We’re celebrating the ESSENCE Body Issue this month! In an effort to get our bodies and health in tip-top shape, we invited six ESSENCE staffers to try a 3-day juice detox. Here’s an update from day 1!
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CLEANSES WE TRIED!
Name: Gwen
Cleanse: Organic Avenue Love Easy Cleanse
Day 1 Diary: My greatest concern before starting this was giving up coffee (most coffee drinkers can empathize). The day before starting, I eliminated coffee altogether and replaced it with hot water and lemon. I also received a welcome email assuring me that if I needed support, they would help along the way. So no surprise, I get to work around 9:30 and notice an email explaining what food and juices would be sent for that particular day and the order in which I was to down them. My loot came filled with green AND fruit juice, plus salads and a tapioca pudding. I guess the pudding served as dessert? Without thinking, I got right into it. My first juice…. then my second, followed by a salad & ending with a collard green wrap. I pretty much ate every hour! As I went along, I checked each item off. I loved the structure! Day 1 was so good.
Name: Charlise
Cleanse: Urban Remedy Signature Cleanse
Day 1 Diary: I began cleansing over a weekend to avoid going through mood swings and fatigue while at work, so I was able to start the cleanse on a high, singing and dancing around my apartment. With eighteen (!!) juices arriving at my apartment by 11 a.m. on a Saturday, I was able to finish my first two juices by 1:30 p.m. But after seeing a few food pics on Instagram, I was instantly craving food. By the fourth juice, I was eating sunflower seeds and raisins. Remember the saying, “living check to check”? Well, on the first day, I was living juice to juice. I couldn’t wait to finish the sixth juice and sleep off the hunger.
Name: Yolanda
Cleanse: Ritual Wellness Seasonal Reset Cleanse
Day 1 Diary: I have never been so excited to go on a cleanse! After months of trying to be healthier by either working out or eating better, I was ready for a body reboot. Okay, I may have been bad the night before. And I’m not talking Michael Jackson ‘Bad.’ I ate everything I knew I couldn’t eat for the next few days. Cookies? Check. Carbs and meat? OMG, meat! That’s the one thing they tell you not to eat. I had an all-or-nothing attitude — it was like an alcoholic bingeing before going to rehab. Bad example, but you get the point. Juice impressions? Delicious. However, by 6 p.m. I had sipped four green juices (kale, romaine, spinach) and was ready for more variety. And oh glory, the last of the day — a cashew nut milk with nutmeg, vanilla and cinnamon. By far one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted! I’m already a nut girl, so this was just heavenly. I was so satisfied. My days are so jam packed with work, I barely remembered to drink every two hours. I barely craved food after day 1.
Name: Chatel
Cleanse: Raw Cooler by Cooler Cleanse
Day 1 Diary: I’ve been on a serious health kick for the past few months, so I woke up pretty excited to start this thing. I’d prepared both mentally (no after-work events) and physically (bye bye, Ruffles chips!) for the inevitable changes. But by midafternoon I realized something was seriously wrong. None of my juices had arrived. After a quick call to my ‘support’ team, they assured me I’d have sustenance the next day between the hours of 10-12. I decided to munch on leafy greens to keep me from passing out and stop me from stealing my colleague’s juice. So the next day (Day 1 for real!!), I was giddy to open my juice/food pack. I was always the wary kid whenever it came to veggie juice; green in color, suspect in taste. But this time I was game, and decided to be a team player. The first green juice (Sweet Greens) was the fairest in the bunch. It really struck me how much I enjoyed something that my parents used to have to force-feed me. I felt proud. I’m also diabetic (and gluten free), so instead opted for a juice program with food. My first meal of the day is a collard-wrapped enchilada. The. Best. Thing. Ever. Made me hopeful for day 2!
Name: Nicole
Cleanse: The DIY approach (made my own juices at home)
Day 1 Diary: I’m a big fan of juicing so I was excited to sign up for the ESSENCE Detox. In order to prepare for my my cleanse, I stocked up on fresh fruits and veggies from Trader Joe’s. I woke up early on day 1 and used my Omega 8006 Nutrition Center Juicer to make my “meals” for the day. I adore this juicer because it’s a masticating juicer, which means I’m able to get a very high juice yield from my veggies, especially leafy, dark greens. Throughout the day, I felt good, but I will admit, the hunger pangs kicked into overdrive around 4 p.m. Thankfully I pressed through them. I was determined not to give in!
Name: Akkida
Cleanse: Juice Press Alternate Cleanse
Day 1 Diary: Initially, I was wholeheartedly committed to doing a juice cleanse. My diet consists primarily of vegetables and fruits anyway. And I’d gleefully give up my long-reigning triple C crown (cookies, cake and candy) to become more disciplined about portion control and raising my energy level. But as this first day has arrived, I am downright nervous at the prospect of drinking grass in a cup. It takes me nearly an hour to get through my first juice, Doctor Green Juice, which tastes like sweetened pot liquor (a.k.a. collard greens). For the first time in my life, sugar does not make the medicine go down. I reach out to my cleanse company-provided chat buddy Ashley. She informs me that I could cheat with a nice glass of water and wishes me good luck. I struggle to drink all six juices and keep falling behind on my drink timetable. While I feel full, my stomach keeps rumbling. It is the oddest sensation. By day’s end, I have only finished four juices.