Earlier this month Alex, Aine and myself participated in a 3 day juice cleanse. That’s right! No food, no coffee, nothing but juice. We chose Cedar Juice, a company making cold-pressed juice that is never pasteurized and uses only organic produce and superfoods. They ship across Canada and the juices will arrive at your doorstep 48 hours after placing your order, free of charge! 
We’d all been mulling over the idea individually for a while but were a little nervous, so having each other for moral support definitely helped. To prepare the night beforehand we did a major fridge clean-out to prevent any temptation to cheat — but more importantly, to make room for 54 bottles of juice. Fifty four! Holy heck! That’s six bottles a day each for three days.
If you’d like to try a 3 or 5 day cleanse, use our promo-code “BG-vegangirlfriend” while ordering Cedar Juice online and receive 10% off! Offer is good until the end of February. 
MEG’S REVIEW:
How I prepared for the cleanse: I’m a full-time university student so I went through my daytime planner and found a break between midterms where I’d be able to sleep properly and avoid overexerting myself.
Past cleanse experience: I’ve done week-long raw food cleanses every few months for the past two years to aid with digestion and generally look after my body. Because of this and my 100% gluten-free vegan diet, I likely experienced less severe detox symptoms than most would.
Day One Summary: I had been out drinking the night before, which was an awful idea because it resulted in detox symptoms hitting me very quickly. I felt light-headed and the extreme cold weather just made that worse. I spent most of the morning worrying that I made a huge mistake spending money on a cleanse that I wouldn’t be able to stick to. As I pushed through juice after juice throughout the day, my body adjusted and I felt a lot better. I was surprised by how good the juices actually tasted. I immediately appreciate how Cedar Juice set up the drinks to be consumed in a specific order so that a sweet taste followed a vegetable-based one.
Day Two Summary: No more detox symptoms! I felt a bit nauseous first thing in the morning, but I’m assuming that was from hunger as it stopped immediately after my first juice. I had made sure to sleep a lot the night before, which helped with my caffeine withdrawal the following morning. My stomach stopped growling by midday and I started thinking about food less. I was sitting on the train that evening and a small child gasped and pointed at my bottle of beet juice. He turned to his mother and said, “I didn’t know vampires drank blood with straws!”. I looked pretty tired and my teeth were stained red, so I’m sure I gave that kid quite a scare.
Day Three Summary: By the third day I felt very confident that I wasn’t going to give into any cravings. I had fallen into the routine of a liquid diet very quickly to the point where I felt comfortable with it. I switched up the suggested order a bit to avoid drinking beet juice in public like I had the previous day. Additionally, I made plans to go for brunch the following day with a friend to have something to look forward to.
Main Symptoms: Bloating, headaches, cravings.
Best part: My head felt SO clear by the second day, and has ever since! I have a history with anxiety and related mental health issues, so I was pleasantly surprised that this helped my mindset.
Worst part: I experienced beeturia (an actual thing!) which is when beetroot passes through your system and alters the colour of your urine. It looked like I dumped the entire bottle of beet juice directly into the toilet, which is probably what most teenage boys think an ordinary period looks like. It didn’t cause any physical pain, but definitely caught me off guard.
Favourite flavour: #6 “Cracked it” by far was my favourite! It felt like I was rewarding myself with dessert after a hard day’s work (of not eating) and I’m a sucker for vanilla bean.
Did I cheat? Nope! Not even a little.
Again? I would definitely do this cleanse again! I found myself wishing I was still on the cleanse a few days later, after something I ate had given me a stomachache.
Additional notes: It’s hard balancing school and work, but I wish I’d done this cleanse when I could have been on a break from both! I have a labour-intensive job and worked all three days. It was tough, but manageable. If you have a busy schedule like I do, carry your juices in a backpack and keep them refrigerated throughout the day if possible.
AINE’S REVIEW:
How I prepared for the cleanse: Three days before the cleanse began, I consumed mostly raw food. I took hot baths to aid in relaxing my body as much as possible. I ate an entire bag of tortilla chips the night before to prevent myself from giving in and eating them during the cleanse.
Past cleanse experience: None! I tried to do a week long raw cleanse while Meg was doing one last year, but at the time I was having issues with blood sugar so I only lasted a day.
