Are you thinking of starting a juice cleanse? Many people considering doing our juice cleanse ask us what to do before they start or what to eat before a juice cleanse. Before you begin, it’s a good idea to get prepped and ease into the cleanse gently. Here are a few things you need to know about preparing for a juice cleanse:
-
Drink lots of water
It’s good advice to drink plenty of water at any time, but in the days leading up to your cleanse, it’s a good idea to increase your water intake and keep hydrated. Drinking water throughout the cleanse will also help hydration, but it also helps to flush waste.
-
Reduce your intake of caffeine
Pre-juice cleanse; it’s a good idea to wean off the caffeine, ideally around four days before cleansing. If your body is used to a diet high in caffeine, withdrawing could cause a headache, tiredness, or leave you feeling foggy. Here are eight symptoms related to caffeine withdrawal. The peak of symptoms is usually around 2 to 4 days after cutting out caffeine. Therefore caffeine withdrawal pre-cleanse can help avoid those symptoms while juicing and help you get the most from your cleanse.
-
Eat clean
Try loading up on lots of natural plant-based foods to kick start your cleanse gently before your juice starts. Removing processed foods and alcohol from your diet a few days before you start cleansing will make the transition to juicing much easier, and you’ll likely reduce any side effects. Choose foods with maximum nutritional benefits like breakfast smoothies or overnight oats, colourful salads and soups. There are some great recipe ideas on the Plenish blog, such as our favourite acai smoothie bowl and our summer mezze platter.
-
Plan your social diary and workout routines
While it may seem a good idea to get going with your juice cleanse as soon as possible, it’s actually best to plan it when you haven’t got lots of social activities in the diary. For one, you’ll be avoiding alcohol for the duration of the cleanse, and for the best results, with a Plenish cleanse, you’ll be drinking only the juices provided – so no solid food either. Having to meet friends out for meals or other celebrations could be too much of a temptation. That doesn’t mean you can’t have any fun, though! Pre-cleanse and during the cleanse is a great time for relaxing and pampering at home, think yoga, daily walks, face packs, reading etc. Bliss.
-
Stock up on lemons, herbal teas, and veg
As part of the juice cleanse, we recommend that you start each day with hot water with freshly squeezed lemon juice. Lemons are full of Vitamin C and can help wake up your digestive system. You are unlikely to feel hungry on a juice cleanse, but if you do get hunger pangs, it’s ok to have a handful of fresh crudites like carrots or cucumber and drink caffeine-free herbal tea. It’s a good idea to make sure you have them to hand at home, as they would make a better choice than something unhealthy or processed.
Start the prep for your cleanse a few days early, and you’ll get the maximum benefits of whichever Plenish juice cleanse you choose. You should get a big energy boost, digestion reset, improved sleep, and glowing skin. Want to know more? Find out everything you need to know about juice cleansing.