What is a 3-Day Juice Cleanse?
A 3-day juice cleanse is three days long detox diet where you consume only vegetable and fruit juices. You cannot consume any solid or processed food during this period. This radical diet is also known as a juice fast. It was started by Jay Kordich who wrote a bestseller on the subject, titled The Juiceman’s Power of Juicing. The book included juice recipes, which could help one “lose weight, overcome fatigue, reduce your risk of many serious diseases, and relieve scores of common ailments”. [1]
While his findings later came under question with many experts questioning the health impacts of a juice-based diet, there are some decided merits in following this diet for the short term. A UCLA study published in 2017 in Scientific Reports found that vegetable and fruit juices contain beneficial elements like polyphenols, oligosaccharides, and nitrate which may have a prebiotic-like effect. The 3-day juice-based diet altered the intestinal microbiota associated with weight loss. It also promoted the feeling of general well-being. [2]
A juice diet can be of different types:
- With homemade juices or store-bought juices.
- With juices or smoothies
- With or without spices.
It is obviously better to make 3-day juice cleanse recipes at home. Many of the commercially available juices, even those specifically created for detox diets, contain added sugars and preservatives. With a homemade juice, you can be sure of the quality of ingredients and can control its flavor. In a contest between juice and smoothies, we would recommend smoothies. Sure it’s a juice diet, but there is nothing stopping you from expanding its scope to smoothies!
A 3-day juice cleanse can rid aid weight loss. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
The reason for this preference is the inclusion of fiber. One of the main criticisms against a juice cleanse is the lack of fiber. With smoothies, you can address this problem with just a simple substitution. Many people prefer to combine both juices and smoothies in their juice fast schedule. The inclusion of spices depends on one’s personal taste. However, many of these spices, like ginger, not only enhance the flavor of the smoothie, they also offer their own benefits.
Essential Juices For a Cleanse
The 3-day juice cleanse regime can also double up for weight loss recipes. While there are no strict rules here, some fruits and juices are a natural choice. Some of these are:
- Berries
- Carrots
- Celery
- Leafy greens like spinach, kale, and lettuce.
- Kale
- Beet
- Apples
- Peppers
- Pineapple
- Mint
- Cucumber
- Mango
- Kiwi
- Tomato
If you plan to make smoothies, bananas and avocados are a great addition. You can add lemon juice, herbs like parsley or spices like ginger to enhance flavor. You can also add plant-based milk such as almond milk.
3-Day Juice Cleanse Recipes
We have included three basic juices or smoothies for a 3-day cleanse at home. Between these three juices, we have included plenty of leafy greens, vegetables, and fruits. Feel free to add flavor with a squeeze of lime or spices like ginger. Here are our top 3-day juice cleanse weight loss recipes:
Green Juice Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 cup spinach
- 1/2 cup lettuce leaves romaine, butterhead & green leaf
- 1/2 cup spinach
- 1 large cucumber
- 1/2 an apple
- 2 massive leaf kale
Instructions
- Scrub and wash the vegetables thoroughly, especially the leafy vegetables.
- Chop up the cucumber, celery, and apple. Remember to take out the seeds from the apple. Put all the ingredients in a juicer or a blender and give them a whiz.
- Just pour out the juice and drink up.
Notes
Detox Carrot Juice Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 large carrots
- 1 orange
- 1 apple
- 1 tsp ginger grated
- 1 stalk celery
- 1 handful parsley
- 1 tsp hemp seeds
Instructions
- Scrub and wash the vegetables and fruits thoroughly, especially the leafy vegetables.
- Cut the orange and use a citrus juicer to juice it. Strain the juice to take out any seeds.
- Chop up the carrot, pineapple, and celery. Put these and the other ingredients (except the orange and hemp seeds) in a juicer or a blender and give them a whiz.
- Mix the two juices, add the hemp seeds and stir briskly.
Detox Beet Juice Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 medium beets
- 1 carrot
- 1 stalk celery
- 1 cup spinach
- 2 kale leaves
- juice of half a lemon
- 1 tsp hemp seeds
Instructions
- Scrub and wash the vegetables thoroughly, especially the leafy vegetables.
- Chop up the beets, carrot, and celery. Juice all the ingredients (except hemp seeds) together in a juicer or a blender.
- Pour out the juice, stir in the hemp seeds and enjoy!
Apart from these three juices, you should also try our simple lemon juice and almond milk recipes. However, omit any added sugars in your juices and milk.
Things To Keep in Mind
Some essential things to keep in mind while following our juice diet are:
- Try to buy organic where you can. The aim of a detox diet is to eliminate chemicals and other toxins. Organic vegetables, fruits, and especially leafy greens contain almost no impurities.
- Always wash and scrub your vegetables thoroughly. You can get natural vegetable cleaners in the market. You can use these when washing your vegetables.
- Since you will be consuming only raw vegetables and fruits, it is imperative that you use only fresh produce.
- If you plan to use a blender to keep the fiber and pulp intact, make sure that you remove any seeds from ingredients like lemons, apples, and mangoes.
- Although we have used vegetables with their peels, avoid using bitter peels like lemons or tough skins like pineapple.
- It is always recommended to drink only fresh juice. But juicing can take time. So, you may want to prepare some of your day’s juices in one go in the morning. In that case, make sure to refrigerate the juices in an airtight bottle.
- Heavy physical activity or stress should be avoided during a juice-cleanse. Hence, it is best followed during a brief holiday, like a weekend.
- Our recipes and ingredients are just a roadmap. Feel free to add any other vegetable or fruit you love. Go ahead and add spices or herbs to give your smoothie an extra zing.
Word of caution: A juice cleanse is not recommended for people who regularly workout or undertake heavy physical labor. Sometimes it is also combined with a very light supper for people who feel hungry or those who need extra calories. Talk to a dietician if you are on a special diet. A doctor’s advice must be taken if you have an autoimmune disorder or low immunity and heart or blood sugar ailments. Finally, our schedule with its 3-day juice cleanse recipes should be avoided by pregnant women.
