Juice Cleanse 101

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My favorite Juice Cleanse Recipes that make for a great juice cleanse and full body reset.

I’m a huge fan of juicing. I just love it!! And because so many of you have asked me to elaborate on it, I’ve decided to share what my juice cleanse look like from start to finish!

Juice Cleanse 101 from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)

First and foremost let me say, I am not a nutritionist and I don’t claim to know everything. I just know how my body reacts to juicing and it’s nice to shed 5+ pounds when I’m feeling bloated and pudgy after some serious holiday indulgence. I also know it’s not for everyone – so if you’re totally anti-juicing, might I suggest you check out these healthy quinoa salads I’ve been whipping up!

Now that we’ve got that out of the way… here’s the deal!

What does a juice cleanse do to your body?

As I mentioned above, I’m not a nutritionist so you should absolutely consult with one if needed. That said, my personal experience from juicing is as follows. The juices provide a mega dose of nutrients into my body which always makes me feel great. It allows my body to reset when it comes to digestion. The extra dose of vitamins boosts my immune system and gives me way more energy that usual.

How long should you do a juice cleanse?

It’s totally up to you. I find that I get the best results when I juice for 3-4 days. You should keep in mind that on top of those 3-4 juicing days, there is a pre and post period that’s very important. So if I’m juicing for 3 days, it really means the cleanse is 9 days… because of the 3 day pre cleanse and 3 day post cleanse schedule that I follow.

If you’re new to juicing, I’d say start with a 3 day cleanse. They aren’t easy – and you want to make sure you aren’t going crazy all the time! So I vote for starting on the shorter side and seeing how your body reacts. And for sure, don’t skip the pre and post cleanse – I’ve done it before and it’s much harder without the pre/post schedule.

How do you prep for a juice cleanse?

I usually prep for 3 days leading up to the cleanse. I cut out basically everything except fruits and vegetables. I eat loaded salads with different veggies, drink boat loads of herbal tea, and hydrate with LARGE amounts of water to prepare myself. No meat, no cheese, no pasta… you get the idea.

What juicer do you use for a juice cleanse?

Let’s talk equipment. I have the Breville Slow Juicer which I love. The Hurom is also AMAZING. I like the “slow” juicers because you actually extract more fiber and nutrients from the fruits and veggies which gives you more pulp and gives you a bit of a thicker juice and all that jazz aka more fiber!

What does a juice cleanse schedule look like?

During my 3-4 days of “juicing” I drink about 6 glasses of juice a day and 6 glasses of water.  I make 3 kinds of juice and for lack of better names, I call them by color: Green Juice (3 glasses daily), Red Juice (1 glass daily), Orange Juice (2 glasses daily). And then I cap off the day with my strawberry almond milk.

Juice Cleanse 101 from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)

So here’s what a day would look like for me:

  • 7:00 am wake up – drink some white ginger tea or hot lemon water
  • 8:00 am – Green Juice #1 + Water
  • 10:00 Orange Juice #1 + Water
  • 12:00 Green Juice #2 + Water
  • 2:00 Red Juice #1+ Water
  • 4:00 Green Juice #3+ Water
  • 6:00  Orange Juice #2+ Water
  • 8:00 Strawberry Almond Milk and some more white ginger tea
  • And that’s about it. Then it’s off to bed where my dreams are usually filled with food. Just kidding, kinda, not really. It’s hard when I live in the food world not to dream about food!!

What do you eat after a juice cleanse?

Post juice cleanse I slowly work my body back onto normal food. I eat lots of raw veggies to start and then slowly work in fruits, fish, quinoa etc. I usually try to stay off of meat for a few more days because that’s just how I roll.

How do you feel during a juice cleanse?

