Image source: http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/joe-cross-juice-cleanse-recipes

Today is my 29th birthday – woo hoo!  I’m so blessed to have completed another year of life and am grateful for good health, a great family and a hobby that brings me so much joy!  In honor of my b-day, I’d decided to bring in my 29th year on a FRESH and CLEAN note.  That’s right ladies and gentlemen, I’m starting a new cleanse, which was inspired by the Dr. Oz Weekend Juice Cleanse with Joe Cross.   Since I had so much success with the Dr. Oz Detox Cleanse (you can CLICK HERE to read my full review) , I decided to keep the momentum going by trying another cleanse.

Unlike the Dr. Oz Detox Cleanse, this cleanse is a JUICE cleanse.  That means I need a juicer, as I can’t use my blender for this cleanse.  HOWEVER, today I went to Target to buy a juicer and realized they were out of price my range right now…the cheapest one I found is $79.99.  What if I don’t like the cleanse?  Then I’ll be stuck with a juicer that I never use.

SO, I made up my own version of the cleanse using some ready-made, all natural, no sugar added juices and I also plan to buy some fresh squeezed juices from Whole Foods or Central Market over the next 3 days.  Essentially, I plan to have 4-5 servings of juice each day to replace my meals.  Then for dinner I’ll have one solid meal every evening, just like the Dr. Oz cleanse.  However, dinner must consist of only of fruits and vegetables.  And as icing on the cake (mean joke – I know) , I’m going to make sure that my dinners are RAW!  So I’ll only eat fresh, raw produce and maybe steam my veggies if I want something hot.

As a fitness professional, I wanted to share a few facts with you about Juice cleanses vs. Smoothie/drink cleanses.  

• Juice does not contain the skin of the fruit or vegetable
• Smoothies have more fiber and tend to be more filling
• Juices tend to be high in sugar and low in protein and fiber (which I’m a little nervous about)

Now let me be clear, I’m typically an “anti juice” person because I believe that juice is nature’s reward for EATING your fruits and veggies.  However, there are many benefits to juicing.  Just a name a couple…

• Juice absorbs in the body faster, so it’s an efficient way to get vital vitamins and minerals
• Juice is a tastier way to consume fruits and veggies that you don’t typically like
• Juice is less likely to cause upset stomachs, like smoothies which sometimes have too much fiber

For more information about differences between juices and smoothies, check out this post by my “Fit Friends” over at Sporty Afros: http://sportyafros.com/nutrition/differences-in-juicing-and-smoothies/

Grit by Brit WARNING – Juice cleanses tend to have very little protein.  So, I’m not going to lift weights or do super high intensity workouts over the next 3 days while I’m on the cleanse, as I don’t think my body will have enough protein to repair my muscles.  If you engage in high intensity workouts and weight training, like me, you may want to do the same.

This is my first time to try a juice cleanse. Hopefully, some of you decide to try it along with me!  Have you done a juice cleanse before?  How did it go?  I’ll be back in a few days to share my results. You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @GRITbyBrit for progress updates!  Until then…

Wishing you health, happiness and BIG RESULTS!  xoxo, Brit