Cleaning Vs Juicing: Your Guide to an Outlier Lifestyle

With the popularity of juicing rising after the acclaimed "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" documentary, it can be confusing on what the difference between "cleansing" and "juicing" is. Being a Outlier is a lifestyle, so the approach we take for cleansing has the underlying goal of resetting our bodies. Cleansing not only means putting nutritious foods in your body, but the avoidance of harmful ones as well. The most efficient way to get nutrients in your body is by juicing. Although just eating fruits and vegetables can have its benefits as well, juicing ensures that you get all the nutrients intended, while giving your body a break from processing food, and achieving optimal health. 

The best time to cleanse is after a holiday or any stressful period in your life. As we know, these are the most popular times in ingesting junk food, alcohol, and other fast paced habits. If you are also experiencing signs of over-acidity in the body, which may lead to chronic fatigue, headaches, insomnia, depression, allergies, aches & pains, digestive problems, unhealthy skin and a weakened immune system, it is also a very beneficial time to juice to help reset your body on its own path to wellness. 

Sometimes during cleansing, people can sometimes experience detox symptoms that originate from the release of built-up toxins in the body while they cleanse. These toxins are released into the bloodstream, creating unpleasant symptoms.Detox symptoms might include headaches, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, constipation and skin irritation, but not everyone experiences these symptoms. The best way to avoid these symptoms is to ease yourself into a cleanse. Stop fast food, and alcohol consumption; increase water intake, and start/end your day at a consistent time. 

Check out below for my Before-During-After Cleanse instructions to ensure success!

Instructions for a cleanse

PRE-CLEANSE

Preparation is essential for a cleanse. The more prepared you are, the better your cleansing experience will be. For optimal benefits, you will have to cut out some of your usual indulgences.

We recommend you include these healthy habits at least 3 days before starting your cleanse:

1. Start your day with a glass of warm lemon water or herbal tea.

2. Keep hydrating throughout the day with non-carbonated water (at least two liters a day.)

3. Avoid the following:

• dairy and egg products
• meat and poultry
• fish and seafood
• processed sugar
• wheat
• caffeine
• alcohol
• nicotine
• marijuana/other drugs

4. Get at least 8 Hours of rest, and wake up/go to sleep at the same time daily

This may sound like a lot to give up, but your body will thank you for it in the end! Try and stick to fruits, vegetables, fresh juices, water.If giving up some of the products below is too difficult, you can substitute for a healthier option, or just decrease consumption. For example, you cannot quit smoking in one day, but you can try and smoke one less cigarette per day. Remember, anything you can eliminate ahead of time, will make it easier for you once you are on your cleanse and after your cleanse is over.

DURING THE CLEANSE

Keep on hydrating

We recommend you drink at least three liters of water per day. Start your day with a glass of warm water with lemon, after that, have a glass of water between each of your juices. If you feel like something warm, decaffeinated herbal teas are a great option (my personal favorites are camomille, ginger, and peppermint).

Give your body time to rest

Our cleanses are designed to be gentle on your body so you can continue with your daily lives. However, a cleanse may be tiring for your body. Make sure to get plenty of rest. Go to bed early, take naps when needed, keep your schedule as light as possible. **This is extremly important to note to my athletes, or more active Outliers. You CANNOT perform a full cleanse while maintaining an active lifestyle. There are many reasons why, but the most obvious is lack of energy producing foods. Pastas, and healthy sugars (healthy carbs) are important for energy, and we will be taking in much lower levels of what you are used to. Please make note of this when performing your cleanse. 

 Eliminate the released toxins

During a cleanse you body releases accumulated waste that may have built up for years. To prevent toxins from reabsorbing into your bloodstream, you have to make sure to properly eliminate them. Colonics and enemas are a safe way of releasing the waste from your system.

Throughout your cleanse, your organs will be working diligently to release toxins. Here are some tips on how to support your organs to get the job done:

1. Exfoliate! This will help to open pores and get rid of dead skin cells
2. Sweat, sweat, sweat! Take a sauna, steam, or take a hot bath.
3. Exercise! Remember to always shower afterwards to rinse off any sweat before it reabsorbs into the skin.
4. Get out! Take a walk, get into nature and get some fresh air into those lungs.
5. Schedule a massage.  This will release tension and stress!  Tip: take a tennis ball and use it to massage your liver (below your right rib cage). This will stimulate the detox process of the liver.

POST-CLEANSE

After your cleanse your body needs to be slowly reintroduced to solid/more complex foods. We put together some hints on how to break your cleanse safely.

Day 1 Add smoothies, soups, fresh non-pasteurized juices and fruits

Day 2 Add salads, steamed vegetables (preferably greens like spinach, broccoli, kale, etc)

Day 3 Add some whole grains like quinoa, amaranth, millet and brown rice

Day 4 Avoid same foods as pre-cleanse!

Day 5 Now you can slowly introduce other foods. But remember to do it gradually! At all times you should try to avoid/consume in moderation: 

• dairy and egg products: Try Almond Milk and Egg white as a healthy substitute
• meat and poultry: Cut red meat consumption to once-twice a week
• fish and seafood: Too much of one thing is never good
• processed sugar: limit consumption as it is the main contributor to fatigue
• wheat: Go for the healthy options such as brown rice, whole wheat bread, ect.
• caffeine: Green Tea is a great way to cut down on coffee
• alcohol
• nicotine
• marijuana/other drugs