Before I go on to talk about the actual juice cleanse, let’s rewind a little bit.

The weekend before I started cleansing, I was in Chandigarh for my friend’s wedding. Wait, I was in BALLE BALLE CHANDIGARH FOR MY FRIEND’S BIG FAT PUNJABI KUDDI KI NACH BALIYE SHAADI OYE! Yes, that does it justice.

If you have been to a Punjabi wedding, you know the debauchery that ensues. If you haven’t; let me just say you haven’t lived. Three days of drinking, (it’s not a Punjabi wedding without the Patiala pegs), eating (I swear I saw someone eating butter chicken for breakfast), and dancing (let’s just say it wasn’t a very heels-friendly wedding) ensured that the detox couldn’t have been timed better. I’d put my body through the ringer.

A couple of days after I came back, batch #1 of the Raw Pressery juices were sent over. My first impression - the clean, crisp design (I’ve always been a sucker for good packaging) and the size of the bottles which measured 413ml each, did not disappoint. I was expecting tiny pint-sized bottles and it was a relief to see I wouldn’t be starving myself.

So here’s how the cleanse works – Raw Pressery sends you the juices on the morning of the cleanse – 6 bottles that are supposed to be had chronologically after a gap of 2.5 hours starting at 9 in the morning. The ‘schedule’ is as follows:

 

  • 9.00 am: TRIM - Kale, spinach, doodhi, amla, celery, green apple, ginger and lemon

My least favourite, but the ginger, apple and lemon save it from being unpalatable. My advice, take big sips.

  • 11.30 am: RUN – Pineapple, pear and chia seeds

This isn’t like the pineapple juice you’re used to having – it’s ultra fresh and has a very clean, natural taste.

  • 2.00 pm: FLUSH – Apple, beet, carrot, ginger and lemon

Not a big fan of the Flush, but that’s probably because I hate beetroot, which is the dominant flavour here. Ginger and lemon to the rescue, again.

  • 4.30 pm: SHIELD – Bell pepper, tomato, carrot, celery, basil, ginger and lemon

In terms of flavour, this one is the most complex. Think of it as a cold summer soup.

  • 7.00 pm: GLOW – Cucumber, Coconut water, Pineapple, lemon grass, aloe vera and lemon

Cucumber is the major flavour source in the Glow. Light and refreshing, it goes down easy.

  • 9.30 pm BUILD – Almonds, honey, cinnamon, water and sea salt

My favourite by a country mile. Again, I’m a sucker for almonds and cinnamon so it’s a highly subjective opinion. Still,a great dessert-ish drink.

 

Now on to the actual experience. The first day did bring about some side effects, as I was warned. Slight nausea and a headache – I was told this would happen when the body started flushing out toxins, although honestly I think my system was just plain confused with so much healthy stuff going in.

The next day was MUCH better. I didn’t feel sick at all, and the nausea had completely subsided. By day 3, I could wave away tempting solid food (I said no to Pizzas, grilled cheese sandwiches, ice-cream and cookies) even though I’m not much of a dieter. Pat on the back moment.

What impressed me most was the fact that the juices were F-R-E-S-H. I’m not kidding. A bit of miscommunication led to me getting the juices a day earlier and even after keeping them refrigerated, one of them got spoiled. How is that a good thing, you ask? It means there’s zero preservatives in the juice which gives them a shorter shelf-life. Since they’re all cold-pressed, which is a method commonly used to make hydrogenated oil, there is lesser nutrient and vitamin loss than in juices made the regular way. Plus points all around.

Bottom line, it really wasn’t as hard as I thought it’d be. I expected myself to snap at any moment, running to the nearestvada-pavstall to stuff my face. But it didn’t happen, and it felt great. I was told I’d feel lighter after the cleanse somehow, but I dismissed it as a marketing gimmick. Truth is, you DO feel lighter, thanks to a couple of reasons. For starters, your digestive system can take it relatively easy – the enzymes in the raw ingredients in the juices practically digest themselves. Secondly, the cleanse flushes toxins out of your system.

But there are a couple of side effects (please bear in mind this is a personal experience article and the effects on my body may differ from others). Apart from the initial nausea, my, umm, bowels took a nice long 3 day break. Despite that, it was the lightest I’d felt. Go figure.

The Raw Pressery guys do provide a basic nutrition plan for the days leading up to a cleanse and for a few days after, so that your body has time to prepare. I must admit, I cheated. I had pizza and cake after the 3rd day, not because I had to, but because I wanted to. However, if you’re not half the wuss I am and can manage a few days of not stuffing junk down your throat, I recommend you stick with the program. If the effects are even 10% better than what I felt, I’d say it’s totally worth it.

 

Raw Pressery provides 1-day and 3-day cleanse packages, as well as the individual juices. All orders need to be placed at least 48 hours in advance. For more info, head to their website, Facebook or Twitter page.

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Image Courtesy: Raw Pressery