Doing a juice cleanse is never something I’d considered in the past. I thought they were basically a quick-fix diet and as losing weight isn’t something I need to do I’d dismissed them. However, recently faced with some health issues which seem to stem from digestive difficulties, I was forced to go back on my judgement.
In my research on how to heal my gut I found juice cleanses recommended again and again. The principle of juicing is that fruit and vegetable juices are a concentrated source of nutrients which are easy for the body to absorb. Not having to digest food saves energy and so the body can get to work releasing toxins, repairing damaged tissues and cells and resetting your gut bacteria.
It sounded good to me and I decided I was prepared to give it a go!
Raw & Juicy, who I went with, are a home juice cleanse delivery company, the first of their kind in the UK and set up nearly 10 years ago, so I felt in very safe hands. You’re also assigned a programme coordinator for the duration of your cleanse who you can contact any time should you have any questions or worries.
There are various packages to choose from- from 1-day to 14-day cleanses or you can have a bespoke package put together if none of those on offer suit you. I went for a 3-day alkaline cleanse which is more veg than fruit-heavy and designed to neutralize acidity and bring the body back to balance. I figured 3 days without solid food didn’t sound too intimidating!
It was pretty exciting when my “goodie bag” arrived on the evening before my first day! 6 colourful bottles and several other “treats” too:
Any package you order consists of five 500ml/18oz bottles of fresh juice (never frozen and made with 90% organic ingredients) and a bottle of almond milk (with optional vegan protein powder to mix in). I needn’t have worried about getting hungry, as, although it’s all liquid, this is actually a lot to consume. In fact I didn’t end up needing all the juice every day. It’s definitely not about starving your body but more about flooding it with high quality nutrients!
Along with the juice and nut milk, you get: Mega Green Mix, A serving of Vegetable Bouillon, Kelp Supplements, Aloe Vera Shots, Lemon Juice Shots, Psyllium Husk, Herbal / Alkaline Teas, Bicarbonate of Soda, Activated Charcoal, Dead Sea Salts, an Exfoliating Soap Bag, and an Enema Kit. All of these aid in the cleansing process (Full instructions for how to take/use them come with the programme).
So how did I get on?
Really well! I haven’t been a big juice drinker in the past as I don’t have my own juicer and I can’t always get fresh pressed vegetable juices wherever I am so I was a little apprehensive about how I’d like the taste. But they were really delicious. You can specify ingredients you don’t want to include from the outset so I ruled out fennel as I’ve had bad experiences of it in juice before. It did also turn out that I wasn’t keen on tomato juice either… Excluding that, I enjoyed almost all of them- personal favourites were “Beetroot, Carrot & Lemon”, “Carrot, Celery, Ginger, Kale, Lime, Parsnip & Sweet Potato” and “Carrot, Grapefruit & Cayenne”, oh and the almond milk was divine.
As I said, I didn’t have problems with feeling hungry though I did miss being in my kitchen! My energy levels were pretty good too and I got on with day-to-day life as normal, though I deliberately didn’t plan anything too strenuous. The one thing which was a bit tricky was socializing. I went out for a “meal” with a friend every day during the cleanse, and, though I didn’t mind the not eating part so much, it did feel slightly awkward just sipping on herbal tea whilst my dining companion tucked into a plateful.
I won’t go into details (!) but the home enema wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought either and I actually found it really beneficial.
I ended my 3 days feeling like I could easily carry on if it weren’t for missing cooking and the social limitations, but the short experience really did work wonders for me. Again, not wanting to go into too much detail, my digestive system is working so much more efficiently! It feels quite a miracle! My skin also cleared up considerably too.
I would definitely recommend the experience to anyone feeling in need of a boost. Even if you’re eating a super healthy diet, the toxins that modern life bombards us with on a daily basis are unavoidable so you may may well benefit from giving your body the chance to recover by doing a short juice cleanse.
Raw & Juicy deliver free to all London postcodes but will deliver outside London and the UK for an additional fee.
I’d love to hear your experiences with juicing! Have you ever done a juice cleanse? Or do you juice regularly?
Disclosure: I was provided with a complimentary juice cleanse for review purposes, but, as always, all opinions are my own.
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I like the look of the bottles - it’s nice to know that the UK has several juice cleanse programs and that they deliver free in London which is very rare
I nearly made plans to go to the UK (Manchester) this spring, but the rental stuff didn’t work out…ugh! I love juice cleanses - I’ve tried making my own juice cleanses in the past, and it requires a lot of work and of course waking up earlier than usual to make my juices in advance. But I like the taste of all the vegetables & fruits from the juices, especially the satisfying nut dessert milks…the dessert milk keeps you motivated! I’ve done one-day, two-day, three-day and very rarely one week cleanse. The 2-day cleanse is the easiest one. Last summer, my partner and I would do cleanses twice a week, which is pretty easy to work together and keep each other motivated.
That’s a shame you’re not coming to the UK any time soon. I’m sure you’ll be back in London at some point though and yes there are now lots of juice cleanse companies about. Great that you’ve had good experiences with them too.
