As self confessed foodies the thought of a juice only diet fills us with dread and we question how we will survive without solids for three days. But, as friends and ‘super healthy people’ keep telling us, “it’s good for you” so we thought it was time we gave this a go, especially as party season nears.
We contacted award winning British brand Plenish (only the best for us) who promised to provide great-tasting (100% organic) power-packed drinks to fuel full-on lifestyles. We definitely feel the need for a full body MOT so this would be a good way to kick start. The brands explains that there’s no ‘re’ in Plenish because ‘replenishing’ is often too late and instead believe and encourage to be proactive, not reactive, about health. Oops maybe we should have thought of doing one sooner…
Still as the first brand to bring cold-pressed juice to the UK and market leader in this category and one with a brilliant reputation (we’d heard good things about them, friends swear by their cleanses) even Gwynnie (Paltrow) is a fan – Goop named Plenish the “best cleanse this side of the pond”. Other names such as Lily Allen, E.V.E Ronan Keating, Sienna Miller, Amanda Byram and certain members of the royal family have chosen them to fuel their fast paced, demanding lifestyles – we might stand a chance to sort ourselves out after all!
There’s three levels of cleanses and as ‘juice cleanse’ virgins we are advised to try level 1, which is a gentle cleanse and winner of a 2016 Soil Association Boom Award. Firstly, we thought it essential to rope in a friend / desk buddy to do this with us for moral and emotional support and so were each sent x6 (per day) of the 8 drinks in their range which became our ‘food’for the next three days!
o Fuel (Energise & Maintain) – Cucumber, Spinach, Kale, Ginger and Lime
o Calm (Cool & Soothe) – Pineapple, Apple, Mint and Aloe Vera
o Boost (Sharpen & Strengthen) – Cucumber, Romaine, Pear, Kale, Spinach, Lemon, Parsley and Ginger
o Kick (Shield & Enliven) – Lemon, Lime, Water, Coconut Nectar and Red Chilli
o Pump (Drive & Sustain) –Beetroot, Cherry, Carrot and Lime
o Build (Power & Protect) – Cashew Nuts, Dates, Vanilla, Cinnamon, Filtered Water and a pinch of Himalayan Salt
Here’s the additional two that where not part of our cleanse.
o Savour (Nourish & Reward) – Cashew Nuts, Cacao, Maca, Cinnamon, Dates, Vanilla and a pinch of Himalayan Salt
o Lift (Invigorate & Propel) – Pear, Romaine, Cucumber, Spinach, Kale, Basil, Broccoli and Lime
So, what did we think… here’s a summary of our days:
ME: Day one was tolerable – heightened smell especially food but potentially psychological. Could not drink all of number six, got through it ok. Was pretty impressed. Thought about food a lot though. Felt slightly odd just before bed but otherwise all good.
FRIEND: Very excited to embark on the juice cleanse. I really enjoyed all of the delicious juices, though it was a bit strange getting my head around the whole not putting anything chewy in my mouth thing!
ME: Day two feel horrific, woke up pretty sprightly but deteriorated as the day went on, tiredness, nausea, weakness. Felt as if I was on a weird juice hungover the whole day. Also, whilst all of the juices tasted decent I personally couldn’t get past a few sips of number six on day one so gave my second away to a friend (not juicing) who loved the taste but for me the thought of drinking that one again was making me feel sick even though i didn’t hate mind it on the first day (just couldn’t finish it). Couldn’t wait to get into bed and for the day to be over – too much going on with my body and mind and that was on top of a very busy work day. Finally fell asleep around 10.30pm with what only can be described as weird hallucinations and very odd dreams.
FRIEND: Woke up feeling great and un-bloated. Towards the end of the day i was feeling a bit frazzled and spaced out but it probably didn’t help that i was rushing around doing lots of things. The sixth juice was a real treat and I welcomed it.
ME: Day three so glad it’s day three and the count down to day four begins, this is possibly one of the hardest things I’ve done. Self confessed foodie I realise my day revolves round food from the moment I wake up. I start planning what to have for brekkie which sometimes includes a juice and then lunch and dinner. Symptoms today, were fine until around 1ish then started feeling sluggish. On my third juice of the day – not going to lie it’s not my favourite – this one is called Boost (I certainly need one – I’m fantasising about the chocolate bar). I didn’t get around to juice five or six today as I had such as busy evening (work event), so got home around 10pm and went straight to bed. Woke up around 12.30pm with a raging headache so went to the kitchen and ate a banana.
FRIEND: Feeling much better, headache lifted and not actually hungry what a surprise!! But i’m def ready to eat tomorrow.
All in all, both of us agreed that whilst we’re glad we experienced the cleanse neither of us were sure if we would or could do another. Perhaps it was because we both had such a busy work days. We’re definitely not against it though, both of us had very different experiences, friends commented on my skin glowing and my friend felt much lighter. We’re sure there are some positive benefits, but there were some challenges too – for me the headaches and weird hallucinations were real and I don’t know if I can face those again.
For those of you who fancy a challenge, we’ve managed to get our readers a 10% off discount RudeToStare10
All premium products are organic and free from dairy, gluten, preservatives, additives and refined sugars. whole kilogram of chemical and pesticide-free organic produce goes into every 500ml vegetable-based Plenish juice and 500g into every 250ml vegetable-based Plenish juice, all power-packed with enzymes, phytonutrients and vitamins.
500ml bottles are sold exclusively through plenishcleanse.com at £9.90 each. 250ml ‘grab and go’ bottles are sold via retail partners including Waitrose, Whole Foods and Ocado, RRP £4.95.
Facebook: @PlenishCleanse
Twitter: @PlenishCleanse
Instagram: @PlenishCleanse
