If you follow me on Instagram, you might already know that I did a three-day juice cleanse last week. My friend Rebecca from The Ripe Stuff asked if I wanted to try one out, and since (as you’ve probably noticed) I’m a huge fan of juice, I was eager to take her up on the offer. Every once in a while, it’s nice to give your digestive system a break, hit the reset button, and let your body balance itself out. I’ve done a few juice cleanses and always feel amazing afterwards—this one was no exception!
In addition to their signature cleanses, The Ripe Stuff offers a seasonal cleanse that incorporates some in-season produce and changes every three months. For summer, they have the Beet the Heat cleanse, and as soon as I saw watermelon-mint juice on the menu I was sold!
Here’s what the six juices each day were:
All the juices were delicious! Green juice is my jam so those two were probably my favorite, but the watermelon-mint was a real treat, too. And I loved that there was so much variety—two green, an earthy beet juice, a sweet watermelon drink, a fiery cayenne lemonade, and a satisfying cashew drink to finish the day.
How I Felt during the Cleanse
I had a ton of energy throughout the cleanse and was able to workout each day. A few days prior, I stopped drinking coffee so that I could get the caffeine withdrawal headaches/sluggishness out of the way—something I highly recommend you do before any cleanse. On day one I went for a short run and did a 15-minute HIIT workout in my living room (I’m posting it to the blog later this week!). On day two, I took it easier and hit up a yoga class. On day three, I did a class at Btone in the morning and then was invited to a free indoor cycling class at SoulCycle that night on behalf of Women’s Health Magazine and Birchbox. I was surprised I had enough energy for a double-session workout day, but I felt great!
I was only hungry for a little while the first day, and I think it was probably because I ate a big dinner the night before my cleanse—something I wouldn’t recommend. It was a healthy dinner, but I ate a lot. Whoopsies. Other than that, I wasn’t hungry, and the heavier cashew drink helped me go to bed satisfied each night.
How I Felt after the Cleanse
My favorite thing about juice cleanses is how any cravings for unhealthy foods I may have had are totally gone by the end. You wake up the next morning and just want more juice! There’s a heightened awareness of what you’re putting into your body, and the next couple days, I pretty much just wanted smoothies, juice, veggies, fruits and nuts. When the weekend hit, I added in eggs and some bread…and, ok, beer…but all in all, I’m still eating super healthy. And I haven’t had any coffee since before the cleanse! I don’t think there’s anything wrong with coffee necessarily, but I don’t think you should be dependant on something to feel awake in the morning. I go through no-coffee phases a lot, so we’ll see how long this one lasts.
As a result of no coffee and habitually drinking a ton of liquids for three days, I’ve found myself drinking a ton of water since the cleanse, which is great because it’s something I often neglect. Three days of juice + lots of water = clearer skin! The little bumps around my chin look so much better.
The number one question I get asked about juice cleanses is weight loss. I don’t weight myself, but I definitely looked a little thinner after the juice cleanse. How much of it is “real” weight and how much of it is water weight and bloat? I don’t know, and it doesn’t really matter to me—that’s not why I do juice cleanses. When you take three days off from digestion, your body can direct its energy to repair. Cleanses flush out and repair the bad, while helping you kickstart a healthy routine. It’s like hitting the reset button. And anyone who ever owned a Nintendo64 knows how essential a reset button can be from time to time.
More About The Ripe Stuff
The Ripe Stuff is a local company, and is delivered throughout the Boston area Sunday through Tuesday. I decided on a Sunday delivery so that I could start my cleanse on Monday morning. The produce used is locally sourced and hydraulically pressed. For any Boston readers, I’d highly recommend The Ripe Stuff! You can get 1, 2 or 3-day cleanses, as well as a-la-carte juices. Check The Ripe Stuff out online HERE to order and see their other juice and cleanse options. 
Hey there! I'm Nicole, a group fitness instructor, healthy lifestyle blogger (you probably figured that one out by now) and Certified Personal Trainer living in Boston, MA.
I’ve been tossing around the idea of doing a cleanse in a few weeks after I take the bar exam. I’ve been searching around for a juice brand to go with and the Ripe Stuff is looking pretty good (and tasty!) right about now! Thanks for sharing!
I’ve never done a juice cleanse before. Not sure I will do one anytime soon, but I would like to have that “reset” button every once in a while. Thanks for sharing!
Do you think I can try this cleanse at home but instead, make them into smoothies since I don’t have a juicer?
You can definitely do something like this at home with a blender, but you’ll probably have to use slightly different ingredients to account for the texture. The watermelon-mint juice is one you could easily just toss in a blender at home, but the beet juice, for example, might not turn out great in a blender.
I’ve only done a juice cleanse once, and I found it difficult because I made the recipes myself. This looks so much easier and saves all the hassle of finding the right ingredients (which is hard to do here in Barbados) and overstocking the fridge. Thanks for sharing!
~Bre
I’ve done a couple at home, too, and while they save you money–they can be SUCH a pain haha. This was a lot more convenient, and The Ripe Stuff even sends you a little cooler bag with your cleanse so that you can pack a few bottles with you if you’re heading into work or running errands.
I’ve seen a lot of cleanses out there, but this one honestly looks pretty legit! I love the ease, no fuss, short approach.