It’s the question everyone is just dying to know.  “How much juice should I drink on a juice cleanse?”

I’ll get to the answer in a later in the post, but let’s just look for a moment at the reason for asking this question.

Before you considered cleansing I’ll bet you never asked the question, “How much food should I eat in a day?”  You just ate until the point at which you felt full (or sometimes beyond that point).  It’s interesting isn’t it?

When you decide to get healthy or lose weight, you begin to examine your life and your past behaviors.  Sometimes this isn’t pretty.  And when you realize you’ve been overeating or eating the wrong foods for a number of years you begin to question every thought and every action.  You begin to distrust yourself and you seek help.  That’s okay.  That’s a great place to begin again.

How Much Juice Should You Drink?

When you are on a juice cleanse, that’s drinking only juice for a set number of days, the juice becomes your meal.  So think of it that way.  Spread your juice “meals” throughout the day and aim for four juices per day.

It’s important to realize the function of the juice.  It loads your body with nutrition and flushes your system of toxins.  You want to drink enough to feel full.  If you are getting hungry it is a sign that you need more juice.

So here it is:

A good place to start is by drinking 16 oz, four times per day.  That gives you 64 oz.  You may drink more or less depending on your situation and needs.  For example if you are very active during the day, your body requires more fuel.  Drink more.  If you are hungry or feeling healing reactions (headache, body aches) drink more.

Your body knows how much juice it needs.  It will tell you.  Take a quiet moment and listen.  You will begin to learn the ways your body communicates with you and you can begin to start trusting yourself again.  Happy Juicing!

Your Turn

Are you trusting your body?  How much juice are you drinking on your juice cleanse?  Let us know in the comments below.

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The main goal of juice cleansing is to help the digestive system return to a state of peak performance and provide a quick shot of essential nutrients.  It does require some planning, though and some people may perceive it as being too complicated or time consuming.  Since juicing requires a juicer machine, and not all homes have one of these, the cost to buy one may seem prohibitive.  If you fall into this category and are unsure about making the plunge into juicing for a cleanse or as a lifestyle, I can suggest an easy transition for you.

I do believe that juicing is one of the best and effective ways for assisting the detox process, however, if this seems too daunting for you at the moment, you might try making smoothies in the blender.  There are two main differences between smoothies and extracted juices.  First of course is the appliance.  If you have a blender you can make smoothies.  You already know how much clean up is required for a blender, and maybe you’ve made some fruit and yogurt smoothies, but try making a green smoothie with some fresh veggies.  Which brings me to the second difference between blending and juicing:  fiber.  Juicing removes all the fiber for a reason.  It eases the digestion because without the fiber, the juice is mostly absorbed into the bloodstream.  This is why juicing is better for a cleanse.

Smoothies are great, healthy additions to any diet and they can assist you greatly in making the transition into juicing and doing a juice cleanse.  I have both a blender and a juicer machine in my home and use both on a regular basis and I believe that all the costs and efforts involved are truly worthwhile.  Just as anything, after you add a new element to your lifestyle and make it a habit, the task seems easy and even enjoyable.  So what are you waiting for! 

Related posts:

1. How to Transition to a Mostly Raw Food Diet

One of the first noticeable indicators of a health imbalance is chronic constipation.  As embarrassing as it is to think about or talk about, constipation is a common problem. Stemming from poor dietary choices and lack of exercise, chronic constipation can lead to malabsorption, low energy levels, and and inability to clear toxins from the body. Long periods of this condition can lead to increased risk for intestinal tract cancer. 