Day 1 is always the hardest for me because I am “head” hungry. Which basically means I think I’m hungry… but really I’m not. I’m just bored and want to eat. Truth is, I’m packing my body with so many micronutrients, it has plenty to run on. I just start day dreaming about grilled cheese sandwiches and then I go crazy. So if you’re juicing, you should probably stay off the food section of Pinterest. 🙂

By day 2 I feel like a million bucks. I sleep better at night, wake up in the morning ready to go. (I literally jump out of bed and Thomas thinks I’m a crazy person) Okay and this might sound weird, but you actually see things more clearly. Not figuratively… I mean literally. Things are sharp and crisp and you’re just ready to take on the day!

So… you might be wondering why I juice? Well, I love it. I do it about every 3-4 months as a way to re-set my body and let it rest. And have you guys ever seen that movie, Fat Sick and Nearly Dead? It’s kinda life changing. I’d highly recommend it if you’re into this kinda thing. It’s super inspiring.

Alright. Ready for some recipes… I am going to give you recipes for all 4 of the liquids I drink during the cleanse. And each recipe is enough for 1 glass so if you’re juicing in bulk every morning, multiply each recipe by however many juices you’ll need that day!

Looking for more amazing breakfast ideas? Check out my 100 favorite breakfast recipes here

Juice Cleanse Recipes

5 from 6 votes
The 4 juices I love to drink when I'm juice cleansing!
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 0 mins
Total Time 5 mins
Course Drinks
Cuisine American
Servings 1 person

Ingredients
  

For the Green Juice

  • 3 leaves kale stem removed and roughly chopped
  • 1 handful spinach leaves roughly chopped
  • 1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
  • 1 bunch parsley roughly chopped
  • 1 cup chopped english cucumber
  • 2 sticks celery roughly chopped
  • 1 whole apple halved and seeds removed
  • 1 inch fresh ginger
  • 1 whole lemon rind removed

For the Red Juice

  • 1 apple, quartered
  • 2 red beets, quartered
  • 3 large carrots
  • 1 orange, rind removed
  • 1-inch piece of ginger
  • 1 handful fresh spinach

For the Orange Juice

  • 9 larget carrots
  • 1 orange, rind removed
  • 1 apple, quartered
  • 1/3 cup fresh pineapple chunks
  • 1/2 lemon, rind removed
  • 1-inch turmeric root

For the Strawberry Almond Milk

  • 1/2 cup unsalted raw almonds
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/2 tbsp agave nectar
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 vanilla bean, seeds removed
  • 3 strawberries, hulled

Instructions
 

For the Green Juice

  • Place ingredients for the green juice into a juicer and juice!

For the Red juice

  • Place ingredients for the green juice into a juicer and juice!

For the Orange Juice

  • Place ingredients for the green juice into a juicer and juice!

For the Strawberry Almond Milk

  • Soak the almonds in some water for at least 2 hours
  • Drain the almonds and combine them with 2 cups of water, agave nectar, cinnamon, vanilla bean and strawberries in a high powered blender and blend for about 2 minutes until very smooth. No need to strain.

Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson / Recipe from What’s Gaby Cooking

321 Comments

  1. Hi, I noticed that in your normal daily routine you have two Green Juice #2’s
    So do you have 3 green juices total and only 1 Red juice per day or do you have 2 of each color each day?

    1. Yes, I drink more of the green juice than any other of the juicers. 3 greens a day for me.

  2. I have been researching juice cleanses for some time now and would like to try one soon, I like they way your “program” is designed and will probably be following the recipes you have provided. My one question to you is how much do the recipes yield and what are your serving sizes? Are the recipes listed for one serving or multiple, and are you taking in 8oz per consumption? Thanks for sharing!

  3. Thanks for the recipes! I have an overactive thyroid and have been told to stay away from kale….what can I use as a substitute?

  4. Hey Gaby!
    I am on day 24 of what started as a 3day cleanse! now, I am shooting for 30 days! I just wanted to say thanks, because found your website to be very helpful when I first started! Just one question…I noticed you and many others sites sometimes use Almond Milk! Doesn’t Almond Milk sort of contradict the 100% juice fast and slightly wakes up the digestion? If not, please advise, because my research thus far has shown pros and cons to using Almond Milk! Thanks!

