It's true, folks. I sacrificed one of my favorite things ever -- food -- to try out 3-days worth of freshly-pressed Kreation juice.
What was the motivation behind this? I'm still not entirely sure, but it probably had something to do with the fact that I was regularly eating steak, bacon, donuts, cheese, wine, beer, fried foods (basically, all things delicious), but had also stopped running and exercising. After living in oblivion/ denial since... Thanksgiving or so, I came to the realization that I needed some detoxification in my life. (The sobering wake-up call came through when I almost split my skirt).
Juicing cleanses have been around forever, but it wasn't until recently that more people I knew were participating. Some claim it's a fad, others call it fab. Curious, I ventured to my friend's juicery to pick up my [three heavy bags of] Kreation juices.
Because I'm a proponent of "Go Big or Go Home," I opted for the Level 3 in the Kleanse series. Level 3 has more green juices than the other two levels. Basically, it's the most intense of them all. Good idea for 1st attempt at juicing? Unclear.
My main concern before juicing was my impending hunger. Depending on what I eat, I'm usually hungry again after 30 min. So going from eating 5+ meals a day to just juice was a daunting thought. But much to my surprise, I drank my daily set of juices (6 a day) and I was hardly hungry (Doah's Not Hungry dot com?!)! It was the oddest feeling ever. Something in these juices tricked my brain into thinking I was full! I'm still blown away by this. Now, this helps me be more mindful of what I decide to eat... or at least how much I decide to eat of it.
As previously mentioned, the Level 3 Kleanse has 6 daily juices, 4 of which are "Gree[ee]n" juices. Unless you decide to customize your Level 3, the juices are already pre-selected. You just drink them in the order labeled on the cap, about 2 hours apart. It's pretty boring, but at least you don't have to think about what to eat next, which, let's be honest, consumes approx. 90% of my day.
So, let's begin!
Juice 1: Greeeen #3. Advertised as a "Powerful Anti-Inflammatory & Detoxifier," this juice tastes like... grass. But a tasty kind of grass (I must sound delusional). Kale, cucumber, parsley, celery, spinach, and romaine are pressed into this juice, and oddly enough, there's something refreshing about it! Of the green juices, this is my probably my fave.
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| One down! |
Juice 2: Master Cleanse, the "Jumpstart to Cleanse." This juice includes water, agave, lemon, and cayenne pepper. I love the slight spiciness from the cayenne and the agave rounded out the lemon-y flavor well. This was an easy juice for me to drink.
Juice 3: Greeen #2. Voila, the 2nd green juice in the line-up. This one includes the usual suspects (kale, cucumber, parsley, celery, spinach, romaine), but also includes apple and lemon. The sweet and tangy from the apple and lemon respectively, are noticeable, making the whole drink less denser in greenness flavor.
Juice 4: Protein Power. Instead of Green #1, which is another green juice that includes ginger and mint, I opted for the Protein Power because I needed something more substantial when I worked out (if I worked out). Consisting of almond, date and vanilla, this juice has a nutty texture due to the crushed almonds. I like it, but had trouble finishing it all -- I was full!
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| More than "juice." |
Juice 5: Master Cleanse (see above).
Juice 6: Greeeen #3 (see above).
In addition to the regular juices, the Kleanse includes 6 different "Better Than Water" juices, which you can drink at any time. I got mine in Lavender, Peppermint, Coconut Water, Chlorophyll, Aloe Vera, and Lemon. My faves were Peppermint, Lemon, and Coconut.
Disclaimer: While I was successful on Day 1, I made small cheats on Days 2 and 3. Does this disrupt the whole cleansing experience? Yes. Does this mean I didn't get the full benefits of juicing? Most likely. Does this mean I regret having done this at all? No.
I'd like to try this again some day, committing 100% to the process. (I felt pretty great after Day 1!) The huge downside is that this juice cleanse, like most juice cleanses provided by a company, is very pricey. A 3-day Kleanse is priced at $147 (about $50/day), 5-day package for $245, and 7-day package for $343 (all pre-tax). While I see the benefits of juicing, I probably won't be buying juices anytime soon.
If you want something more than juice, but want to feel healthy, check out Kreation Kafe in Santa Monica! { link }
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