I’ve been reading about the benefits of a juice cleanse so I decided to look into it. A juice cleanse helps to rid the body of toxins while providing all of the essential nutrients that our bodies needs. I have always felt that beauty is an inside job, so why spend hundreds of dollars on products that go on the outside and then fill your body with cheap foods like McDonalds on the inside? Proper nutrition is not a matter of vanity but rather a very important health and beauty matter that we often neglect. Poor nutrition can lead to boils, dry skin, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, osteoporosis and a host of other ailments and even diseases. Our bodies need proper nutrition not only to look good but to function well. So I decided that I would take a step in the right direction and get back on track with my health and fitness goals.
After deciding to go through with the cleanse tons of questions were floating around in my head. Would I be hungry? Would I be able to tolerate the diet? What side effects can I expect? Etc. So I took a bit of time to do some research and I came across the Organic Avenue Love Deep Cleanse. The Love Deep Cleanse is a 3-day raw food organic cleanse consisting of what the company describes as “pure liquid nourishment”. The entire cleanse consists of a liquid-only diet of seven juices per day. Each day is slightly different, 5 main juices remain the main staple of the cleanse while two are swapped out. Organic Avenue lives by the L.O.V.E. mantra which stands Live, Organic, Vegan Experience. So you know that you are getting the freshest raw food experience that you can buy, I guess that’s why celebs like Gwyneth Paltrow have raved about this cleanse.
Organic Avenue is based in New York City (with a location in The Hampton’s) but they offer delivery options if you are unable to pick up your meals. Each organic juice is made fresh and bottled daily in a recycled glass bottle. After completing the cleanse you can return the bottles and receive $2 back. Once you order your cleansing program ( either 1, 3, or 5 days) you receive a daily email with directions on the exact times to drink your meal and the complete menu that you will be enjoying. The instructions advised me to “chew” the juices without gulping them and that each drink will be numbered and will need to be consumed in sequence. It’s also recommended that one consume an additional 8 oz. of water or more in between each nutritional beverage and live food item and only consume water, herbal tea or caffeine-free tea after 9 p.m.
Sample Day 1 Food:
* Love Deep 1 (approx 8/9am) 1 Chlorophyll: Chlorophyll
FYI: Drink this straight as a shot, or you can mix it in some purified water. Please beware that it can leave your teeth stained green but it comes right out with water! Chlorophyll has the power to regenerate our bodies at the molecular and cellular level and is known to help cleanse the body, fight infection, help heal wounds, and promote the health of the circulatory, digestive, immune, and detoxification systems. Chlorophyll consumption increases the number of red blood cells and, therefore, increase oxygen utilization by the body.
* Love Deep 2 (approx 10/11am) 1 Pear Juice: Pears
FYI: Pears are often recommended as a hypo-allergenic fruit that is high in fiber but less likely to produce adverse reactions. Pear juice is safe to be introduced to infants as they are mild, yet healthful.
* Love Deep 3 (approx 11/12pm) 1 Young Love: Spinach, Cucumber, Celery
FYI: The benefits of spinach are many. Leafy greens like spinach provide more nutrients than any other food, when compared calorie for calorie. Here are some spinach facts to consider: very nutrient-dense food, loaded with flavonoids which act as antioxidants, protecting the body from free radicals, is a heart-healthy food, promotes gastrointestinal health, has anti-inflammatory properties, helps keep your brain young and agile, is protective against eye diseases, and an excellent source of iron. That’s a lot of good stuff!
* Love Deep 4 (approx 1/2pm) 1 Master Tonic: Yacon Syrup, Cayenne Pepper, lemon juice
FYI: Cayenne can do everything from kill cancer cells in the prostate, lungs, and pancreas to immediately stop a heart attack within 30 seconds.
* Love Deep 5 (approx 3/4pm) 1 Veggie Vibe: Lemon, Carrot, Spinach, Cucumber, Celery, Parsley, Beet
FYI: The pigment that gives beets their rich, purple-crimson color-betacyanin-is also a powerful cancer-fighting agent. Beets’ potential effectiveness against colon cancer, in particular, has been demonstrated in several studies.
* Love Deep 6 (approx 5/6pm) 1 Green Love: Spinach, Swiss Chard, Kale, Cucumber, Celery, Green Apple, lemon juice
FYI: If vegetables got grades for traditional nutrients alone, Swiss chard would be one of the vegetable valedictorians. The vitamin and mineral profile of this leafy green vegetable contains enough “excellents” to ensure its place at the head of the vegetable Dean’s List. Our rating system awards Swiss chard with excellent marks for its concentrations of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, magnesium, manganese, potassium, iron, vitamin E, and dietary fiber. Swiss chard also emerges as a very good or good source of copper, calcium, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, protein, phosphorus, vitamin B1, zinc, folate, biotin, niacin and pantothenic acid.
* Love Deep 7 (approx 7/8pm) 1 Cucumber Juice: Cucumber
FYI: The flesh of cucumbers is primarily composed of water but also contains ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and caffeic acid, both of which help soothe skin irritations and reduce swelling.
Day 1 – I felt great, I had no hunger and tons of energy. I enjoyed each meal on time, drank at least one glass of water between each live food item and even enjoyed some of the new flavors that I was tasting. My bladder felt extremely full most of the time and but there were no cravings or weak moments, thankfully!
Day 2 – I was feeling very positive and energized. I had a few hungry moments but nothing that a glass of water with lemon couldn’t cure.
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