I Did A One-Day Juice Cleanse – Here’s What Happened

Over the winter I have packed on a few pounds, so I thought this was the perfect time of the year to cleanse my system and get ready for some summer fun in the sun.
 
I found a one-day juice cleanse from the Cleveland, OH-based company Garden of Flavor that I decided to try. The cleanse is comprised of six 16-ounce bottles of cold pressed, organic and raw juices. The juices contain immune supporting living probiotics that promote digestive health.
 
Let’s stop for a second. I know what you’re thinking, “one day?”. How is a one day cleanse going to do anything? I wanted to try something that I knew I could commit to. So I decided to start with one day and go from there. You’d be surprised how difficult it is to not eat any solid foods for 24 hours.
 
The Garden of Flavor provides you with the benefits of 20 pounds of raw, organic leafy green vegetables, fruits and nuts, 34 grams of plant-based protein and nearly 1,200 calories.
 

 

So here is what happened

I’ve never done a cleanse before, or went a day without eating, so I was prepared to be hungry, challenged and maybe even a little cranky. The directions suggest drinking the juices in the order below, and each bottle is numbered to make the order easy to follow. The directions said that if I felt hungry and wanted something to eat, I could eat soft fruits and vegetables, such as mango, melon, avocado or celery throughout the day, but I opted to stick to the liquid-only diet for the day. I drank a cup of tea in between each bottle of juice as I felt hungry.
 

10:15am

Because I had a day off from work, I took advantage and woke up much later than I normally would.
 

10:30am

As the directions recommended, I drank a glass of warm lemon water slowly for almost an hour.
 

11:30am

 I drank the Goji Pineapple. I was hungry at this point, so I drank the juice in about 15 minutes. This all-organic juice is a nice mix of pineapple, apple, goji berry, ginger root, mint and lemons, and it is a great start to the morning. It was sweet and a little spicy, and a great way to wake up my body and taste buds early in the morning. This bottle had no fat, 5 grams of protein, and 340 calories, which calorie wise is a very large breakfast for me.
 

2pm

I was so busy running around doing errands all morning that I didn’t even think about eating. I did however drink two glasses of unsweetened tea. I drank the second juice, the Cucumber Fresh, which is a mix of cucumber, celery, lemon and parsley. This juice had a cucumber taste with hints of lemon that is light and refreshing. This bottle is no fat, 2 grams of protein, and just 70 calories.
 

3:30pm

I was feeling hungry and wanted to make up for drinking my last juice late, so I drank the Mean Greens juice a little earlier than I was supposed to. This juice was a mix of cucumber, celery, romaine, kale, spinach, lemon and parsley, and was much heartier and earthier than the last juice. This 80-calorie juice has 6 grams of protein and no fat.
 

5pm

I tried the Twisted Roots, which was a very hearty mix of carrots, beetroot and lemon juice. The beet taste was the most prevalent and I really enjoyed it. It reminded me of borscht soup, but in a cold form. This juice was a lovely treat and a very filling meal with 160 calories, no fat, and 4 grams of protein.
 

7pm

I drank the White Knight, a combination of water, cashew nuts, agave nectar, cinnamon and vanilla. This creamy juice was so delicious. It tasted like a sweet milkshake with cinnamon, but without the dairy. This juice had 440 calories, 32 grams of fat and 14 grams of protein. I drank half of this bottle in the first five minutes, but then I took my time with the remainder of the bottle, as it was very heavy and filling.
 

9pm

I drank my last bottle of the day – the Turmeric Tonic. I was still not very hungry after the White Knight, but I wanted to stay on schedule. This juice was a mixture of water, lemon, blue agave, turmeric, ginger root, mint, cayenne pepper and probiotic organisms. This juice has a heavy taste of ginger, and it is spicy with a real kick. This last bottle is just 60 calories, no fat or protein, and was a light drink to settle me in before bed around 11 pm.
 
The day after my cleanse, as directed, I eased back into solid foods with two bottles of Green Harmony, made with cucumber, apple, kale, celery, lemon, spinach, parsley and a billion-plus probiotic cultures. Then I ate some soft fruit and vegetables throughout the day, and ate a more substantial dinner that night.
 

My Cleanse Summary

Throughout the whole one day cleanse, I never felt hungrier than what a glass of tea could not ease away. I had a lot of energy throughout the day, so much so that I did all of my household chores and errands and even checked a few projects off my to-do list. I also found that I slept very soundly the night of my cleanse, and I woke up early with enough energy to chase my 20-month-old nephew. Best of all, I lost 3 pounds!
 
You can purchase your own Garden of Flavor juices for $49.99 at Whole Foods and other natural markets. Visit Garden of Flavor’s website to order online or for a listing of retailers near you.