What is behind a juice cleanse and what are the health benefits? Part 1
Nov 21, 2022
The body's ability to heal and reset itself is incredible. From time to time it's good to give your digestive system a break and refocus its energy.
BERGBLUT has made it its mission to support your health and well-being through innovative juice compositions consisting of 21 ingredients per juice day, of the greatest purity and highest quality. The fresh juices supply your body with important nutrients and carry the pure essence of nature.
What is juice fasting anyway?
During a juice cleanse, the consumption of solid foods is replaced with juice and/or soups. This is intended to return the body to its natural state and stimulate the body's own detoxification system. During a cleansing cure, solid foods and the consumption of alcohol, caffeine and other stimulants are avoided.
Juicing is a technique in which direct juice is extracted from fruit and vegetables. There are different ways of producing this. BERGBLUT uses cold-pressed juices, which are produced using a non-centrifugal juicer. The juice is crushed and chopped without using high speed or generating heat until the juice comes out. The quality of the juice is very high and all the important nutrients are retained.
Juicing extracts the vitamins and minerals from fruits and vegetables, making them easier for the body to digest. The liquid food is easily absorbed by the digestive system, allowing the colon to recover while nourishing cells and flushing out waste or stuck particles from the colon.
Juicing is different from blending. When you blend fruit or vegetables into a smoothie, the whole fruit is pureed and the fiber stays in the drink.
A juice diet usually lasts between 1 and 10 days. There are various methods of juice fasting. In addition to the classic juice diet, BERGBLUT also offers a juice and soup diet.
Preparing for your juice cleanse
A juice cleanse can be a mental challenge, especially if you're new to it or not used to imposing such strict rules on your diet. Try to put yourself in a positive mood before you start. Remind yourself why you're doing it and what your goal is. Remember that you value your health and your body for what you want it to achieve. Meditation or relaxation exercises such as yoga can also be helpful during this time.
Ideally, you should prepare and adjust your diet 2-3 days before the actual juice cleanse. This preparation will make the transition easier for you and you will have more success if you take it slowly. Start by eliminating all processed foods from your daily diet a few days before starting your juice cleanse and focus on eating plenty of vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds, complex carbohydrates and high-quality protein.
You should also reduce your coffee consumption before starting the cleanse. You will avoid caffeine during the entire juice cleanse. To ensure that the abstinence is not a shock to your system and makes it difficult for you to stick to the fasting days, slowly reduce your consumption of caffeinated drinks such as coffee or tea. It is also a good idea to avoid alcohol a few days before the cleanse and instead drink at least 2 liters of water a day.
Since dairy products usually contain a very high fat content and can cause digestive problems, we recommend that you try plant-based alternatives to dairy products before and after the cleanse. Above all, eat simple meals that are easy to digest and rich in leafy vegetables (lettuce, chicory, radicchio, leaf spinach, lamb's lettuce) and cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, cauliflower), do not contain refined sugar and do not contain simple carbohydrates such as white flour or white flour products.
Just as it makes sense to eat healthier before a juice cleanse, it is also a good idea to support your body and allow yourself a gentle lifestyle. If you think about it, a juice cleanse is a time when you're consuming significantly fewer calories than you're used to, so it's best to take it slow. In addition to increasing your water intake and eating carefully to reduce the strain on your liver and kidneys, you'll also want to rethink your exercise routine. You can start doing gentle forms of exercise like yoga or walking in the days leading up to the juice cleanse, and continue doing so during and immediately after the cleanse. It's not about putting precious energy into physical activity, but about giving your body the time and space it needs - that means you need to spend most of your energy on these cleansing processes... not on a boot camp workout.
During your juice cleanse
For each juice cleanse, BERGBLUT will give you precise drinking recommendations. In our instructions, we have given exact times at which you should drink each juice. The daily plan is designed so that the breaks are not too long and you don't get cravings. The juices have also been put together in terms of their ingredients so that they work in harmony with your body. We recommend that you drink them in the order given to achieve the best results!
As already mentioned, you should take it easy during the juice cleanse. This means that you should pay attention to your stress level. During this time, practice a little mindfulness, consciously tune in to your body and do not overexert yourself.
Furthermore, during your juice cleanse, make sure to drink your juices calmly and with enjoyment. It may sound completely absurd, but chewing the juice promotes better digestion. Digestion begins in the mouth with the production of salivary amylase. When you consume it mindfully, the nutrients contained in the juice are absorbed and assimilated better and more effectively through the mouth. Your juice does not contain any fiber, so you may not feel like you have to chew it. Chewing also stimulates digestion. Your juices are your meals for the days of the cleanse - so take some time for each juice.
follow-up
The longer the juice cleanse lasted, the more careful you should be when reintegrating into your normal daily routine. If you have fasted for 3 or 5 days, you should start the first day after the cleanse with easily digestible foods, lots of vegetables and fruit. In the morning you can start with lukewarm water with lemon juice. If you have done a one-day cleanse, it is still important that you do not simply reach for the heaviest, most fatty dish, but choose a plant-based option.
Regardless of how long you have been without solid food, your digestive system has had a break and your body's detoxification system has also been stimulated - don't overload your body straight away with overly processed foods, heavy animal products or excessive amounts of sugar.
An example for a day could be: fresh fruit and plant-based yogurt for breakfast, vegetable soup and salad for lunch, and quinoa and roasted vegetables and lots of leafy greens for dinner. For snacks, you can snack on nuts and seeds and drink plenty of water.
At BERGBLUT, we are convinced that the food we put into our bodies has a direct impact on our health, well-being and ultimately our quality of life. Our juice cleanses have been specially developed to provide you with the best from nature.
