Tried & Tested: 3-day Juice cleanse from Hic’ Juice

When it comes to healthy practices, I won’t win any medals. In fact, I’m far from being healthy despite what most people assume from my appearances.

For starters, I have hardly ever stepped into a gym and I can’t remember the last time I practiced on my yoga mat. I’m admittedly lazy when it comes to exercise and prefer spending my time reading a book, socialising or watching a great movie or two, instead of sweating out on a treadmill.

Secondly, I eat out almost everyday. While I only have a burger or a pizza once every two weeks and naturally prefer healthier options, my meal times are very erratic. A Grande latte makes up my breakfast, followed by a light lunch. I end my day with a big calorie-packed dinner, not to mention my sweet tooth cravings and social drinking in between. Random I know, but with no one to tell me off and thankfully no weight problems (I’m consistently a size UK6-8), I kinda enjoy my unusual carefree routine.

However, lately I’ve been feeling fatigued all day and only a huge amount of caffeine (I’m talking 2 or 3 shots of espresso every afternoon) could keep me going – hence an intervention was needed.

Among my options was a juice cleanse. While the thought of lasting 3 full days just on juices and with no solid food was not a welcomed one to start with, I figured it was better – and easier – than enrolling in a bootcamp or counting calories for a month. After all, it’s just for three days so how hard could it be?

Turns out not too bad at all. Here’s some insight into my juice cleanse experience, hoping that it would help those of you who are thinking of taking the plunge.

What is a juice cleanse?

It is basically a process of detoxing, cleansing your body and giving your digestive system a break  by only consuming organic, raw and cold-pressed juices and water over a period of time (options for a 1, 3 or 5 days cleanse are available). Other benefits include less bloating, clearer skin and more energy post cleanse.

How does it work?

Simply order your cleanse online (specifying the period and intensity) and wait for it to be delivered on the eve of the day you plan to start the cleanse.

The Hic Juice delivery comes in 3 neatly-packed cooler bags, each marked as ‘Day x’ and containing 6 500ml glass bottles of pressed juice to be refrigerated at all times. You are told to consume all 6 juices in the marked order (Juice 1 first, juice 6 last) at 2-hour intervals and drink water in between as specific water windows. You are not supposed to supplement the juices with any other kinds of foods or drinks except some herbal tea if you feel like it. The delivery also includes a cleanse manual with the schedule, tips and sheets to fill in and make sure you are on track.

It is advised that you start preparing at least two days before, by eliminating certain heavy foods from your diet and cutting down on caffeine.

My experience:

Day 1:

First, I have to admit, although I knew I should have started preparing my body a few days earlier, I didn’t. Correction: I couldn’t! So I expected the worst. However it was not that bad. I made a point to start the cleanse on a weekend so if I get cranky, no one will have to deal with it and the lack caffeine would not affect my productivity at work. Surprisingly, I was well and I took all my juices on time – with less water than recommended in between – and didn’t feel hungry except perhaps at dinner time. But the last juice (Nut Milk) was so yummy that I didn’t complain and went to bed earlier than usual.

Day 2:

Day two was a working day but somehow I didn’t have as heavy a craving for coffee as I thought. Once I had my first juice (which included dragon fruit and spinach) I felt quite full. The juices were enough to keep me going and being busy at work meant I had no time to think about food. All in all, it was tolerable that is until about 6pm where I started feeling hungry. Again my juice helped fill my stomach and I went to bed early to avoid temptations.

Day 3:

Day three was the most surprising. Excited to have gotten this far, I was in a very good mood the whole day. I sipped my drinks as marked and didn’t think of food at all – except when a delicious looking chocolate cake was brought in for a colleague’s birthday and I ended up cutting it up for everyone except myself. I had a peaceful night afterwards with my last juice being pure coconut water and thinking of all the things I can’t wait to chew again the next day.

After the cleanse:

The next morning, coffee was a must. This is one part of my diet which won’t change except perhaps cutting down on the afternoon espressos.  Still with no breakfast, I had chicken rice for lunch and a tasty Greek salad for dinner with no desserts the whole day. Overall I felt more energised and was in a very good mood despite a stressful schedule. I was surprised that I had no cravings whatsoever and when it came to food, I wanted something with a bit of green in it.

My verdict:

Overall, my cleanse experience was actually a pleasant one. Only the lack of coffee in the morning and solid food at night were the difficult parts. The juices were mostly delicious (I especially enjoyed the Nut Milk, Green Lemonade – basically a salad in a bottle – Lemon N’ Spice and Heartbeat, which was the best) – except perhaps for Oh My Greens which contained broccoli hence I failed to finish the bottle. During and after the cleanse, I noticed my bloating was gone, my skin looked better and I had more energy overall. I even intend to do it again in a few months and meanwhile attempt to eat healthier and get back to yoga.

Would I recommend it? I definitely would! Anything that can make you feel better inside out and doesn’t involve torturous physical activity is a good thing in my books. My tip would be to take up the challenge with a positive attitude and instead of spending the three days complaining of hunger and obsessing about food – think of it as something your body needs and do it with a smile!

You can check out more information and order your juice cleanse at http://hicjuice.com.sg

Rana Wehbe