How to Start Juice Cleanse and What You Can Eat

Juice cleanse is a detox diet that recommends the consumption of fruit and vegetable juices only for a short duration of time. This usually goes on for two to three days.

People who advocate for juice cleanse diets claim benefits such as flushing out toxins from the body and improved digestion. They also claim that juice cleanse diets support the body’s natural detox processes by removing sugar, caffeine, refined foods, and other substances that can be harmful in the long run.

In this article, we will discuss how to start a juice cleanse and the food items that are allowed or disallowed.

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Seven-day plan for juice cleanse

Juices can flush toxins out of the body. (Image via Unsplash/Jugoslocos)

Day 1: Harmful substances like coffee, refined sugar, meat, dairy products, wheat, alcohol, and nicotine are reduced on the first day. This step plays a significant role in the detoxification of the body. Gradual removal of these items will not cause withdrawal side effects.

Day 2: On the second day, the aforementioned foods are further decreased from moderate to low levels. The intake of fresh vegetables, fruits, and fluids is increased on the second day as well.

Day 3: The aforementioned food items are phased out on this day, and the intake of fruits, vegetables, and fluids is increased.

Day 4: The cleanse begins on this day: 200 ml green vegetable juice or 200 ml smoothie is preferred. Other foods like apples, almond milk, and berries can also be included.

Instead of fruit, 200 ml green vegetable juice, or 200 ml vegetable, broth can also be consumed. Common fruit and vegetable juices to include are carrot, beet, and apple juice.

Day 5: The day once again starts with 200 ml of green vegetable juice or a 200 ml smoothie with coconut milk and pears. Along with the juices, salads without dressing can also be consumed.

Similarly, 200 ml of green vegetable juice or 200 ml of ginger, apple, and cucumber juice can be prepared as well. Carrots and celery can also be taken as a salad.

Day 6: The cleanse phase ends on this day. Light to moderate amounts of regular food can be consumed from this day. Gradually, other foods are added back over the course of several days.

Day 7: The amounts of regular food items can be increased to normal levels. Restricted foods can also be included in small amounts.

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Health benefits of juice cleanse

It's claimed that when fruit and vegetable juices are taken together, the detox diet can provide various vitamins, fibers, nutrients, and minerals and can eliminate toxins accumulated in the colon.

Drinking juice all day can help reduce dehydration and help a person feel energetic and fresh throughout the day.

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How to schedule juice cleanse routine?

Here's a sample schedule for a juice cleanse.

• Empty stomach: Lukewarm water with fresh lemon juice. (no sugar)
• 8 to 9 am: Green vegetable juice
• 10 to 11 am: Fruit smoothie made with almond milk, dry fruits
• 1 to 2 pm: Fruit juice, any fruit.
• 3 to 4 pm: Beet, carrot, or apple juice
• 5 to 6 pm: Fruit smoothie with salad
• 6 to 8 pm: Smoothie made with coconut milk

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What is allowed and what to avoid?

Fruits and vegetables that are allowed and recommended to use in this type of detox diet include:

• Cabbage
• Beets
• Bell peppers
• Apple
• Celery
• Kale
• Carrot
• Spinach
• Green leafy vegetables

Nut kinds of milk allowed to make smoothies in this diet are listed below:

• Almond milk
• Cashew milk
• Coconut milk

All animal products are restricted in the juice cleanse diet, including meat, dairy, and eggs. Any juice or smoothie not made from the listed fruits, vegetables, and non-dairy kinds of milk are not allowed in this plan.

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Takeaway

A juice cleanse detox diet can be followed by any healthy individual, but it has to be kept in mind that such a restrictive diet can be extremely difficult to follow. It may also be emotionally difficult to completely restrict regular food items.

Although fruit and vegetable juices can provide nutrients, there's no concrete evidence to prove all the claimed benefits of a juice cleanse diet. People with renal issues must not follow this diet without the advice and permission of a doctor. Too much fluid can put unwanted pressure on the kidneys as well.