This is part 2 of my mini series on juice fasting. After completing my Arden’s Gardens 2-Day Juice Cleanse/Detox, eating raw foods for breakfast and lunch for two weeks after, and doing my own juice fasts each week for three weeks in a row, I received a lot of questions. The first post covered the basics – what is a juice cleanse, why juicing is important, and the main benefits/results you can expect.

This post will focus on the how-to: how to do a juice cleanse, what you need to get started, and some recipes to keep you going.

Disclaimer: I don’t claim to know everything about juicing or juice fasting – I am just sharing my own experiences. If you have concerns, you should definitely talk with your doctor.

How do you do a juice cleanse?

Let me start by saying that I sometimes add a green smoothie into the mix – the fiber that remains when you blend your produce instead of juicing it helps fill you up. I usually make my green smoothie the night before – it keeps in the refrigerator for up to two days. 

I prep all my recipes for juicing the night before, and separate each recipe into its own bowl. Then, I juice in the morning – drinking one drink right away (for maximum benefits) then pack the other two juices and the smoothie in Ball mason jars to take to work. 

*Everything that I’ve read says the juice starts losing vitamins, minerals and enzymes right away, so it IS best to drink it as soon as you make it. However, it WILL stay good for up to 12 hours if kept cold in the refrigerator, and stored in a container that keeps the light out. I generally put my entire lunchbox in the refrigerator. 

I try to focus on veggie juices that use apple and/or pear to sweeten, and add things like ginger and tumeric for added health benefits.

I have one juice in the morning, 1 for lunch, a smoothie in the afternoon, and 1 juice at dinner time. I drink water throughout the day and have 2-3 cups of green tea (no caffeine!).

Where’d you get the recipes?

 I’ve found recipes on a lot of sites, and I have a LOT of fun experimenting with different things – some are great, some aren’t…but the diversity keeps me interested in doing it. My colleague, Janis, who has been helping me get into juicing gave me a couple of GREAT sites:

Reboot With Joe – The guy from Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead has a fabulous website with a wealth of information on juicing and overall healthy living

30 days of real juice – This article on the Williams-Sonoma blog has been amazing to turn to for ideas

The Food Babe – she has some great recipes for juices and smoothies on her site, but they tend to be very focused on veggies which can be tough for the beginner.

What do I need to get started?

You need a juicer, and I recommend getting a nice one. Even if you only use it sporadically  a quality one will last you for a LONG time. I’m currently using my mom’s 15-year old GE juicer as an example. Breville is a popular choice, and there are many different price-points.

You need produce. Once you find 2-3 recipes, get your produce. I try to choose recipes for the week that have similar ingredients (example: kale, apples, spinach and ginger or collards, cabbage and pears) so I can keep it a bit simpler. Choose organic and/or local whenever possible.

I find I almost always have carrots, celery, spinach and cucumbers for juices – cucumbers in particular yield a lot of juice, and carrots help to slightly sweeten a recipe with a lot of leafy greens.

You need “sweeteners.” Stock up on fresh ginger, pears and apples – these will be the items that sweeten your green juices and help eliminate the “grassy” taste.

You need lemons. I cannot stress the importance of a fresh lemon (peeled – will taste bitter with the rind. This is true for all citrus) in juicing. If it’s a green juice, you NEED the lemon to cut the grassy taste. The fruit alone will not do all of it.

You need good storage containers if you’re not consuming your juice right away. I love Ball jars – I have several different sizes.

You can use herbs. Cilantro, parsley, and mint are mentioned in many recipes. I grow them much of the year in my own garden, which makes it easy to incorporate. It is not a necessity, although parsley and cilantro have health benefits, such as helping ride your blood of toxins.

Do you have any favorite recipes?

The carrot and ginger recipe on my one-day juice fast blog post is one of my favorites. I also LOVE the “Morning Green Glory” recipe that is in that same post – you can make it sweeter by adding another apple, or a pear, or some fresh ginger.

I like sweet. Not a big “v8” flavor kind of gal.

A good way to get the greens in if you don’t really want to taste them is with romaine and spinach – they are pretty much flavorless in the juices. 

Ginger tends to mask other flavors, so if you like ginger go ahead and add a thumb-size piece to your juices. A great thing about ginger is that it is a natural way to fight stomach pains and nausea.

I make a fruit juice with tumeric (which is a natural way to fight inflammation). It uses three oranges (peeled), 2 peaches or 1 mango (peeled), and 1 2-inch piece of tumeric (unpeeled). 

The juice will be thick and frothy, and it is DELISH. If you want to dabble in juicing, try this recipe out – you’ll be hooked!

Please let me know if you have any more questions, and don’t forget to check out the first post on juice fasting basics.