Are you feeling sluggish lately? Is your digestion poor? Does your skin and hair lack the vibrancy it once had? Perhaps you’re not feeling sick, but you’re not feeling great either. It may be time for a juice cleanse. Don’t panic. It’s easier than you think. And by using your own juicer (rather than a costly juice delivery service) it can be economical as well.

Why You Should Do a Juice Cleanse

So, yes. A juice cleanse means just that – clearing your body of toxins by consuming only fresh fruit and vegetable juices. It sounds counterintuitive to not eat solid food for a few days in a row, but the magic of juicing is that you get tonnes of nutrition in an easy-to-digest form, which promotes deep healing in the body.

Your body works very hard to digest all that food you consume every day. Not to mention, that you’re probably including foods that may be difficult to digest, or that contain less than optimal nutrition. You can admit it. We all do it. 

While your body is dealing with a sluggish digestive system, and is overloaded with toxins, it is difficult to keep everything else running smoothly, and health issues start to appear – or get worse. So, it is important to give your body a break from digesting food so that it may invest all your energy in repairing your body and boosting your immune function. It’s like you’re shutting down the amusement park for maintenance – it needs to be done periodically, or the whole thing will break down.

What Happens in Your Body during a Juice Cleanse?

When your body is not bogged down with an influx of toxins, it is able to release stored toxins much easier. Dedicating a few days each month to a juice cleanse will jump-start all kinds of healing processes throughout your body, including;

  • Helping the kidneys purify the bloodstream;
  • Supporting the filtering process of the liver;
  • Eliminating the built-up waste in the colon;
  • Reducing the bloating and releases water weight;
  • Clearing skin and complexion issues.

After a few days of pure, fresh juicing you will feel better than ever, but, of course, getting there is no picnic. During the cleanse you may experience certain uncomfortable side effects. Symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, nausea, and skin irritations or breakouts. These are common and no need for alarm as they are sure signs that your body is releasing toxins.

However, these symptoms are directly proportional to how much toxic waste is stored in the body. So if you haven’t been treating yourself well, expect things to be rough the first few days. Don’t worry though, these icky releases will pass, and will get less severe the more often you cleanse.

There are a few simple things you can do to support your body on a cleanse in addition to juicing:

  • Drink a large glass of water (no ice) with lemon first thing in the morning;
  • Use a body brush to help your skin detoxify and renew itself before bathing;
  • Use a tongue scraper to remove the white gunk from your tongue before brushing teeth;
  • Take a hot bath with a generous sprinkling of Epsom salts before bed

Most of all, be gentle with your body, and be thankful for all it does for you. Your body goes in phases, sometimes vibrant, sometimes not, depending on what’s happening in your life. Like indulging in rich food on holiday. That’s ok. No one can keep a pure diet all the time. For goodness sake, triple cream brie cheese exists for you to enjoy it!

Giving your organs a rest also helps to keep you young and vital, which will result in a longer and healthier life. But remember, it took time to wear your body down, and it will take time to build it back up to optimum health. It’s possible though, so when you’re feeling bad, know that you can give your body a break with a juice cleanse and feel better than ever.