Have you ever thought about doing a juice cleanse? I had been for some time and last Tuesday I took the plunge. 
My bad it was supposed to be on the Monday but I had food commitments.

I teamed up with Pure Press Juices for my cleanse which is a Adelaide based company that sells cold press juices individually and in a 1, 3 or 5 day cleanse. I did the 3 day cleanse and i’ll be brutally honest. It was hard.

However I have only myself to blame. I was given the heads up in person and in the booklet that one of the most important things to do prior to the cleanse is to start transitioning your body into the cleansing process before the cleanse. Being a shift worker and a coffee lover I didn’t take this to seriously (thinking I would be fine), but my god I struggled. I usually only drink one coffee a day and thought my body wouldn’t be addicted to caffeine. But how wrong was I.

I had headaches each day and I felt lethargic. My body was craving sugar and and I was desperate for a pick me up. My brain was like a goldfish for the 3 days and my colleagues would say I was “hangry”. The shifts I worked over the 3 days didn’t help as they were all over the place, meaning I missed out on another really important thing required in the cleanse- a good nights sleep!

Minus the headaches and tiredness, there was plenty of great things about the cleanse. My tummy was flat, I didn’t feel bloated and my digestive system was feeling great. I thought I would be super starving (I must admit on the first day I was pretty hungry) but after that the hunger pains subsided. It made me realise how badly my body needs a overhaul and how addicted I am to rubbish foods. I only ate a banana over the 3 days and numerous cups of green tea to help flush the system. By day 3 I was barely craving food.

Because I had never done a cleanse before I chose the “balance cleanse”. The best thing about this cleanse are the juices you get to drink. Pure Press provide you with 6 different juices that you consume every 2-3 hours and I must say they are delicious. The best thing is that you can get your hands on these bad boys individually if your not up to the cleanse (this might be a good idea for beginners to test them out before you commit to the real deal).

The “balance” cleanse- whats included

Pure Green
Kale, Spinach, Green apples, Celery, Cucumber, Parsley, Cos Lettuce, a cube of Ginger and a Squeeze of Lemon juice. The perfect kick start for the morning full of earthy goodness.

Vitalise
A blend of Carrot, Orange, Pineapple, Green Apple, Lemon and Turmeric. fresh, fruity and organic- the perfect mix for your after breakfast treat.

Sweet Green
Spinach, Kale, Red apple, Cucumber, Celery and a hand full of fresh mint. Bursting with sweetness from the apples and not your typical green juice. one of my favourites!

Cleanse
Beetroot, Celery, Carrot, a cube of Ginger and a Squeeze of Lime. Zesty with a kick of ginger makes this juice the perfect choice for the afternoon. Don’t be put off by the beetroot, you will suprise yourself how good it is.

Metabolise
Lemons, Agave syrup a pinch of ground Cayenne and filtered water. This one was the hardest to drink for me. The cayenne and lemon combo made it hot-hot-hot and was very different from all the others.

Day-dream
Coconut, Almonds, a little honey, Vanilla and a pinch each of cinnamon and nutmeg. Like slipping into bed with a wheat bag on a cold winter night, this juice was subtle and smooth with very coconutty and vanilla flavours.

My top cleansing tips-

• Follow the guidelines- they’re there for a reason (I found out the hard way!) Prep your body 1-7 days in advance by slowly abstaining from caffeine and alcohol, refined sugar, dairy, meat, processed foods and nicotine.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Start your morning with warm water and freshly squeezed lemon to assist with hydrating and alkalising your body.
• Avoid doing anything to strenuous during the course of the cleanse- this is my personal preference. My work requires me to fire on all cylinders so next time I’ll choose to do my cleanse when i’m not feeling the stress of work.

You can find the crew at Pure Press Juice online or in selected stores. 

***Big thanks to Pure Press Juice for supplying these products. Although supplied products, all thoughts and opinions about the cleanse and juices are my own***