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
Hi I have a couple of questions 1- what would be the pre and post juicing what doi need to do? 2- I'm nursing is this something do while nursing. I already drink the green juice in the morning. Thank you
Hi Sammy! I'm not sure if it's okay to do while nursing. I'd check with your doctor before starting 🙂
Hi Gaby,
Thanks so much for the website! It's amazingly helpful.
A few questions for you:
1. Do you peel/wash the beets?
2. Where do you buy vanilla beans? And how do you take the seeds out?
3. You throw the beans away and only use the outside?
Thanks so much!
Hey lolo!
Beets - yes peel them!
Vanilla Beans - whole foods or amazon.com
you use the insides of the beans!
Hey to take the seeds out of the vanilla bean just use the tip of a knife butterfly the bean and scrape both sides
And you can store the vanilla pod in a jar of sugar to make vanilla sugar for baking or dusting or steep it in brandy to make your own vanilla essence.
After watching Fat, Sick and nearly dead I went out that night and bought a juicer. I am on day 2 of my juice cleanse. My biggest worry was being hungry but so far I am not hungry at all! I actually feel really bloated and my belly hurts. I guess maybe it's just getting used to all the juice? Do you have any recipes for a stomach soother? I hope this gets better soon!
Hi Whitney, I don't have anything on the site - but have you tried drinking any caff-free tea? Or hot water with lemon? That might help! Let me know 🙂
I have not tried that but I will get some and give it a try. I was expecting to feel "empty" and not so full! I will let you know if it helps. Thanks again...you have an awesome site. I can't wait to try some of your recipes when I am done with the cleanse!
Thanks girl!!
Where can I find some cute straws like yours?
Thank you for the pre warm up plan! I'm about to embark on a juice cleanse so I started juicing more and eating big salads. I will make sure to clean up my diet even more and post pone starting. It makes sense to give the body time to adjust.
I found the straws on Etsy!!
Will I lose a lot of weight?
It all really depends on your body type! Sorry I can't give a better answer
Is the juicer that you have quiet? I have a very old juicer that I found in the basement of my parents house (so old that the instructions came with a cassette tape) and it is so loud it is impossible to have a conversation while it is going and it drives my boyfriend crazy!
Thanks!
YES it's fairly quite!! A lot more quite than anything from a few years ago
hi! we met at the ferry bldg like a month ago (i'm aida's friend).
i am on my first juice cleanse and am using your recipes/plan. they're really delicious!
-omar
yay!! Thanks Omar 🙂
Hi! i really wanna do your cleanse but i like my coffee. can i still drink my coffee while doing this? thanks!
Wonderful information regarding the cleanse, it's just what I was looking for, but have yet to come across anything definitive until I found your site. Thanks again, will be back.
LB
Do you add water to your recipes? I just made the red and it is like pudding! LOL!
no i've never added water to the juices - did you use a slow juicer?
This cleanse looks great! Just curious what the nutritional value of the almond milk is/what role does it play in the cleanse. And are there any alternatives to the strawberry almond milk? Thanks!!
The nut milk is the most caloric of all the juices and its great to drink at night because your body then gets some nourishment before you go to sleep. You could easily do this with cashews or walnuts too!
I have a question...I typically stay away from milky type drinks or substances. Is there a viable substitute for the Strawberry Almond Milk drink? I am allergic to milk and I stay away from some nuts because of an allergic reaction a few years back.
Hey Charm, I don't know if there is a sub. Are you allergic to all nuts? Because you could easily make this with cashews or walnuts too!
Hi There
i am new to juicing and was wondering if these servings are 8oz?
Can i use turmeric powder form? is it just for flavor?
Hi Maria!
Yes, they are about 8 ounces. Some might be slightly more and some slightly less. And I've never used turmeric powder, but I'd imagine it's the same thing. Although if you can find fresh turmeric, give it a go as it's excellent!
So are we to drink all the juice in one day. The red juice and almond one is so much i was just wondering if i should save half for the next day?
So are we to drink all the juice in one day. The red juice and almond one is so much i was just wondering if i should save half for the next day? My husband has now started on this cleanse too 🙂
Hey Gaby!
I am on day 24 of what started as a 3day cleanse! now, I am shooting for 30 days! I just wanted to say thanks, because found your website to be very helpful when I first started! Just one question...I noticed you and many others sites sometimes use Almond Milk! Doesn't Almond Milk sort of contradict the 100% juice fast and slightly wakes up the digestion? If not, please advise, because my research thus far has shown pros and cons to using Almond Milk! Thanks!
Thanks for the recipes! I have an overactive thyroid and have been told to stay away from kale....what can I use as a substitute?
Hey Ashley! What about using some Chard or arugula? Would those work.