  5. Hi There
    i am new to juicing and was wondering if these servings are 8oz?
    Can i use turmeric powder form? is it just for flavor?

    1. Hi Maria!

      Yes, they are about 8 ounces. Some might be slightly more and some slightly less. And I’ve never used turmeric powder, but I’d imagine it’s the same thing. Although if you can find fresh turmeric, give it a go as it’s excellent!

    2. So are we to drink all the juice in one day. The red juice and almond one is so much i was just wondering if i should save half for the next day?

    3. So are we to drink all the juice in one day. The red juice and almond one is so much i was just wondering if i should save half for the next day? My husband has now started on this cleanse too 🙂

  6. I have a question…I typically stay away from milky type drinks or substances. Is there a viable substitute for the Strawberry Almond Milk drink? I am allergic to milk and I stay away from some nuts because of an allergic reaction a few years back.

    1. Hey Charm, I don’t know if there is a sub. Are you allergic to all nuts? Because you could easily make this with cashews or walnuts too!

  7. This cleanse looks great! Just curious what the nutritional value of the almond milk is/what role does it play in the cleanse. And are there any alternatives to the strawberry almond milk? Thanks!!

    1. The nut milk is the most caloric of all the juices and its great to drink at night because your body then gets some nourishment before you go to sleep. You could easily do this with cashews or walnuts too!

  8. Wonderful information regarding the cleanse, it’s just what I was looking for, but have yet to come across anything definitive until I found your site. Thanks again, will be back.

    LB

  9. Hi! i really wanna do your cleanse but i like my coffee. can i still drink my coffee while doing this? thanks!

  10. hi! we met at the ferry bldg like a month ago (i’m aida’s friend).

    i am on my first juice cleanse and am using your recipes/plan. they’re really delicious!

    -omar

  11. Is the juicer that you have quiet? I have a very old juicer that I found in the basement of my parents house (so old that the instructions came with a cassette tape) and it is so loud it is impossible to have a conversation while it is going and it drives my boyfriend crazy!

    Thanks!

    1. YES it’s fairly quite!! A lot more quite than anything from a few years ago

    1. It all really depends on your body type! Sorry I can’t give a better answer

  12. Where can I find some cute straws like yours?
    Thank you for the pre warm up plan! I’m about to embark on a juice cleanse so I started juicing more and eating big salads. I will make sure to clean up my diet even more and post pone starting. It makes sense to give the body time to adjust.

  13. After watching Fat, Sick and nearly dead I went out that night and bought a juicer. I am on day 2 of my juice cleanse. My biggest worry was being hungry but so far I am not hungry at all! I actually feel really bloated and my belly hurts. I guess maybe it’s just getting used to all the juice? Do you have any recipes for a stomach soother? I hope this gets better soon!

    1. Hi Whitney, I don’t have anything on the site – but have you tried drinking any caff-free tea? Or hot water with lemon? That might help! Let me know 🙂

    2. I have not tried that but I will get some and give it a try. I was expecting to feel “empty” and not so full! I will let you know if it helps. Thanks again…you have an awesome site. I can’t wait to try some of your recipes when I am done with the cleanse!

  14. Hi Gaby,

    Thanks so much for the website! It’s amazingly helpful.
    A few questions for you:

    1. Do you peel/wash the beets?
    2. Where do you buy vanilla beans? And how do you take the seeds out?
    3. You throw the beans away and only use the outside?

    Thanks so much!

    1. Hey lolo!

      Beets – yes peel them!
      Vanilla Beans – whole foods or amazon.com
      you use the insides of the beans!

    2. Hey to take the seeds out of the vanilla bean just use the tip of a knife butterfly the bean and scrape both sides

    3. And you can store the vanilla pod in a jar of sugar to make vanilla sugar for baking or dusting or steep it in brandy to make your own vanilla essence.

