So this post is super, super late - I had it on auto-post, but for some reason, it never posted. But, better late than never, right!
Last weekend, I spent 3 days consuming nothing but juice, as I drank my way through a 3 day Pure Glow Cleanse, and it was absolutely fantastic. I waited a week, so I can could share with you not only my immediate thoughts on the cleanse, but also how I felt in the week after as well.
Firstly, I have to say that the cleanse was fantastic. As I said in the previous post, I've done my own juice cleanse before, and it was hard work to get it all done, especially when you realize that you need a new juice every couple of hours. Having it all done for you, sitting there ready in the fridge, made it much easier to stick to the whole process.
So I started early Saturday morning, driving to pick up my juices (they deliver, but the timing was better for me to pick up). I wasn't exactly sure where they were, but I shouldn't have worried, the most amazing smell was wafting out of the Pure Glow building - it was crisp and fresh and delicious! The girls were lovely, and I grabbed my box and was on my way.
The cleanse lasts for three days, and each day you consume 6 different juices/smoothies, roughly every 2 hours. Above are the juices in my fridge, 1-5 on the top shelf, and number 6 on the bottom next to the eggs. First juice off the rank is their Sunrise Elixir, a mix of cucumber, lemon, aloe vera and filtered water, and it really is a great way to start the day. It is crisp and refreshing, and the tart lemon kick really woke you up.
The next drink is the Glowing Green Smoothie, and to be perfectly honest, I was a bit dubious just looking at it. As my son so aptly described it, "Mummy, it looks like something a monster would drink"! However, it ended up being my favourite out of the six. With kale, cos lettuce, cucumber, celery, pear, avocado, parsley and lemon, it was thick and creamy, and really, really yummy!
Green Guru was also chock full of greens, and was delicious as well. The kale, cos lettuce, cucumber, green apple, mint and lemon combined so beautifully together, and the mint was the perfect touch. I've actually started making this one regularly at home, I liked it so much.
I've always liked carrot and ginger juice, so it was not surprise that I loved juice number 4, Good Karma. With carrot, lemon, green apple, ginger, tumeric and grapefruit, this juice was complex and earthy and quite indescribable. I've being trying to recreate this one at home, but haven't quite hit the nail on the head, so I am hanging out for when I do another cleanse. What I loved most about this juice was it really gave you a zing of energy right when you needed it, and it was a nice change from all of the green, green, green!
Juice 5, Buddha Juice, was my least favourite. I think towards the end of the day, I was simply over all of the green, and the cucumber, apple, mint and lime, while still nice, just seemed a bit like same old, same old.
What I started to call my "dinner juice", Chai Vanilla Dream, was the final juice, actually a nutmilk made from almonds, brazil nuts, and cashews combined with some dates for a touch of sweetness, and yummy chai spices for flavour. I love chai, and I love nut milks, so this was the perfect way to end the day. I can also imagine this would be delicious warmed up if you felt like you needed something hot for "dinner."
So how did I actually feel during the cleanse? Mostly, I felt pretty good. The first day was definitely the toughest, and was probably made tougher due to my lack of adequate prep. I only prepped for a couple of days, so I think the sugar and caffeine withdrawals hit pretty hard! By around 4pm, the only way to describe the way I was feeling was fuzzy. It was almost like I was in a fog - it was hard to think straight, and even my vision just seemed a little blurry. By the time I had the Chai nutmilk, though, I was fine, and I didn't experience anything this severe again.
Throughout the cleanse, I never actually felt "hungry"; I certainly felt like eating, but that was more out of habit than any real feeling of hunger. By the third day, I felt lighter and definitely clearer, and despite not eating any solid food, I actually felt quite energetic. I did supplement the cleanse with a fair bit of herbal tea (the lovely PG girls even give you some to go with the cleanse) and would usually make myself a cup whenever I felt like eating. This habit is something that I've maintained, and I find it a very soothing and relaxing habit to have!
The question everyone asks about a cleanse - will you lose weight? For me, the answer was no. My weight at the end of the three days was exactly the same as when I started. However, my skin looked clearer, and I felt a lot better than I have in ages. However, while I didn't lose weight immediately after the cleanse, I lost a bit over a kilo over the course of the next week, and I really put that down to the recalibration and refocus on healthy eating that came as a direct result of the cleanse.
So, end result? I highly recommend the Pure Glow Cleanse to anyone, and plan to do another one in a couple of months. Do I think a juice cleanse is necessary for our bodies to detox? Not really... I think our bodies are designed to eliminate waste pretty well on their own. However, given the way that we treat them in this modern age, taking a few days every couple of months to recharge and reset can never be a bad thing.
PS: This is not a sponsored post, and I am paying for this juice cleanse myself.Labels: health, lifestyle, product reviews