skills and experiences.
Kaz