I have never in my life done a cleanse. I was always terrified of the underlying ingredients that a lot of the cleanses have hidden in their processes. I also wasn't a fan of the idea that I was not allowed to eat anything else for an extended period of time.
As a sufferer of chronic migraines I knew not eating wasn't an option because lack of nutrition or water often triggers headaches. When my friend Melissa told me that she and her friend Erin were starting a natural juice company I knew that this would be the way for me to give it a try. I trusted their process, selection of clean ingredients, transparency, use of only whole foods, knowledge, locally produced, and small (female) owned business. Need I say more?
What is a cleanse?
A juice cleanse is a type of reset that involves consuming vegetable and fruit juice for a certain period of time. It is meant to give your digestion a bit of a break to allow your body to focus on any internal work it needs to be focusing on, while taking in loads of powerful nutrition in the juices as well. Most commonly people cleanse between 1-5 days which is what we recommend. -The Goodery
I opted for a one day cleanse to give it a whirl. Again, with my history of migraines I knew I would want some actual guidance about what I can eat to supplement my cleanse. The Goodery does a great job of providing you a schedule of when to drink each juice, what's in it, and what the benefits are. They also give you some literature about what to eat during your cleanse if you do get hungry and how to supplement with water and herbal tea. This was a huge win for me. Knowing I could grab some veggies to munch on and knowing I wasn't going to blow the benefits of this cleanse. That was insanely important to me.
Juice #1 Hydrate
Ingredients- Celery, Lemon, and Sea Salt
My review- I am not a celery fan and straight up had to chug the majority of this bad boy. I know celery juice is wonderful for you, so cheers to the guzzle.
Juice #2 Immune
Ingredients- Carrot, Grapefruit, Orange, Lemon, Turmeric, & Cayenne
My Review- I loved this one. Tastes like pulpy grapefruit juice. Not too sweet and very easy to drink!
Juice #3 Restore
Ingredients- Kale, Cucumber, Celery, Spinach, Lemon, & Parsley
My Review- This is very similar to juice #1, so I wasn't a huge fan. I feel like I could compare this to a green, unspicy, bloody mary. If you mixed it with vodka or bourbon it could be consumed with a cheesy garnish and not be half bad. (I'm trying to justify what it would taste like sans cleanse, a real life comparison lol)
Juice #4 Vitality
Ingredients- Orange, Beet, Swiss Chard, Carrot, Lemon, & Ginger
My Review- I like it. I think it's safe to say the fruit juice based juices are better in my book. This tastes like dirt on the front (thanks beets and swiss chard) and has a fruity after taste, so it makes the dirt worth it. Swiss Chard has magnesium which is a huge win in my book. Magnesium helps with muscle soreness and it also promote stress relief.
Juice #5 Refresh
Ingredients- Green Apple, Lime, Yellow Bell Pepper, Pineapple, Cucumber, & Mint
My Review- I'd say this was the most do-able of the green juices. There was a definite bell pepper taste, but with the fruits it helped to cut it! I drank this one without a problem.
Juice #6 Nourish
Ingredients- Cashew, Date, Blueberry, Vanilla, Cinnamon, & Sea Salt
My Review- THE BEST! Holy, let's make all of them taste like this. Hands down my favorite. I love chia pudding and this reminds me of that. It is not super sweet, very thick, and has good flavor. I ended up drinking this one in the morning because I wasn't hungry last night, so I drank it on an empty stomach after my workout. It felt like a good way to recover.
I learned so much from doing this. Some of them, not going to lie, I could only do half of in one sitting without feeling sick. But I am committing to finishing one a day for the remainder of the week. After eating so many refined sugars and extra "stuff" during the holiday's this was truly a great reset. I was more clear of mind today than I have been in a long time. I am truly considering doing this like once a month, just as a restart.
I really hope you check these cleanses out for yourself! And if you're not ready to jump in with both feet try one or two! Each step in a healthier direction is a good one. Go at your own pace.
Check The Goodery out here and be sure to tag me and them in any photos of your juicing journey!
If you want an honest glimpse into my cleanse experience I saved all my "first taste" videos to a highlight on my Instagram. Check it out!
Cheers to a year of good health!
XOXO,
CB