We tried the Juicy three day juice cleanse - and these were the results

What is it like to only drink fruit and veg juice for three days, and what are the results? Rosalind Erskine finds out...

Published 27th Feb 2023
Updated 8 th Aug 2023

While it's usually January and the new year that kick starts healthy resolutions, I find myself staring at 18 bottles of cold pressed juice, ready to undertake a three day juice cleanse, in mid-February.

The juices come from Juicy, a Glasgow-based cafe and juice bar that focuses on 'bringing health and wellness to the masses' with a range of salads, smoothies and acai bowls.

Opened in 2021 by Fallon Carberry, Juicy has two locations - Byres Road and Silverburn - but the juice cleanse is available for UK-wide delivery.

Juicy offers one to five day cleanses, with build your own options. There's a choice of eight juices to choose from, if you build your own, or you can have them do it for you.

What is a juice cleanse?

A juice cleanse is when you only drink fruit and vegetable juice only for a period of time. Given that all you're putting into your body during this time is fruit and veg, it's a good way for people who don't often eat their five a day to achieve this.

Most juice cleanse plans say that they are a good way to break bad eating habits and kickstart a healthier lifestyle, while boosting energy levels, improve skin and can help people lose weight.

There's also claims of them removing toxins, though doctors dispute this, as that's what your liver and kidneys are for.

Are juice cleanses for everyone?

The short answer is no. If you have a medical condition or are on medication it's best to speak to your GP before undertaking a juice cleanse.

The high levels of natural sugars will lead to blood sugar levels to fluctuate so they're not advisable for those with diabetes.

You should avoid a juice cleanse if you're

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pregnant, or breastfeeding
elderly, or under 18
recovering from surgery
have kidney or liver conditions
have epilepsy
have anaemia, or low blood pressure
have a history of eating disorders

What's included in the Juicy juice cleanse?

For the three day cleanse there's 18 juices, six per day, and mine included the following to be drank in any order throughout the day.

  • Fat Burn - pineapple, apple, cucumber, spinach, lime and moringa
  • The Curer - watermelon, apple, lime, mint and milk thistle
  • Eternal Youth - apple, beetroot, lemon, ginger and collagen
  • Glow Up - pink grapefruit, orange, pink cabbage, pomegranate, lemon and aloe vera
  • Brain Food - pineapple, carrots, ginger and turmeric
  • Buzzin - pineapple, melon, apple, mint and bee pollen

Day one

Light exercise is fine on a juice cleanse, but anything strenuous is not recommend. This means I can continue with yoga, but not body pump which I am secretly relieved by.

I decide the day should start with the Brain Food juice, a bright orange bottle of carrots, pineapple, carrots, ginger and turmeric. It was sweet but with a real kick from the ginger, a nice start to the day.

About two hours later, I cracked open a Glow Up juice - a light pink juice that's seriously tart thanks to the pink grapefruit and red cabbage, but there's sweetness there from the orange.

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juice cleanse

For lunch I decided to try one of the more savoury juices, Eternal Youth with apple, beetroot, lemon, ginger and vegan collagen. The earthiness of the beetroot is very evident but it's not overpowering.

Later in the afternoon it was time for the green juice, Fat Burn which has pineapple, apple, cucumber, spinach, lime and moringa. Again this was savoury but not too much, as the lime and pineapple bring some sweetness.

I was out at night so only managed one more juice when I got in, The Curer - a sweet one with watermelon, apple, lime, mint and milk thistle

Overall I've not been starving all day, and have enjoyed trying the new juice flavours. There were none of the headaches which can come with cutting out caffeine, but I did feel tired at lunchtime.

Day 2

I slept pretty well, which is something that is often cited as an advantage of a juice cleanse, and didn't wake up starving although, it being a Saturday, I knew I was missing out on a cooked breakfast and fresh coffee.

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I started the day with a Fat Burn green juice, followed by the beetroot juice later in the morning.

Lunchtime I had the pink juice and later on, Buzzin, a pineapple juice with pineapple, melon, apple, mint and bee pollen. It was sweet, a bit like a dessert juice (I am not starving hungry but at this point I can't stop thinking about eating food).

I had a bit of a headache by the middle of the day, but it shifted without taking painkillers and water. It's important to keep drinking water throughout the cleanse (about two litres) to keep hydrated.

I finished the day with Glow Up and The Curer.

I still felt fine, if a bit food obsessed, but the ratio of fruit to veg in the drinks I have been sent is making my teeth feel furry. Savoury fans may want to build their own and include ones with less sugar, such as Dirty Detox with activated charcoal and Zen AF with cucumber, apple, pear, lime, spinach and jalapeno.

Day 3

Another good sleep and, today, no headaches which it good. I'm getting into a groove of drinking a juice every two hours after only managing five juices on the first two days.

I'm still dealing with living with someone who is eating normally, and have been tormented with the smells of steak cooking, fresh coffee and fried eggs to name a few. But I am sticking with it.

I managed all juices today, but again feel they're all a bit too sweet or heavy on the fruit. I'm not convinced that this is overly helping my usually sweet tooth, and need for chocolate or a biscuit after a meal.

Conclusion

There wasn't one single juice I didn't like, but would have, with hindsight, mixed up the flavours a bit more so there were more savoury style juices as all the ones I had were quite sweet (my teeth are still recovering).

I was surprised at how I wasn't ever starving, and on one day actually didn't drink all the juices. But I did miss bread and coffee, and three days of the same six juices does eventually get same-y.

I slept well and generally felt that my energy levels were fine, given the lack of protein or carbs. I'd recommend undertaking this on a weekend, especially if you have a strenuous job.

While I coped generally well on this cleanse, three days for me felt a bit too long with the range of juices I had. One of two days feels more do-able in the future.

Juice cleanses are sold on removing toxins, helping to kick cravings and having a reset if you've overindulged. I found it easier to say no to the chocolate and biscuits after it, and have maintained a healthy diet.

Given the low calorie intake over a short period of time, they can cause short-term weight loss. I, however, did not lose any weight at all but my boyfriend did after just one day on the cleanse. We both agreed a one day cleanse would be something we'd try again and regularly.

It's important to remember to speak to your GP if you have any concerns or medical conditions before doing a juice cleanse, and that while weight loss may happen you're likely to put weight back on when you go back to eating normally.

The Juicy three-day juice cleanse is priced at £120 and available to order online at their website.

Known for cake making, experimental jam recipes, Champagne, whisky and gin drinking (and the inability to cook Gnocchi), Rosalind is the Food and Drink Editor and whisky writer for The Scotsman, as well as hosting Scran, The Scotsman's food and drink podcast.
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