  15. Hi I have a couple of questions 1- what would be the pre and post juicing what doi need to do? 2- I’m nursing is this something do while nursing. I already drink the green juice in the morning. Thank you

    1. Hi Sammy! I’m not sure if it’s okay to do while nursing. I’d check with your doctor before starting 🙂

  16. I know this is a silly question, but where can I find those adorable straws?!
    I also wanted to say thank you for the juicing info! I start my actual juicing on Sunday and am doing the Pre juice stuff beginning tomorrow! Fridge is all stocked up! Thanx again!

    1. woot woot! good luck with the juice! The straws are just from Etsy! Search for cute straws and about 1 million options will show up and you can pick your fav colors and designs 🙂

  17. Hey Gaby!
    Just wondering what sort of meals to eat on the pre-cleanse? For lunch and dinner (without cheating with rice or pasta !) thanks!

  18. I like your idea of prepearing for juicing and exiting from it. Sure, it’s not easy and not healthy to jump straight to juicing without preparation. That’s why so many people give it up because of hunger breaks, headaches and various side effects. Exiting from juicing detox is also not less important than preparation. I agree with you, your mind is so clear and your body wants to fly after juicing. It’s great! I like it also.

  19. I plan on trying this. When you say you do the cleanse for 5-6 days, do I do the juicing 5-6 and do 3 pre and 3 post pre days? This would be a total of 12 days? Right? Thank you for posting this.

    1. yup! I usually do 2-3 days of pre, 5-6 days of juice, and then 2-3 days of post!! Good luck! Keep me posted

  20. Gaby I missed this post the first time around and I agree with everything you said and this is a great post! I have stopped buying cleanses and just do my own juicing and my juices fall into the green and/or pink/red/orange and then the creamywhite bedtime juice categories. Head hungry. That is such a perfect way to describe day 1. And yes to the pre-cleanse stuff. I tried to get off coffee AND do a cleanse at the same time about 2 yrs ago. I was literally going thru the worst caff withdrawals and was head hungry. Can you say hot mess so I’ve since learned to go into cleanses way more prepared and in a better place. Love love this post!

  21. HI Gaby, I love juicing and these recipes look delicious but I also worry about the left over pulp. Do use it for any other recipes or compost or do you just throw it away? It always seems like a such a waste to me but maybe there are no nutrients left in it anyway? Thanks for the help!

  22. How long do you juice for? sorry if you already answered and missed it? I know you said you do it every 2 tp 3 months, but do you juice for a whole week?

    thanks
    Lo

    1. OMG adorable……….and will make drinking my smoothies so much fun! Do you ever order the BPA free ones? I would imagine the plastic ones would be a b—- to clean!

  23. This is super awesome, thanks for sharing the step by step. I’ve been doing various cleanses for years and am starting one next week. And I love to incorporate a few days of juicing the middle, so this makes my life so much easier and less expensive! Making them is so much tastier too!

  24. This may be a silly question, but would this cleanse be recommended for people of any size? I am a fairly petite person (about 110 lbs.) and am worried that this may be too much for me, as I’m not a huge eater to begin with.

    1. Hi Amy! I’m not sure since I’m not a trained nutritionist – my best advice would be to work in a few juices a day and see how you feel before attempting a whole day of juicing!! Hope this helps 🙂

  25. Great recipes, but it would be helpful if you listed the volume per serving. We made the orange juice following your recipe and got ~600 mL. How many servings (or ‘glasses’) is that?

  26. Hi there,

    Just started your cleanse today on Juice #3, thanks for posting the recipes! Quick question, what if you’re not hungry the two hours between the juices, is it better to keep drinking them to get all the nutrients, or okay to skip?

    So far, all the juices taste great!!

  27. I love juicing but have honestly have never made it past one day not eating. But I like this post and you make it seem like a possibility for me. Maybe I will shoot for 2 days:) Good combos-

    1. totally! and you can always give it a try and see how your body feels and adjust from there! It’s all about what feels right for you 🙂

  28. Just curious.. could you use almond milk in the strawberry juice instead of soaking the almonds yourself? Why or why not? This sounds amazing and I am trying to get all of my ideas together. I am a breastfeeding mother and want to be cautious and not detox to harm my baby but perhaps add a few extra good things into my diet. Thanks in advance!

