Raw + Organic Juice Cleanse | Healing from the Inside Out

You know that feeling you get, right when you leave the dentist’s office? Where you glide your tongue along your squeaky clean teeth? Feels almost like you’re on a water slide or something! Yipee!

Talk about (oh so) satisfying! There’s just something about having perfectly clean teeth that makes me sing on the inside!

I see it like this; no matter how often you brush and floss, your teeth are just never as clean as when you leave the dentist. Right?

It’s kind of like, no matter how healthy you try to eat, or stick to a diet or regimen, your insides are just never as clean as when you finish a raw, organic juice cleanse.

Why else do we do them?

I like to look at a juice cleanse as more than simply “flushing out toxins”. It’s about hitting reset for the body. About giving my organs and my stomach a break from working in overdrive for so long. It’s about that feeling I get on the inside, just like when I leave my dentist’s office. A clean and healthy refresher. Incorporating juices as part of a cleansing regimen, also including herbal supplements like those from Dherbs or the more recent technology of removing unwanted toxins through the ionic detox machines like those from A Major Difference, could be a great way to move towards a healthier lifestyle.

And no matter how good I feel after a cleanse, the same question always seems to resurface;

What is the ultimate value in doing a juice cleanse?

What I’ve found the true value in doing a juice cleanse to be, really lies within the health benefits listed here:

Health benefit #1 – A juice cleanse provides a break for your organs.

A juice cleanse means a giving your stomach, your liver, and your digestive tracts a much needed break. If you’re like me, you eat more than just your three meals a day. A snack here, a snack there… at the end of the day, it really does all add up. And ultimately that means your stomach is constantly working to try and break down all the foods you keep putting into your body.

Health benefit #2 – Cell-repair, preventing free radicals + reducing inflammation.

Of the foods you consume, how many are inflammatory? Can you tell?

Wine, cheese, eggs, bread, meat, dairy, sugar, alcohol… all inflammatory. And then there are the foods you wouldn’t even think would be inflammatory, like vegetable oil!

With a juice cleanse, you experience zero inflammation – granted the ingredients are exclusively raw organic fruits and vegetables. These juices are something you can create with ingredients around the house with a cold press juicer to bring it all together.

And without getting into the great “free radicals debate” too deeply (on whether they’re good or bad for us)… Ultimately, what you need to know in this context is that over time, free radicals (cells that’ve gone rogue) damage the body and contribute significantly to the aging process.

Antioxidants, on the other hand, predominant within juice cleanses, contribute to cell-repair, and help prevent free radicals from destroying other healthy cells.

IMO – the best way to prevent free radical damage is through diet. Specifically, through eating and consuming foods high in antioxidants, and free of chemicals, preservatives and pesticides.

In case you were wondering, some foods high in antioxidants include:

• Berries
• Cacao
• Grapes
• Brightly coloured fruits & vegetables
• Goji berries
• Pecans
• Carrots
• Peppers…

Health benefit #3 – Fewer calories, more vitamins & nutrients.

Fruits and vegetables, in and of themselves, are lower in calorie counts relative to other foods, yet much higher in vitamins and minerals essential to the body.

Cold pressed juice cleanses often utilize a hydraulic juicer, which extracts from the fruits and vegetables, as much nectar as physically possible, directly from the pulp. And it’s been said that through juicing, our bodies absorb essential vitamins and minerals more effectively than through any other method of consumption.

Health benefit #4 – Hydration + cutting cholesterol.

Many of us don’t drink as much water as our bodies require us to. One of the benefits of being on a juice cleanse of 6 x 500ml of cold pressed juices per day, ensures we remain sufficiently hydrated.

Of equal significance here, is the intake of exactly 0 cholesterol, as all plant foods are cholesterol-free. In fact, some fruits and vegetables are even proven to lower cholesterol levels;

Fruits & vegetables that lower cholesterol:

• Apples
• Grapes
• Strawberries
• Eggplant
• Beans
• Citrus fruits…

Health benefit #5 – Hitting reset for your gut + flushing out toxins.

IMO, the word “detox” has been killed. Overused. Diluted. What does it really even mean anymore?

In the context of a juice cleanse, a major benefit is in fact, that it can flush toxins naturally out of the body. I.e., a true definition of “detoxing”.

A juice cleanse can also act as a resetting process for your gut, giving it a break from typically having to digest complex foods.

Health benefit #6 – Portion control + reducing appetite.

Ever notice a problem with overeating & portion control? I have. I tend to overeat, over often.

Juice cleanses can actually reduce your overall appetite in the long run, as after your three days of cleansing, your body will need time to adjust to regular food portions. You’ll likely only be able to eat smaller portions at first, making it easier to continue eating smaller, or regular sized portions over time vs regularly overeating.

What to look for in a juice cleanse?

Just like with any food or drink you put in your body, before buying something, look at what’s inside, first. Of course, you could always make your juice cleanses yourself. That way, you’ll know exactly what’s going into the drink. To create your own juice cleanse, you’ll probably need to get a juicer to ensure all the ingredients have been blended together correctly. Before purchasing a blender, you could read some reviews by Mia Young from Juice Buff to ensure that the juicer will be worth the money. Alternatively, you could consider purchasing some juice cleanses from a company.

Buda Juices are 100% certified organic, and the importance of the cold-chain process during the production of juice is to ensure the nutrients remain in their rawest and most nutrient dense form.

As I’m sure you saw me share on my instagram account, these juices really are fantastic! I always tend to opt for a green drink, but during this cleanse I actually enjoyed the red one (beet-based) the most.

I truly and honestly never felt hungry during the cleanse, as my body was absorbing all the vitamins and nutrients it needed from the juices. And the cleanse was designed so that the richer, thicker almond milk, is to be consumed for dinner. It was 100% filling, and tied me over well into the next morning.

Healing your body by following a raw diet.

Not long ago I shared with you that my heart mate and I were following an 80% raw vegan diet. The impetus for us was meeting with my cousin, a certified Naturopath, during our travels in British Columbia earlier this year.

Post meeting (re: running home to google everything I was now learning about a raw diet), my main takeaways were how raw, organic plant-based diets have been able to repair cell tissue (see free radicals section above), and actually reverse disease for a number of people.

I learned about acid vs alkaline foods. The spectrum that all foods fall on. And ultimately, that a raw vegan diet is one of the best ways to ensure our bodies and our organs are absorbing all the vitamins and nutrients they need, in natural form.

Avoiding or minimizing intake of foods that are high in cholesterol, contribute to inflammation, and contribute to free radical production in the body, was a no brainer. These are foods like eggs, meat, dairy, excess alcohol.. Etc.

But the ultimate benefit of adopting a primarily raw diet, are the healing effects it can have on the human body. Many of the same benefits of doing a juice cleanse, listed above!

Have you thought about doing a juice cleanse?!

Which brands of juices do you like?! What are some of your favourite flavours? Let me know if you’ve ever felt better after a cleanse by leaving me a message below!

So! The final question; to juice cleanse, or not to juice cleanse?

Ultimately it will come down to your readiness, your commitment and ensuring you select a brand whose food ethos aligns with yours.

Knowing the difference between buying organic and nonorganic will help guide your decision.

Selecting a brand that offers fully certified organic ingredients is primary. Doing so ensures there are no preservatives, pesticides, or residual waste/excretion in the ingredients used for their juices. Sometimes, even when you think you’re eating healthy by opting for a “healthier alternative”, you still need to do your research!

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Nick Joly | Inspired by Nick

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