Whenever friends or acquaintances would solemnly announce that a 3- or 5- or even 7-day juice cleanse was imminent, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. Go without food? … Voluntarily? I was never someone who wanted to do a hyped up “juice cleanse” – because I don’t understand how to do without a whole meal, much less replace it with a single juice… The health benefits weren’t enough to convince me, as I find that quitting something “cold turkey” is completely absurd and hardly sustainable. Though, in retrospect, I guess I didn’t have an appropriate enough explanation the actually beneficial health trend commonly known as “juicing”.

A juicy story…

After I underwent a palatial operation, I was forced to go on a juice cleanse – or a “liquid diet”; besides juices, there also soups & smoothies to choose from. In preparation during the weeks prior, I began to remove various food groups from my diet, and even asked our naturopath & nutritional expert Alana for anti-inflammatory vegetables & fruits that would be best to use in juices & smoothies.

“A detox requires the expected exclusions – like no caffeine, no alcohol, no sugar (and no fun!) – but the experience of a detox doesn’t have to be one of deprivation… There’s really no need for difficulties; it can be as simple as making healthy choices that work for you, as you work to eliminate toxic waste from your body.” — Alana Bonnemann, A Sustainable Detox – Reducing the Toxic Load

After the first two weeks of only living on liquids, it started to feel a little bit better; my head felt lighter, no more “brain fog”. Longer walks were possible again, and I was more self-sufficient than just before the operation. Nevertheless, there was still no question when it came to extreme physical activity or even working for 8 hours a day – with or without surgery – because the fact remained that my body lacked the necessary nutrients. Fortunately, I was under constant medical observation. Only under such surveillance could one survive for a long period of time without harmful side effects.

via GIPHY

In my opinion, juicing should only be done for a limited time, and definitely only if you have holiday time free of obligation – because the lack of nutrients not only eats away at your nerves, but also atrophies your physique. However, I didn’t want to miss out on all the positive attributes of juicing after my recovery.

Even juicier results…

Since my (involuntarily) prescribed juice cleansing treatment, I now juice weekly. So no, not daily – because juicing is very time-consuming and my day consists of only 24 hours. However, you can prepare your juices 2-3 days in advance, so you’ll have half a week’s worth of freshly squeezed juices that you can drink for breakfast in the morning. One of my favorite summer combos was celery, cucumber, ginger & apple. Celery juice was a hit on Instagram this year, and I came onto the fad thanks to my nutritional angel Laura and her wellness blog Lustesser.

So it seems that Lynn (of the delectable food blog Heavenlynn Healthy) will be right about her vision for the year to come – that we’ll see increased celery consumption due to the many positive effects its juices have on our gut. The taste of the juice is not for everyone, as the leaves of the celery are quite bitter. I also do not like drinking the juice… which is why I prefer to stick to the combination of juices I mentioned above.

In winter, root vegetables such as beetroot & carrot pair well with oranges or apples (those who suffer from allergies can resort to the old variety of “Santana”, with reservations!). Add a thick dash of ginger or even turmeric, which will really bring the heat – for a stronger immune system. I also like to prepare shots of ginger, turmeric & apples. If you’re looking for more healthy juice combinations, you’ll be sure to find them on Lynn’s blog – or in her book “Himmlisch gesund – Natürliche Rezepte für ein gutes Leben”.

If you don’t have a juicer already, don’t just open up a tab in your web browser and buy a new one. How about asking your family and friends first? Somewhere there might be a used but well-maintained juicer living out its bleak existence in some drawer, just waiting to be used by you! At least that’s how I came to find my juicer – surely 20 years old, in good condition, and running flawlessly. This will save you money and counteract useless consumption.

However, if doing all the juicing yourself is too far out of your comfort zone, then there are many great companies already doing it for you: Daluma is one, and there’s also LA Cold Press – it’s been around since 2014, and its colorful juices have found their way into a few of our shop’s events. (Psssst, our Amazingy content editor & videographer J. R. Thesis and I recently visited their flagship store in Berlin and talked to Cindy, one of the two founding sisters. Check out the latest edition of our 3QW/ series on our YouTube channel!)

Our favorite from LA Cold Press is their “Sweet Greens” – the first among the green juices, with a savory mixture of chlorophyll-rich veggies and deliciously sweet fruits. Though I still highly suggest that you make your juices from organic fruits & vegetables or go to a market nearby to purchase regional & seasonal produce – without any of the negative side effects from pesticide cocktails used on non-organic farms.

My take on the “juice cleanse”…

Now, I would not recommend a week-long juice cleanse to anyone, because: a) you’re not dirty, which the word “cleanse” implies; and b) I doubt the true health benefits of a week-long treatment in which you only consume fluids – especially if you have a full workload on top of that. We must stop relaying the message that we as consumers are somehow “dirty”; we can instead see such a juicing detox as a way of providing fortifying ingredients to help your body do its job. This would be especially worth considering if you’ve been struggling for weeks/months with sugar (Kinder Bueno, anyone?), as well as with wheat, cheese and/or alcohol consumption.

A short break or detox can be extremely good for the body. So why not have a fresh morning juice and some porridge instead of coffee & croissant? It’s small, consistent & sustainable changes like these that can have the greatest positive effects on you. It’s all about stimulating your body’s own strengthening processes ♥

What do you think about the “juice cleanse”
– or food trends, in general?

Have you tried something similar
and stayed with it long-term?

Answer in the comments below!

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Photo credit & translation: @syn__thesis