Day One Summary: Oh boy. It was rough. I couldn’t sleep well the night before and had a 10 hour school day ahead of me. I go to school for comedy performance, so my days are physically exhausting with rehearsals. I could barely think straight during a midday meeting with a professor! By the time I got home, I was feeling pretty light headed so I went to bed as soon as I could.
Day Two Summary: I started the second day fighting awful cravings to stress eat, but I knew that I would feel less stressed after eliminating toxins from my body. Although I was a bit sluggish physically, I was extremely mentally alert. I did a 6 hour rehearsal and focused the entire time. It felt great! That night I was so tuckered out from all the hard work I went to bed as soon as I got home.
Day Three Summary: The final day was a breeze. I worked a 9 hour shift and was initially worried that being surrounded by food all day I’d go crazy, but I didn’t find myself craving anything but the juice, which I sipped happily throughout the day. The day went by quickly and I felt fine. I actually bought a few bottles of Cedar juice from Bolt Fresh Bar on my way home!
Symptoms: Upset stomach and a bit of dizziness, but nothing horrible.
Best part: Catching up on my sleep was wonderful! My dreams were insanely vivid and fun, and I woke up both mornings with ideas for new sketches.
Worst part: Being busy!
Favourite flavour: My favourite juice was #4: Lemon’s Your Lucky Day. It tasted great and provided the perfect midday energy boost.
Did I cheat? I ate an avocado on the second day before bed, and washed it down with some organic lemon juice. I also ate some plain quinoa on the final night. I was overworked and scared I was going to faint.
Again? I’d do it right now if I could.
Additional notes: Stay hydrated! Anytime I felt hungry and it wasn’t time for another juice, all I had to do was drink water and I would feel fine. Plan ahead! Learn from my mistake! I would have enjoyed the cleanse more than I did if I wasn’t so busy. Ease out! The first day off the cleanse I ate nothing but raw foods and juices. Even two weeks later, I still find myself choosing smoothies over solid foods.
ALEX’S REVIEW:
How I prepared for the cleanse: The day before the juice cleanse I wanted to help my body deal with the transition from solid food to juices, so I made sure to drink plenty of nutrient-rich smoothies. I knew that the first day of the juice cleanse would be slightly exhausting with work/school, so I made sure to get enough sleep so that I was fully rested.
Past cleanse experience: None! As a gluten-free vegan I already have a daily clean/wholesome diet that incorporates whole foods regularly.
Day One Summary: I started the cleanse with a positive mindset. By midday I was feeling a little tired and hungry, but then I remembered how important it is to keep hydrated between juices. After drinking some water I started to regain my energy and the hunger subsided until it was time for my next juice. It wasn’t until about 8pm where I felt like I was starting to experience detox symptoms such as nausea and weakness. I started to miss the motions of eating. I wanted so desperately to crunch down on some almonds. After finishing all the juice, I drank some water and went to sleep early.
Day Two Summary: After my first juice of the day, my body felt a little stronger and I had enough energy to get me through the day. I studied in a coffee shop for a while and was seriously distracted by everyone around me sipping on lattes and munching cookies. At this point I knew I was so close to finishing the cleanse and was so happy and motivated to keep strong until the end, but I was longing for a big bowl of hot hot soup.
Day Three Summary: On the third day I was looking forward to each one of my juices. They kept me satiated and energized as I went through my busy day and I successfully avoided taste-testing the vegan cheesecake I made for Valentine’s Day. I was feeling more and more full with each juice consumed. At midnight I broke the fast and treated myself to a vegan/gluten-free treat from Bunner’s Bake Shop.
Symptoms: Nausea, weakness, dizziness.
Best part: My body felt refreshed and energized!
Worst part: The initial feeling of nausea on the first day of the cleanse. I thought I would feel sick throughout the entire thing, but it subsided by the next day.
Favourite flavour: “Pineapple Head”. It tasted like a piña colada!
Did I cheat? Nope!
Again? Absolutely! I feel like maybe next time I’d like to push myself and try the 5 or 7 day cleanse instead.
Additional notes: I would like to possibly eat raw the day after the juice cleanse finishes to help my body have an easier transition into solid foods again. I jumped straight into food post-cleanse and am curious as to how my body would benefit from going with this approach. Next time around for sure!
Vegan Girlfriend 