DIY Juice Cleanse

(This was planned for last week, but thanks to my inattentiveness on vacation it was never posted. Please excuse the delay and don't let it keep you from checking these great recipes out!)

I have been feeling sluggish and bloated a lot lately. I am sure part of it is due the heavy carb diet I have been craving the last few weeks. I desperately wanted to press a rest button and get back to how I used to feel. I knew it would not happen overnight but though a juice cleanse would be a good place to start.

Why a juice cleanse? Juice cleanses help to detoxify your system, and make it easier for your body to absorb vitamins and minerals. A juice cleanse allows you to only put non-processed, healthy food into your body. This lets essential nutrients be easily absorbed.

I developed these recipes based on reading  and researching about several different juice cleanses. If you don't have a juicer I highly recommend looking into a local business in your area that would provide fresh juice. Raleigh Raw is a local company that delivers fresh juice to you! If there is not anything nearby, Blueprint Cleanse or Suja Juice provides cleanses they will ship to you!  I have picked up Suja before at Whole Foods, so you could check there as well.

I have done 3 day juice cleanses in the past but kept this to a one day cleanse.  The juices are simple so preparation is easier. After just doing this for one day, I felt energized and more awake the next day.  I would definitely recommend this to anyone wanting to kick start a diet or change things up. If your a bit wary of drinking solely juice for a day. Try one of these recipes for breakfast!

Here is what my day looks like:

8:30- Green Juice
10:30- Orange Juice
12:30- Green Juice
2:30- Red Juice
4:30- Orange Juice
7:00 - Green Juice

I try and drink a juice every 2-3 hours. I suggest listening to your body: if you're hungry then drink a juice and if not then wait a bit longer. If I am still hungry at night. I may snack on a few pieces of fresh fruit or an handful of almonds. Whatever you do, don't starve yourself. A little bit of hunger is okay and natural to feel. If you start to get lightheaded or dizzy your body might be telling you it needs more calories. Listen to your body!

I only used three recipes. For a day's worth of juicing, I would make 3 servings of green juice, 2 servings orange juice and 1 red juice. The red juice is my favorite because I am obsessed with beets currently. I could see how the taste would be too strong for some.  My recommendation is to add more fruit if you don't immediately like the taste.

So, what do y'all think of juice cleanses? Is it something that you could follow? 

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