  29. Quick question…I have a friend who has been juicing for some time now since she learned of having cancer. Her methods are much more in depth (read: crazy!), but one thing she mentioned is not using a whole beet in any one serving of juice. They are highly detoxifying as I understand and can make you ill…but I have yet to find a red juice recipe that DOESN’T call for 2 beets. Have you read/heard/experienced anything about this?

  30. This has been very informative. Thanks so much! I am on day 2 of my first ever cleanse and while the first day was super easy, today, oh so hard. I have been looking for some place when I can find the support I need to get through this. Doing pretty well, I feel. Trying to only drink a juice when I would normally eat a meal and have water in between or when I get a craving. Seems to subside the hunger. Am I doing this right? Any suggestions on other support groups as well? I don’t have the home support I should be getting. I’m the only one who believes I can do this, so I’m out to prove everyone wrong. And thanks for the recipes! Just had the red juice for dinner. Yum!

    1. Leslie, keep up the great work! I did this juice cleanse for 7 days straight and I felt the best I’ve ever felt! The first day was hard and the 2nd day was even harder but by the 3rd day, it got easier and became natural. If I felt hungry in between and the water just wasn’t doing it for me, I would have raw veggies to snack on or have another juice. You’re determined to do this and you will. Stay strong because each day will get better. The rewards are well worh it. Since doing this cleanse a year ago, I have now implement it into my daily life. I’ll have at lease 1 or 2 juices a day along with a healthy light meal and it has help maintain the weight I’ve loss as well as a clear glowing complexion, oh and of course, fell so good! Good luck!

    2. Thank you! Glad to know it gets easier. Trying to do just the juice and not raw veggies so I don’t confuse my digestive system with the fibers for at least this first week. Would like to go a full 30 before I start implementing raw veggies or a salad. I have a lot of weight to lose and I’m not expecting for it all to go right away, although it would be nice. Just have to keep myself positive and brush others negative comments off my shoulders. I’ll admit, last night was my first meltdown. I will do this though, and I will prove my friends and family wrong. I may have been “built bigger” as my family tells me, but I believe the convenience if society has allowed that and played a huge role. Healthy choices for a better lifestyle. Thank you again for the support. You don’t know how truly grateful I am.

  31. How many ounces is each juice serving? My wife and I are having a hard time drinking 5-6 of these daily and we may have made them too big.

    1. Hey Corey! Not sure how many ounces each drink is, but they each make 1 serving. It’s a LOT of liquid, so if you can’t drink all of it… save it for the next day!

  32. Hi I have a few questions.
    Your recipes, how much do they make? And can you make them in advance? If so how long do they last? You also said you drink white ginger tea. Ive been drinking green tea lately, can I drink that instead of the white? Do you use anything to sweeten the tea? What size cup do you drink them out of. Im not sure how many ounces to drink of each.

    1. Hi Samantha!!

      Each recipe makes enough for one large juice glass.

      You can make them a day or two ahead of time – but I wouldn’t do too much more than that. They will last for about 3 days! And green tea is great – whatever kind of non-caff tea you prefer! I’ll add lemon juice, but no sweetener. And you can drink as much tea as you want!

    2. Thank you so much for your reply.
      Im having a hard time finding tumeric root and vanilla beans. Is there something else I can use?

    3. Whole Foods is a great source for tumeric! And you can omit the vanilla bean if you want. Otherwise I order it on amazon!

  33. I watched “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead” a few days ago. I agree that it is an eye opener! I am really interested in juicing and have been doing extensive research since watching Joe Cross’ story. This is great for a beginner! I am looking forward to seeing the results. I am not sure how well I will do with this because I just don’t like vegetables or fruit a whole lot. I hope to start soon.

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