Spring time is the most optimal time for a detox/cleanse to rid your body of built up waste and toxins accumulated over the Winter months – hello copious amounts of comfort food consumed over the holiday season! After attending an intimate luncheon with some Toronto influencers at the Belmonte Raw boutique a month ago, I decided it was about time for me to commit to a 3 day juice cleanse to reset my body.

Juicing is one of the best ways to reset your digestive system, to hydrate and to receive a very high dose of vitamins and minerals without causing the body to overwork. I would compare it to hitting “CTRL, ALT, DELETE” on your PC, as it resets your body and helps to kick start your metabolism by putting it into overdrive. I chose to do my cleanse with Belmonte Raw because they are well known within the city for having some of the tastiest raw foods, delicious juices (which can be found at the Holt Renfrew Cafe and Detox Market) and for their raw food, juice and transitional cleanses. All the company’s raw juices are made with fresh, raw and mostly organic or local ingredients which are washed with filtered water, organic vegetable wash and colloidal silver. And the part – they deliver right to your door each morning…BONUS! The wonderful ladies at Belmonte Raw were sure to further educate me on the process and identify any possible side effects I may experience throughout cleansing; fatigue, headache, sore muscles or joints – which is completely normal apparently if you have a high level of toxins. They are called detox or “die-off” symptoms and may be a result of the body expelling unwanted toxins that have built up in the body.

The “Refresh” and “Uplift” – Belmonte’s most popular juices

Probably one of the most important parts of doing a cleanse is “pre-cleansing” which is critical to prepare yourself for juicing. Belmonte Raw recommends 2-3 days for those that have a healthy lifestyle and obviously longer for those you haven’t been so healthy. What this does is basically allow you to fully benefit from the process and to minimize the side effects. During the pre-cleanse I was told to drink 1/2 litre of room temperature water with fresh lemon juice to awaken the liver and flush out any toxins that accumulated from the previous night. Moreover, it revs up digestion for the day. Other important pre-cleanse notes: cut back on all refined and processed foods/drinks, stay away from fried foods; caffeine, alcohol, animal protein, dairy and sugars. During this period, I made sure to stick to mostly fruits and veggies (steamed but mostly raw) and by the day prior to the cleanse, I was eating 85% raw fruit and veggies.

Belmonte Raw’s delicious “Dreams of Lebanon” salad that I lived on during my pre-cleanse

I can’t lie, although I was excited for this healthy adventure, I was super nervous at the thought of not being able to eat solid food for 3 days. Anyone who has dieted before knows all about this feeling…the minute you tell yourself you have to stay away from a particular food group or item, the more you have an undeniable craving for it. Similar to the pre-cleanse, during the 3 cleansing days I woke up and drank 1/2 litre of room temperature water with the juice of half a lemon. I made sure to stay away from vigorous exercise, got tons of sleep, did hot yoga and dry brushed my skin prior to having showers. I also drank roughly 3-4 litres of water throughout the day but NOT during the intake of any of the juices, as it actually slows down digestion. *You must wait at least 20 minutes before and after drinking the juices to drink your water.

Day #1 of my juice cleanse which consisted of 6 juices and an elixir

In my juice package each day, I received a menu informing me on the juices and elixir that was included for the day, in addition to a recommended consumption schedule; which literally takes the thinking out of the process. Day one looked like the following:

Juices

Carrot Based Juice: (carrot, apple, beet, lemon and ginger)

Greens Based Juice: (cucumber, spinach, parsley, apple, lemon, ginger)

Cinnamon Cashew Mylk: For protein and to regulate blood sugar levels

Master Cleanser: To alkalize your body (lemon, cayenne, agave)

Elixir: Liquid Chlorophyll to cleanse the blood

Herbal Tea

The Liver Detox Tea is provided (one page per day) to drink throughout the day

Recommended Schedule

7am: Upon rising and before you brush your teeth drink 1/2 litre of water with lemon. Steep tea and put in thermos to drink all day

8:30am: Drink first bottle of carrot based juice

10:30am: Drink first bottle of greens based juice

11:15am: Take elixir as a shot…which will provide a huge boost of energy

12:30pm: Drink cashew mylk

3pm: Enjoy master cleanser juice

5pm: Drink second carrot based juice

7pm: Drink second greens based juice

Day two and three…the recommended schedule was the exact same as day one but there was a small difference in regards to the juices and elixir provided:

Juices

Carrot Based Juice: (carrot, apple, beet, lemon and ginger)

Greens Based Juice: (cucumber, spinach, parsley, apple, lemon, ginger)

Vanilla Cashew Mylk: For protein and to regulate blood sugar levels

Grapefruit Spirulina: To alkalize your body and for extra protein (lemon, cayenne, agave)

Elixir: Aloe Vera

For those of you who follow me on Twitter and Instagram, you were privy to my “Juicing Journey” as I tweeted quite frequently about my progress. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was never hungry during the day and was left very satisfied after consuming each bottle. Just a sidebar…each juice contains 6-7 lbs of fruits and veggies and they were absolutely delish, which made it a breeze. My faves were the greens based juice and the grapefruit spirulina (the latter I could have drank all damn day!) By day two, I noticed my eyes were brighter, my skin was glowing, my stomach was flatter and my energy was through the roof. I had not felt this amazing since 2008…I swear! By day three my stomach was so lean and I noticed that my sleeping patterns had improved…getting adequate sleep has long been a challenge for me. But I will be honest, I did experience some food cravings but for some reason, they came between 7-8pm and just like any other craving, it soon passed. As day three came to a close, I was actually sad that my “Juicing Journey” was over. I think I could have actually done it for 10 days. Due to the fact that these juices are specifically curated to ensure consumers receive the appropriate amount of vitamins, minerals, calories and protein, it is safe to “juice”as frequently as one wants to. I am so hooked that I will be doing another round at the end of April prior to my vacation to Bequia.

If you have yet to experience the fantastic raw foods and juices of Belmonte Raw, you should add it to your restaurant hit-list. For more information, please visit their website www.belmonteraw.com

Belmonte Raw Boutique: 1022 Queen Street East (Leslieville neighbourhood) Toronto, ON 416.340.1218

Hours of Operation: Tuesday-Sunday 10am-3pm

XO,

S