Are juice cleanses really as easy as they seem?
Rescu. put both the 3-day and 5-day Pressed Juice cleanse to the test. Could we really trim down and enjoy our daily exercise routines without becoming faint, famished and run down? Could we feel re-energised and rejuvenated after the winter flu had attacked us in full force? We turned to the juicing experts at Pressed Juice to set us up on our Rescu. juicing cleanse journey.
The results?
Bahar (Founder & Editor) I am not normally a girl to diet or even cleanse but I do love the idea of flushing my system with cold press fruit and vegetable juices. I found the Pressed Juice plan had a good variety of plain and more substantial juices and they were just the right amount and frequency. I was never hungry but I definitely missed chewing and this I think was the toughest part for me.
I did add lean protein on day 2 and three to my cleanse because I wanted to continue exercising and found I did not have enough energy to do pilates and running without this extra boost. I also admit to keeping coffee in the mix (just one a day!).
Overall I definitely felt more energised and my skin looked better. I didn’t experience any detox withdrawals like headaches or moodiness which was a bonus. I went to the bathroom about a million times and my stomach and waistline felt smaller after the three days.
The green juices were my favourite and I also loved the morning smoothie as it was quite substantial. The charcoal and clay waters were quite bland but very easy to drink.
I’d definitely do it again and recommend it to friends who want to boost their immune system, flush out your digestive system for a nice reboot.
Jess (producer): I have always loved the idea of a juice cleanse, but with the vigorous workout regime I enjoy on a daily/weekly basis, juicing has always felt a little counter-intuitive to me. Would I feel faint? Would I feel overly hungry and end up gaining weight after the cleanse? We extensively looked into a juice cleanse that would provide us with enough sustenance to ensure being active was still on the cards (although, less intense workouts were advised during the cleanse), and the side effects I had worried about were assured otherwise.
I have previously completed a juice cleanse a few months ago for 3 days, and didn’t enjoy the taste of quite a few of the juices/the large size of each juice and number of juices in a day. Pressed Juice had a large variety of texture juices with an array of vegetables, fruits and alkaline based juices that were smaller in size, allowing for more juices to be consumed in a day – 8 to be exact. More variety, more tastes to enjoy in the day, making the experience more enjoyable overall.
Verdict? The first day I felt completely fine and energized, I exercised and went to bed feel satiated – definitely had a sweet tooth craving, but that’s no different than every other night for me.
The second day, I woke up and went for a run before coming into the office, which meant by the time I arrived at 8:30 am, I definitely needed a juice. On the second night I did add protein into the cleanse – I had a chicken breast with the dinner juice as I felt tired from working out, and needed that protein boost in my system. I carried this out for the remainder of the cleanse, because I really didn’t want to sacrifice my enjoyment of daily exercise.
Overall I definitely felt more energised by the end of the cleanse, and can happily say I would do it again in the future. I wouldn’t do it on a regular basis as it isn’t the easiest thing to do (especially with events, lunches and dinners etc.) however; it’s definitely a great way to kick-start a new season and gets your body filled with all the right nutrients to boost your metabolism and immune system.
Rescu. recommends: If you’re looking to add all the vital nutrients to your diet and give your body a kick-start to activate your metabolism, we’re fully in favour of a juice cleanse. It’s definitely something that needs to be planned in advance as small things like brunch with friends or dinner plans are automatically out the window. It’s also important to consider exercise if you do workout regularly as it does make the cleanse harder to achieve without lacking energy or hunger.