I Survived the Juju Cleanse!

Those who follow me on Twitter already know that I completed my first ever detox "program" yesterday, the Juju Cleanse.  I promised to do a review for the benefit of those who want to try it out, so here it is!

The Juju Cleanse One-Day Pack

I've always wanted to do a cleanse or detox program but the more popular programs were either too expensive (e.g. The Farm) or too hard-core (e.g. The Master Cleanse).  Juju Cleanse was perfect because it was relatively affordable, and you can choose the program best suited to your needs.  My goal is just to start eating healthy, so I chose to do the level one program for one day (P2,500.00), and see how it progresses from there. (As you will find out later on, choosing to do level one turned out to be a really wise decision.)

Ordering the Juju Cleanse is a breeze.  Just send an email to info@juju.com.ph and specify the level and the number of days you want to do the cleanse, and whether you want it delivered (if within their delivery area) or picked up.  Kat Azanza (the woman behind Juju) responds very quickly to inquiries and even gives you tips on what program is best for you!  I was very satisfied with their customer service.

As it turned out, my office was within their delivery area, so my Juju pack arrived in the afternoon of Friday, the day before my cleanse:

The Juju Cleanse pack side by side with a Speedy, for size reference

The juices came nicely packed in an insulated bag with an ice pack on top.  I was surprised at how small the bag was!  It was even smaller than a Speedy 30 bag, which makes it very easy to lug around when you have to go somewhere on the day of your cleanse.  I didn't really need to use the bag though, since I decided to stay home while doing the cleanse, in case I would feel weak or woozy.

Juices are numbered to indicate the order how you drink them

Aside from the six numbered bottles and the ice pack, the bag came with a few sprigs of mint leaves (for making tea) and some instruction pamphlets with descriptions of each juice and when to drink them.   Since I don't drink or make tea at all, I had to ask Kat how to make mint tea from the leaves.  She said I just had to steep the leaves in hot water, but she also said that the mint tea is really just for those who usually start off the day with something hot.  I decided to skip this step and go straight to the first juice at 8:00 a.m.:

The Green Bomb is "an elixir of assorted green veggies which loads you up with important nutrients and enzymes that our bodies desperately need to keep alive and well down to the cellular level."  Sounds fancy! Unfortunately, the green concotion was so unpalatable for me that I had to take three gulps and struggled to keep it down.  I think it was the overwhelming taste of celery that I couldn't stomach. I nearly vomited after the last gulp.  Thankfully, I didn't. I just drank a glass of water afterward to take the aftertaste off. (By the way, you are not prohibited from drinking water during the cleanse...in fact, you're encouraged to drink lots and lots of it!)

The juices are supposed to be taken in two-and-a-half hour intervals, so the next drink came at 10:30 a.m.:

The Spicy Limonada is "not just your ordinary lemonade, this version packs a little extra heat and health into every sip with cayenne pepper".  This lemonade+cayenne pepper combination is the drink used in the Master Cleanse program.  I am happy to report that this is actually quite good!  It's so refreshing that I downed it in only one gulp!  And I didn't have to drink a glass of water to wash the aftertaste off! 

At this point, I noticed that I had to pee more than usual.  And I was not experiencing any sort of hunger pangs yet.  I could smell breakfast of french toast downstairs though, so I locked myself in my upstairs room to avoid all temptation.  Hehe.

The third drink was scheduled at 1:00 p.m.

The Red Giant is a "potent potion of beets, pineapple, carrots and ginger" and is "as healthy as it is delicious".  I've actually tried a pineapple carrot drink before and that was actually delicious.  This drink?  Not so much.  I think it was because the ginger overpowered the pineapple taste and I'm not exactly fond of ginger to begin with.  Still, this was definitely more palatable than the Green Bomb and I was able to consume it in three gulps, no need to wash off the taste after.

Still no hunger pangs, still no dizziness.  Meanwhile, I can smell the lunch of porkchops downstairs.  Sigh.

At 3:30, I took the next drink:

The Alkazest is a "rich mix of grapefruit, pineapple and coconut juice designed to replenish your electrolytes and boost your energy levels to help you get through the rest of the day."  This one tastes like Fit and Right Four Seasons!  I literally consumed this in one gulp, bottoms up.  It was a little bit sweet, so I had to drink a glass of water after.

Hmmm, I'm noticing a pattern here.  One bad drink followed by one good drink.  And that means the next one is...

Another bottle of Green Bomb.   Hay!

It took me one hour to finish this second Green Bomb (30 minutes of that was spent just staring at the bottle hoping it will disappear.)  The taste didn't improve.  At least I didn't get the urge to vomit this time.

Finally at 9:30 p.m. (time adjusted because I finished the previous drink really late), I drank this:

Salaba't Lemon is a "potent ginger tonic that provides excellent expectorant relief for those with respiratory problems."  This was heavy on the ginger as well, but the lemon-y taste was also strong so the ginger taste was not as overwhelming.  This one tastes like Toast Box's Lemon Ginger tea, and like the Limonada, was very refreshing. 

At the end of the day, I felt quite accomplished.  I don't think I've ever gone a day without eating anything before.  It's amazing that I didn't feel the urge to eat! All that liquid really made me feel full and bloated.

Today is the day after my cleanse and I thought I would eat like a mad woman, but I didn't.  I ate normal portions and didn't even eat any junk food.  I don't know if it's only psychological, but at least now I'm trying to watch what I eat.  Sayang naman P2,500 ko, no! (As an aside, I'm happy to report that I have not consumed any form of soda for seven days running.  Let's see how far this will go.)

Bottom line:  I'm very very pleased with the Juju Cleanse.  I honestly have no idea if I did get rid of some toxins with the one-day only juice fast, so I'm now contemplating on doing the three-day juice fast.  I have to stick to level one though, since I cannot take any more servings of the Green Bomb in one day (the higher level of cleanse, the more veggie drinks there are).  When I decide to do the three-day program, I'll write an updated review. 

For more information on the Juju Cleanse, go to www.jujucleanse.com.