The nut milk was definitely a real treat but I loved the juices as well
what a great review! i’m so happy to read that the cleanse went so well for you. i always had the same opinion that cleanses were only something you do if you eat poorly or want to lose weight. considering your positive feedback, i would totally do this cleanse if it wasn’t located in london. i hope your digestive issues continue to clear up. i know what it’s like, and it’s pretty much the worst feeling in the world to know your body isn’t working as efficiently as it should. xo.
Thanks Caitlin. It was a really positive experience. I’m so thrilled about the improvements in my digestion
Maybe you’ll be able to find a company you can trust near you and give a short cleanse a try! x
I’ve done a few 5-7 day juice cleanses in the past, they’ve all been rather fruit heavy which I guess is good in terms of energy levels, but I think I would benefit from a more veg based one in future. I absolutely love the juicy high you get after a few days, such a great feeling, and a good way to reboot or reset your body. I’ve not heard of this company before, but it sounds really good, especially all the extra bits you get alongside.
Great that you’ve enjoyed cleanses in the past too. I would definitely do it again. Raw & Juicy were a great company to do it with too- really supportive and answered all my silly questions without a blink
This looks interesting! I’ve never done a juice cleanse, but they seem to be getting very popular. I do occasionally buy fresh juice from a local vendor that does have a juice cleanse plan, but it is SO expensive!
They are pretty expensive I admit but a lot of fresh produces goes into them and when it’s organic that’s obviously pricey, they also take a lot of time to make fresh too so you’re paying for labour too! I feel better about paying when I think about that
Glad you enjoyed your juice cleanse experience! It does seem that they are starting to have a re-emergence over the last few months. I did one last year although it was juice till 5 then a vegan meal and I really enjoyed it. I think if you are doing it for the right reasons they can be useful for a number of things.
I definitely agree and am sure that they can be harmful if not going into it with the right attitude. I didn’t set my expectations too high but really felt I benefited from the experience.
*hug* Well, glad to hear you found something that worked. I have prescribed enemas but only in extreme situations. It is not something I feel is for the masses and certainly not preventative medicine. I always figured a juice fast would change the consistency of one’s bowel movements but never thought how it might help constipation.. interesting thought.
Enemas are definitely not something I’d want to be doing regularly but it seemed to work for me. I’m just grateful that my digestion is working so much better!
i love the bottles and the colors of the juices. I dont think i cna ever do a juice cleanse. anything that changes up my stomach drastically gives me a lot of anxiety. I am so glad it went so beautifully for you:)
They’re so pretty aren’t they? It was more a case of my poor digestion causing me anxiety so the juice cleanse has been a huge relief.
Ooooh, love the new look! Love the coconut in your logo 😉 I’m really intrigued by your cleanse and glad it worked out so well for you. I am so close to be a juicer owner and have been ‘ummung and ahhing’ about juices and cleanses and all sorts for a few months now. I feel as thought there is something very therapeutic about the whole thing and I could also do with a bit of reboot- love the idea of ‘flooding my cells’.
Glad you like the new look! I wanted to get a coconut and berry image in there somewhere 😉
I’m going back and forth about getting a juicer too. I love the idea of having fresh juice when I want it but the time it actually takes to make, the quantity of fresh produce needed and the size of the contraption are what’s putting me off…maybe when I have a bigger apartment!
Quite a few juice cleanses out there sound really harsh and difficult to swallow (no pun intended), but this one looks like an actually tasty lineup of fruit and vegetable blends. Too bad they don’t deliver to the US!
They were really tasty! Palatability was probably my main concern going into this but I needn’t have worried
Great to hear that you’re feeling so much better now! It sounds like the juice cleanse did you the world of good ♥ It’s amazing that it can have such a powerful effect within such a short space of time! I’ve never had a juice cleanse myself but, if I was having any health issues or needed a boost, I’d definitely consider it.
Thanks Sharon, I hope so anyway. I’m still not 100% but I think I’m still moving in the right direction.
I’m curious what research studies you found — I’ve never seen any science that supports the claims of juice fasting as a means of flushing “toxins.” I know it can be helpful to IBD patients, but that’s only because they can’t have fiber during flares, which is the opposite scenario of most people, even those with feckless digestive systems.
I’m so glad you feel better!
Gena, I’m not a scientist by any means so by “research” I mean internet reading not scientific studies. I can’t recall all the different places I saw juicing recommended for beating candida and did read your fairly anti-juicing article with interest. I think it was on that post actually that I saw a comment by JL fields about juice-fasting and candida (?) which got me thinking. As I mentioned, juice fasting is not something I’ve ever considered in the past and I was very cautious going into it, especially considering my history. Desperate times call for desperate measures though and I was willing to give it a go if it made me feel better!
As I said, I’m so glad you feel relief. Hoping you continue to improve!
😀 Me too!
sounds like a wonderful cleanse! I love the fact that you get someone you can contact case things get tricky, now that’s service! Now I want to do a juice cleanse all over again, although I know they don’t work for me.
It was great and I’d definitely do it again…if someone else paid 😉 I actually called Stephanie a few times over the few days with silly questions and then she called me to check up on how things were going which made all the difference.