A cleanse is a great way to kickstart Paleo because you give yourself a chance to flush your system and then you can slowly incorporate healthy foods back into your new diet, I like to do them once a month. Some people like to buy a vegetable juicer and do their juices on their own- I don't personally have the time for this so I go to two local juice bars- most cities have them so you can search for one near you and most Whole Foods grocery stores now have a juice bar.
You shouldn't go into a juice cleanse thinking of it as as a quick weight loss solution. I think of them as a way for my body to "reset" and detox. According to Nekter Juice Bar in Newport Beach, "Over time our bodies compile foreign chemicals and heavy metals- these come from our food, our environment and our skincare products. However, even our own cells produce toxins that are not disposed of properly when our systems are not fully functioning because of toxic buildup...The following symptoms are misdiagnosed and can simply be caused by toxic buildup:
• Inflammation
• Constipation
• Fatigue
• Allergies
• Repeated illness
• Depression
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Trouble sleeping
Nekter gives a good pre-cleanse regimen that I like to follow the day before I start. Your diet the day before should be something like this:
Breakfast: eggs with sauteed mushrooms and onions, a little bit of fruit
Lunch: Salad with tuna or a lean protein, avocado, light dressing with no sugar.
Dinner: Fish with steamed veggies.
You can also snack throughout the day on fresh fruit, nuts, or an apple with almond butter. They also suggest cutting out caffein so skip the coffee so you don't get a headache during your cleanse-in my experience this is definitely smart, you can drink green tea to ease yourself off. You also want to eliminate sugar and dairy and they suggest incorporating a vegetable juice somewhere in there to kickstart things.It's really important to try and do this leading up to a cleanse so you can get the most out of it and it will make it easier for your system to adjust.