It is vital to get the colon functioning properly.  Natural methods will have better long term results over harsh chemical laxatives.  While a lifestyle change may be in order, there are some things that you can do today to bring relief of constipation and begin to get your colon healthy again.  Here are three steps toward feeling better:
     1.  Drink more water – Health experts recommend drinking 6-8 glasses of water per day.  More specifically, some recommend that you calculate half of your body weight, then drink that many ounces of water (150lbs = 75oz).  If drinking water is just too boring for you, try adding a slice of lemon or a splash of cranberry juice (no sugar added). 
     2.  Start an herbal cleanse – Many herbs can help soothe and benefit the colon.  Fiber is usually at the top of the list here because it helps the colon contract while helping the stool retain more water and bulk up for easier elimination.  Other herbs relax, stimulate and lubricate so stools move down the digestive tract more easily and faster.  Still other herbs can be used to support the liver and bloodstream, which are important to the detoxification process.  When doing an herbal cleanse it is best to consult a health practitioner or use a quality product from a health food store.  I personally use and recommend
ReNew Life Organic Total Body Cleanse. 
     3.  Do a juice cleanse – After doing the steps above, your colon will deserve a nice rest.  A two to three day juice cleanse will provide your body with healthy vitamins, minerals, and enzymes.  Try some juices with apples, pears, parsley, greens, strawberries, artichokes, beets, and asparagus.  They help stimulate the regular function of the intestines and provide vitamin C and calcium/magnesium.

Popular advertising leads us to believe that there are nasties in our bodies and that we should start juice fasting immediately to rid our bodies of them (and lose a few pounds that we didn’t want anyway).   It seems simple enough.  Remove whatever is in there causing our multitude of aches and pains, right?  This is the “juice to cleanse” approach.  Toxins are the problem.  Juice is the answer.  Drink the juice to cleanse the toxins.  I believe, however, that this is only partially right.

Juice cleansing does relieve the colon of the task of digesting so that it may cleanse itself.  But relying on juice to do all your cleansing is a mistake.  That’s where the “cleanse to juice” approach comes in.  I can’t stress enough how important it is to start changing your diet and routine BEFORE the cleanse.  Cut out the caffeine.  Add more fruits and veggies.  Anything that builds up your general health and digestion is part of the cleansing process and will help to ensure success with your juice cleanse.

Many people who use the first method are forced to quit early due to emotional and physical side effects of many toxins exiting the body all at once.  Do yourself a favor.  Ease into cleansing.  Consider the “cleanse to juice” mentality and fully engage in a new health routine.  You may even enjoy it!

Related posts:

1. Preparing for a Juice Cleanse
2. Juice Fast, Juice Cleanse, or Juice Feast?
3. Juice Cleansing Boosters

Autumn is upon us, and as the days grow colder, it makes us think of storing up for winter. Autumn harvest comes in and warm clothes are unpacked as we settle in for our version of hibernation. Our bodies naturally want to store up for winter also by holding onto some extra nutrition and fat cells.

The best cleansing program for the fall season targets the colon by giving it proper nutrition and support for the coming months. Liquid juice fasts should be kept to a minimum, perhaps one to two days, as the body needs fuel to keep warm. Use fresh greens and vegetables that are in season during the juice cleanse.

Fiber is important to colon health, so some people choose to keep the fiber in their juices by blending them in the mixer, rather than using a juice machine. After the cleanse, additional fiber should be taken to maintain the colon so it doesn’t get “stuck” during the winter. In addition to fibrous foods, the diet can be supplemented with psyllium husks, flax seed, oat bran, or acacia fiber.

Fruit has many benefits for a juice cleanse. Lemons are alkalizing. Grapes purify the blood. Oranges contain loads of vitamin C. Apples may strengthen your bones and lower your cholesterol.

So why do some experts tell you to stay away from fruits when juice cleansing? These fruits, while beneficial, also contains a lot of sugar. Natural, yes, but sugar nonetheless. I have found that when I’m juicing, if I consume too many fruits, it makes me rather shaky. This is because fruits actually speed up the detoxifying process. Detoxifying too quickly can cause many side effects.

If you want to add fruits into your juice detox plan, I suggest limiting them to your morning juice, or adding only one type of fruit to a vegetable juice blend. Prepare for your cleanse by eliminating processed foods and caffeine at least one week prior. This may help reduce side effects.

Should people with diabetes avoid eating fruits? Here is Dr. Andrew Weil’s viewpoint.