I’m a big fan of juicing. I think it’s a fantastic way to easily add nutrients + vitamins into your diet. I typically drink juice to start my day, supplement a meal, or even as a snack. However, I had never, ever tried a juice cleanse until a couple of weeks ago, when the new Ohio-based company Garden of Flavor contacted me to try their juices. I was excited! You can juice for 1 or 3 or more days but I chose the 1-day juice cleanse because well, I was nervous. I knew the benefits — glowing skin, less bloat, more energy, less sweet cravings, etc. — plus cleansing has been around for years and the process essentially gives your digestive system a break.

By consuming the Garden of Flavor Juice Cleanse, you give your body a break from all solid foods and instead have 6 juices (packed with nutrients/vitamins) + tons of water throughout the day. They also recommend a glass of warm water with fresh lemon in the AM + if you get hungry, adding an extra juice and/or raw fruit to your cleanse. Garden of Flavor has carefully organized the juices in a specific order for the day:

1.) Goji Pineapple: Pineapple + Goji berries + Lemon + Apple + Mint + Ginger
2.) Cucumber Fresh: Cucumber + Celery + Parsley + Lemon
3.) Mean Green: Celery + Cucumber + Kale + Spinach + Romaine + Lemon
4.) Twisted Roots: Carrot + Beet + Lemon
5.) White Knight: Distilled Water + Cashew Nuts + Agave Nectar + Vanilla Bean + Cinnamon
6.) Lemon Pepp: Alkaline Water + Lemon + Agave + Cayenne Extract

Garden of Flavor juice is raw + cold pressed, which means it has as much juice, nutrients, enzymes, chlorophyll, and oxygen possible (aka not packed with preservatives + tons of sugar). Which means they are healthy but also, oh so delicious.

Here’s the low-down on how my 1-day juice cleanse went…

6:15a: Mug of hot water + fresh lemon. Glass of cold water.
6:30a: Juice #1 (Goji Pineapple) tasted delicious + I’m feeling great, ready to start my day.
10:45a: Yikes. I’m starting to get a headache. Oops. Totally should have had an AM cup of black coffee and/or green tea to ward off this caffeine-withdrawl mess. I have Juice #2 (Cucumber Fresh) + I’m not going to lie, I’m feeling slightly hungry. Glass of water.
11:30a: Lunch time! I have Juice #3 (Mean Green) and I’m feeling still slightly hungry, but very refreshed + less bloated. Headache still ensues (in hindsight, I should have made a caffeine run to improve this but I didn’t). Glass of water.
3:45p: Hello, Juice #4 (Twisted Roots)! I love you! You’re sweet and delicious but I’m absolutely craving something to chew on the way home from work. Like, anything. I’m very hungry.
4:30p: I’m home from work. My stomach wants solid food. I have a couple of glasses of water.
5:30p: I can’t wait to have Juice #5 (White Knight)! Luckily, it’s packed with 14 g of protein + 440 cals! I’m feeling much better. I also have a cup of green tea + I’m reminding myself to drink tons of water.
7:30p: Juice #6 (Lemon Pepp) is refreshing + I’m feeling really, really good. I have a few more glasses of water.
9:30p: Not snacking was a bit difficult so I go to bed a bit early.

Okay, next day, post-juice cleanse:
6:00a: I wake up + have two scrambled eggs with fresh basil. I don’t crave my usually-sweet breakfast cereal. At all. I also have a cup of green tea instead of coffee + a glass of water.
10:00a: Not hungry. Feeling great.
11:30a: Kind of hungry. I have a fresh spinach salad with cherry tomatoes + almonds + sunflower seeds + olive oil + balasamic vinegar and strawberries.
5:30p: Still feeling great. I have grilled chicken + veggies. So yummy.
8:00p: Okay, I have a chocolate craving, which I knew was bound to happen. So I have a little bit of ice cream. Sue me.