Day 1
I went to pick up my juices from Belmonte Raw‘s Leslieville location before work. I completely underestimated how heavy 2 days worth of juice would be. I’m glad that Belmonte suggested I pick up my third cleanse on a separate day ensuring both freshness and my arms to suffer a little less.
I decided to do 2 days of “The Intro” and 1 day of “The Deep“. Here’s how it went.
I’m glad that “The Intro” came with a raw meal. It was a nice way to ease into a juice cleanse. All of the bottles come numbered so you know exactly which one to take next.
01: Clarity (Carrot, Lemon, Ginger) I surprisingly really liked this one. I thought I wouldn’t be a big fan of it because of the carrots and ginger but it was actually really nice and refreshing.
02: Vanilla Milk (Cashews, Filtered Water, Vanilla, Dates) I thought I would like this one the most because look at the ingredients! Cashews, Vanilla, Dates? Yes please! Sadly, I didn’t like this one as much as the Clarity but it was still good.
03: Chlorophyll Elixir (100% Chlorophyll) I was so nervous to take this one. It looks extremely potent and revolting in the bottle, almost like poison. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be but it wasn’t that great either. It honestly just tastes like mouthwash.
04: Revive (Lemon, Filtered Water, Cayenne, Agave) Probably one of my least favourite juices ever. I’m fine with lemon, water, and agave but the cayenne definitely kills it for me. I understand that it has a purpose, but to me, spices should be in food, not juices.
05: Spaghetti and Neatballs (Spinach, Arugula, Zucchini, Butternut Squash, Creamy Cashew Pesto, Sun-dried Tomato, Almonds, Dried Cranberries, Pea Shoots, Hemp seeds with Apple Cider Miso Vinaigrette) One word: Delicious! Honestly, so so so good. I would definitely eat it again.
06: Uplift (Spinach, Cucumber, Apple, Lemon, Parsley, Ginger) This one was also pretty light and refreshing. I was worried that the parsley and ginger would be overpowering but it wasn’t. You really taste the apple, lemon, and cucumber the most which is nice.
07: Aloe Elixir (100% Aloe) I’ve had aloe juice before but those are filled with sugar. This was 100% aloe and it was terrible. Sugar please!
I’ll admit, I did cheat on Day 1. I ended up going to Bar Ape’s Pop Up Event and ate gelato desserts. Hey, honesty is the best policy, right?
Day 2
I think day 2 was the hardest part of my Belmonte Raw juice cleanse. I woke up with body aches and a headache as well as a sore throat. I also felt extremely tired and laid in bed for most of the day. Apparently these are detox symptoms that show the cleanse is working. Let’s just say I’m glad I had the day to myself so I could lounge around and not have to worry about exerting energy (because I had none).
For day 2, I had the same juices and elixirs as day 1 above. The only difference was the raw meal which was changed to the “Sicilian Green Bean” salad (Spinach, Arugula, Green Beans, Tomato, Sun-dried Tomato, Olives, Red Pepper, Red Onion, Sprouted Beans, Lentils, Dill, Parsley, Olive Oil, Almonds, Hemp Seeds, Pea Shoots with Sunflower Pesto). I love the crunch the green beans add, the use of both fresh tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes as well as the olives in this dish.
Day 3
By day 3 my body was finally accepting the fact that I wasn’t eating much. I still woke up with a few body aches but overall I did feel more energized. I also wasn’t as hungry as I was the two previous days even though my 3rd day cleanse was all juice and no salad!
“The Deep”
01: Antiox Smoothie (Blueberries, Almond, Oat, Vanilla, Chia, Dates, Açai) This was so yummy! Probably my favourite juice of all the juices in the cleanse. It has a lot of chunks due to the ingredients so if you don’t like juices that have bits in them then you might not enjoy it as much. Also, be careful because blueberry skins do stick to your teeth, make sure to check your smile.
02: Refresh (Carrot, Apple, Beet, Lemon, Ginger) I love the colour of this juice. The beet and carrot separate and there is a nice gradient of red to orange. This one is too similar to the clarity juice because of the overpowering carrots but still good.
03: Chlorophyll (100% chlorophyll) Still tastes like mouthwash.
04: Vanilla Milk (Cashews, Filtered Water, Vanilla, Dates) By the 3rd day I started to like this one more and more. At first I wasn’t a big fan of the vanilla but somehow this one tasted more like cashews and dates which I liked.
05: Revive (Lemon, Filtered Water, Cayenne, Agave) SO SPICY.
06: Clarity (Carrot, Lemon, Ginger) Carrot juice has won me over. Never would I have thought I would like carrot juice.
07: Uplift (Spinach, Cucumber, Apple, Lemon, Parsley, Ginger) Still good. No complaints here.
Overall, I’m proud of myself for accomplishing 3 days of juice cleansing (minus the little lapse on day 1). I think they’re nice for when you want to reset your body or get a jump start on healthy eating. I do feel lighter and notice that I don’t crave as much junk as I did before. (Let’s see how long this effect lasts). I think a juice cleanse would be particularly beneficial after the holidays because everyone indulges during the holidays. Have you tried a Belmonte Raw Juice Cleanse or any other juice cleanse? How did it go? Let me know!
xo, Rose
