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
- 12:00Â Green Juice #2 + Water
- 2:00 Red Juice #1+ Water
- 4:00Â Green Juice #3+ Water
- 6:00 Â 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
- â…“ 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 there, thanks for the ideas! I am allergic to celery... do you have any suggestions on what to replace it with or should I just add some extra cucumber?
cucumber would be great!!
Gaby! Such a lovely recipes for juicing you got there. What I would love to try is the strawberry almond milk. I just would like to ask, what kind of blender did you use in order to achieve that kind of consistency? This would be perfect to drink before I go to sleep. Thanks for sharing!
I use a vitamix for the almond milk! A blendtec would be great too!!
Hi! This might seem like a dumb question, but when you say 9 carrots, what size carrots are you using? Like the big carrots with the tops still on or the precut ones? Thanks!!
great question!! big ones 🙂 tops cut off!
Hi Gaby, your recipes look great and I can't wait to try them but I have a quick question. I am allergic to both raw beets and kale. What can I substitute for the beets especially? I've just subbed spinach for kale in the past but any other suggestions would be great! Thanks!
Spinach for Kale is great!! And you could use carrots for beets 🙂
I am excited to try this! Do you have any links for the 3 day pre and post diet. I know you have some ideas, but I was wondering if you had anything a little more in detail?
you can check out pressed juicery website for their recs on the pre and post cleanse!! I just try and eat fruits, veggies and drink a lot of tea to prep!
I have two questions about this juice cleanse!
1st; Would it be okay to drink regular store bought Almond milk instead of making the strawberry almond milk?
2nd; Is it okay to make all the juices on the first day and store them in bottles in the refrigerator so that they are all already made for the 3 day cleanse?
Hi Abby!
The store bought one has added sugar - so if you're okay with that then go for it! And yes - you can make them all ahead of time and store for 2-3 days. Just shake them up or give them a stir before drinking as it will have seperated
These recipes were amazing.....I tried them and I loved them. So easy and not too many ingredients. Thank You so much, you are the best.
a little confused.. isnt a juice cleanse supposed to remove all the fiber so that the nutrients are readily available and absorbed immediately putting less stress on the digestive system making the body have energy and time to detox? sooo wouldnt using a blender to make smoothies just be healthy eating or rather "drinking" not detox or cleansing?
The best way to drink juice is with all the fibre. If you remove the fibre you're just drinking sugar without the fibre to help break that down, your body just stores it as plain old sugar so fibre is VERY important. It makes your body work harder to break it down and it doesn't store fat from the sugar.
Me too. I am a fan of juicing, It helps us in maintain our appetite. Thank you for this post.
I watched "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" a few days ago. I agree that it is an eye opener! I am really interested in juicing and have been doing extensive research since watching Joe Cross' story. This is great for a beginner! I am looking forward to seeing the results. I am not sure how well I will do with this because I just don't like vegetables or fruit a whole lot. I hope to start soon.
Hi I have a few questions.
Your recipes, how much do they make? And can you make them in advance? If so how long do they last? You also said you drink white ginger tea. Ive been drinking green tea lately, can I drink that instead of the white? Do you use anything to sweeten the tea? What size cup do you drink them out of. Im not sure how many ounces to drink of each.
Hi Samantha!!
Each recipe makes enough for one large juice glass.
You can make them a day or two ahead of time - but I wouldn't do too much more than that. They will last for about 3 days! And green tea is great - whatever kind of non-caff tea you prefer! I'll add lemon juice, but no sweetener. And you can drink as much tea as you want!
Thank you so much for your reply.
Im having a hard time finding tumeric root and vanilla beans. Is there something else I can use?
Whole Foods is a great source for tumeric! And you can omit the vanilla bean if you want. Otherwise I order it on amazon!
How many ounces is each juice serving? My wife and I are having a hard time drinking 5-6 of these daily and we may have made them too big.
Hey Corey! Not sure how many ounces each drink is, but they each make 1 serving. It's a LOT of liquid, so if you can't drink all of it... save it for the next day!
This has been very informative. Thanks so much! I am on day 2 of my first ever cleanse and while the first day was super easy, today, oh so hard. I have been looking for some place when I can find the support I need to get through this. Doing pretty well, I feel. Trying to only drink a juice when I would normally eat a meal and have water in between or when I get a craving. Seems to subside the hunger. Am I doing this right? Any suggestions on other support groups as well? I don't have the home support I should be getting. I'm the only one who believes I can do this, so I'm out to prove everyone wrong. And thanks for the recipes! Just had the red juice for dinner. Yum!
Leslie, keep up the great work! I did this juice cleanse for 7 days straight and I felt the best I've ever felt! The first day was hard and the 2nd day was even harder but by the 3rd day, it got easier and became natural. If I felt hungry in between and the water just wasn't doing it for me, I would have raw veggies to snack on or have another juice. You're determined to do this and you will. Stay strong because each day will get better. The rewards are well worh it. Since doing this cleanse a year ago, I have now implement it into my daily life. I'll have at lease 1 or 2 juices a day along with a healthy light meal and it has help maintain the weight I've loss as well as a clear glowing complexion, oh and of course, fell so good! Good luck!
Thank you! Glad to know it gets easier. Trying to do just the juice and not raw veggies so I don't confuse my digestive system with the fibers for at least this first week. Would like to go a full 30 before I start implementing raw veggies or a salad. I have a lot of weight to lose and I'm not expecting for it all to go right away, although it would be nice. Just have to keep myself positive and brush others negative comments off my shoulders. I'll admit, last night was my first meltdown. I will do this though, and I will prove my friends and family wrong. I may have been "built bigger" as my family tells me, but I believe the convenience if society has allowed that and played a huge role. Healthy choices for a better lifestyle. Thank you again for the support. You don't know how truly grateful I am.
Quick question...I have a friend who has been juicing for some time now since she learned of having cancer. Her methods are much more in depth (read: crazy!), but one thing she mentioned is not using a whole beet in any one serving of juice. They are highly detoxifying as I understand and can make you ill...but I have yet to find a red juice recipe that DOESN'T call for 2 beets. Have you read/heard/experienced anything about this?
Just curious.. could you use almond milk in the strawberry juice instead of soaking the almonds yourself? Why or why not? This sounds amazing and I am trying to get all of my ideas together. I am a breastfeeding mother and want to be cautious and not detox to harm my baby but perhaps add a few extra good things into my diet. Thanks in advance!
you could absolutely use almond milk!!
I love juicing but have honestly have never made it past one day not eating. But I like this post and you make it seem like a possibility for me. Maybe I will shoot for 2 days:) Good combos-
totally! and you can always give it a try and see how your body feels and adjust from there! It's all about what feels right for you 🙂