To Cleanse, Or Not to Cleanse?

The girl who sits next to me at my office is doing a cleanse right now, which got me thinking about living on juice and other liquids for days at a time. I did a bit of research to see what kind of cleanses are out there, and here is a bit on the most intriguing / oddest ones I found.

1)      Organic Avenue – This New York City based company produces “the highest quality plant-based nutrition on the planet!”. My office neighbor who is cleansing right now chose to try this  as a solution to her poor eating habits as of late. She said that the juices taste pretty good, but she is having a hard time smelling other people’s food at the office. She said she isn’t particularly full, but not hungry either. I think that the bottles look lovely (pretty glass bottles) and the juice she had for lunch today smelled great. Apparently it had avocado, mint and some other yummy green ingredients. This particular cleanse is not for someone looking to save money, for 5 days it costs $410.00 (including program cost & refundable bottle deposit) To spend over $400 to starve yourself seems a little silly to me.

 “We educate and support you to transition and maintain a healthy lifestyle that is pleasurable and sustainable to you, society, animals and the planet. Our 5 distinct programs meet your health and cleansing goals and nourish your body and spirit. Each gives you a remarkable glow and provides an unmatched healing experience. We also offer a customized food menu and a staff of experts to help you achieve your vibrant health goals.” Visit their site here http://www.organicavenue.com

2)      2 Day Apple Diet – This cleanse seems a little wacky to me. Basically, for 2 days you eat only apples in place of your regular meals and snacks. The diet suggests that you add variety to this diet by chopping up the apples, grating them, blending them or eating them whole. An apple has about 5 grams of fiber, you need about 28 grams of fiber per day. Suppose you eat 8 apples each day during the cleanse to keep yourself from fainting, that’s 40 grams of fiber – you can imagine why  you might lose weight ;) This is definitely not one I’ll be trying.

 

“Apples have always been associated with health.  There is that old saying that an apple a day will keep the doctor away. But recent research shows that an apple a day may keep breast cancer away. The anti-oxidant effects of the flavonoids in the apples were credited with the slowing the growth of adenocarcinoma tumors in rats.” –Riiight. I’m not falling for this one. Learn more about this silly cleanse here http://thedetoxspecialist.com/blog/detox/2-day-apple-detox-diet

3)      The BluePrintCleanse – This is another NYC based cleansing company that has gotten pretty popular over the years. People at my company even do this cleanse with clients. The BPC is a bit more customizable compared to other cleanses that I came across – you can choose to cleanse with just juice or juice + food. From people I have talked to who have actually worked up the courage to try this pricey cleanse ($65/ day for their basic cleanse). This cleanse claims to boost your immune system, alleviate allergies, improve thyroid function, reverse signs of aging and promote normalized weight. Sounds alright to me – but I’m not sure about the price or my ability to stick to the program. Out of everything I came across, this seemed like the best option if you’re looking to invest a fair amount of money, stay trendy and lose some weight.

 “Depending on the length of the Cleanse, it accomplishes different things. A three-day Cleanse helps the body rid itself of old built up matter and cleanses the blood. A five-day Cleanse starts the process of rebuilding and healing the immune system. A ten-day Cleanse will take care of problems before they arise and fight off degenerative diseases.” Find out more about this cleanse here http://blueprintcleanse.com

4)      The Master Cleanse (Also known as the Lemonade Diet) – You have probably heard of the Master Cleanse before, celebs like Beyonce have admitted to trying it and it has been around for years. The “lemonade” is made up of 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, 1/10 tablespoons of cayenne pepper and 10oz of filtered water. For 10 days, all you consume is this concoction(seriously?!).   This cleanse must be incredibly challenging to complete. Anyone who can survive the whole 10 days of this diet has more will power than I do. I even came across a YouTube video of a girl who did the Master Cleanse for 40 days. Yes, she looked great afterwards but I do not think that this is a healthy regime at all. A few sites I came across also suggested that you drink a laxative tea and herbal tea during the day (some specify mint or green tea only). This is a pretty affordable option, the only cost to you would be the ingredients in your delicious lemonade. I have a feeling drinking this stuff would make me gag on the 2^nd day.

 “Remove all toxins in your body and lose up to 20lbs! Unlike other diets, Master Cleanse has been passed down for decades and has been used widely by people from all around the world to achieve a healthy body.” 20 pounds in 10 days? Not healthy. More info à http://www.lemonademastercleanse.org/

There you have it, my opinionated review of a few popular cleanses that I will likely never try. Personally, I have very little willpower when it comes to abstaining from food for more than one meal and being told that I am only allowed to eat certain things. I have tried the cabbage soup diet and I sucked at it (and you were allowed to eat as much soup as you wanted!!)

Have you ever tried a cleanse? If not, do you know someone who has?