a food-based juice cleanse for all you food-lovers out there
"I want to do a juice cleanse, but I love food too much." — My roommates and also 99% of people in the world
If the thought of drinking nothing but juice for a day (or three, or five) makes you cringe, you're not alone. That's probably the number one reason people don't attempt them, or attempt and fail.
For me, I'm weird in that I love food, but I also love the convenience, the challenge, and the "reset" that juicing gives me. It's become a mini mission of mine to try all the cleanses in Boston — I've already done Cocobeet's cleanse multiple times and have tried JUGO's cleanse after spring break as well. So when Danielle from BeaconBlend, a Boston-based organic juice company, said she had juice cleanses, I was dying to try it out.
the cleanse
I tried the one day juice cleanse, which was $50 for six bottles and included a lemon chia water, three smoothie "meals," and two juice "snacks." I also had the pleasure of interviewing her to learn the story behind her company — more on that later. It's a food-based cleanse, meaning that you're encouraged to snack on raw veggies and nuts as you get hungry, especially if you're an active person.
my experience
6:30 AM: I'm usually out of the house and on my way to boxing by now, but I decide that juice cleansing is a good excuse to take a rest day. So I start off with some morning abs and call it a day. I make myself warm water, lemon juice, and cayenne to take on my way to work.
8:45 AM: I get into the office. Typically, I get my breakfast ready and am eating Siggi's topped with walnuts by 9-ish, but instead, I grab my first smoothie out of the fridge. It's called "Rise," and is made of kale, apple, banana, mint, chia seeds, and dates. I liked that I could actually taste the mint in it — it gave it an extra "wake me up" kick.
As I walk into the kitchen, I remember that it's Waffle Wednesday at work. While I never get waffles, I do sometimes get bacon and I'm a little sad I can't have any. I go back to sipping my green smoothie and tell myself it's going to be fine.
11:30 AM: I haven't even finished my first smoothie yet, but I wonder if coffee is OK on a cleanse. I'm having trouble concentrating. Screw it, I think, It's organic cold brew so it's fine.
12:15 PM: I finally finish Rise and start on "Play," which is supposed to be the third drink, but it's lunchtime and I figure I might as well drink the lunch smoothie now. It has raw cacao, banana, cinnamon, and coconut milk, which is pretty filling but seemed like a smoothie I'd usually have at night with the other cleanses I've tried. It pairs well with the cold brew since it was really sweet.
I can hear other people around me crunching on their food. I dream a little of the Siggi's and walnuts I usually have for breakfast. It's going to be a long day...
3:30 PM: It's afternoon and I'm looking for a pick-me-up, so I go ahead pull out "Adventure," which is a green juice made out of apples, spinach, celery, ginger, lemon, chia seed, and cayenne. It's actually pretty spicy, which Danielle had warned me about. I'm usually the person to dump cayenne into everything since I'm a spice-lover, so I was happily surprised.
My coworkers finally notice I've only been drinking juices all day and comment: "Have you been drinking juice all day? Do you want carbs?"
I tell them that no, I'm not hungry, which is actually true since these juices have the fiber still in them. It's more like I don't want any more juice in my body. #cry
5:30 PM: I leave the office and head home. It's an hour-long commute and I honestly think I'm going to pass out by the end. I. Need. Food. I sip the last smoothie, "Explore," which has carrot, cinnamon, turmeric, banana, and coconut milk, and it's mildly comforting I only end up finishing half of it (and saved the other half for later).
6:30 PM: I make myself dinner. because this is a food-based cleanse, I don't feel too bad. I did eat all raw vegan foods though, keeping with the "rules" of the cleanse. I'm more hungry than I've ever been on a cleanse, for whatever weird reason. I almost cry tears of joy at eating actual veggies.
The verdict? I agree with Danielle's original sentiment that her juices should be a complement to a well-balanced meal rather than a diet (i.e. a juice cleanse). To read more about that, check out my article on Fit University's website.
The Company
With the tagline of "Eat real. Be whole," BeaconBlend is focused on providing real, whole foods to nourish your body. Danielle lives and breathes this mantra; she says that she's been doing this herself for her whole life. She's in a better mood when she consistently takes care of herself and it's her passion to help people feel better.
Danielle says, "Nature provides a lot for us and if we could try to use nature the way that it comes, we could solve a lot of illnesses and allergies.”
It's about that mind-body connection: getting people to treat themselves in a more respectful and knowledgeable way without it being over their head. For beginners to a healthy lifestyle, it's best to start out with small things, like eating organic. BeaconBlend is 100% organic, but it's something people can slowly transition into.
For more information about BeaconBlend, check out their website here.
