Press Reset with a Cold-Pressed Juice Cleanse

Like clockwork October brought a chilled air into Montreal, and with it the first round of itchy throats and stuffy noses. It wasn't allergies that were knocking out my colleagues and students, it was an early case of the flu.

I promptly took action and it did not include getting pricked with a needle: I decided to do a 3-day juice cleanse to boost my immune system.

Why Cleanse?
Cleanses are a proactive way to help the body rid itself of toxins. Eating a healthful diet reduces the levels of toxins we absorb into our body, however, despite our best efforts, we're exposed to harmful substances all the time; they're in our diet (pesticides, microbes, and mercury, to name a few) and the very air we breathe (think disinfectants, deodorizers, gasses released by fresh paint, and pollution). Luckily, we have an excellent system in place to handle those toxins. Enzymes throughout the body continuously break toxins down and help to flush them out, and cleansing only enhances this flushing out process.

How to Cleanse?
Holistic nutritionist extraordinaire, author, and friend Leanne Vogel of Healthful Pursuit informed me that there are many different ways to cleanse, none of them bad, just different. She says:

“A cleanse can be: only whole foods, no processed anything.
A cleanse can be: only blended foods, all whole foods.
A cleanse can be: just fruit and vegetable juices.
A cleanse can be: nut and seed milks and vegetable juices...”

Leanne went on to say that if someone is new to cleansing or is struggling with digestion (constipation to be specific), a blended cleanse is generally their best bet. “The great thing about blended cleanses is that you don't have to just rely on fruits and vegetables (like juice-only cleanses) – blended greens, cooked grains, meats, all blended. It really helps to amp up digestion and is a fabulous introduction to cleansing.”

Regardless of the type of cleanse you undertake, keep it organic. Otherwise you are ingesting many of the same pesticide, herbicide and antibiotic residues the body is trying to clear out.

Why Juice Cleanse?
Juice cleanses are designed to free our bodies from the burden of digesting solid food so that we can release the toxins swimming in our system more efficiently. Specifically, juice cleanses rest the stomach and liver, flood the body with super nutrition (phytonutrients, B vitamins and digestive and anti-inflammatory enzymes), improve energy, rehydrate the body, ease food decision-making (juice or ... juice?), and reduce your appetite (well, kind of. Juicing eliminates the habit of comfort eating, and makes you feel satisfied with less food than usual).

Cold-Pressed Juices: Not Just a Trend
The most common type of juicer is a centrifugal juicer. These typically use a fast-spinning metal blade that spins against a mesh filter, separating juice from fibre via centrifugal force. The juice and pulp are then separated into different containers. The problem with centrifugal juicers is that the fast-spinning metal blade generates heat, which destroys some of the enzymes in the fruits and vegetables you're juicing. The heat also exposes air to the fruits and vegetables, oxidizing those nutrients and rendering less nutritious juice than a cold-pressed juicer. A good sign of oxidation is the foam formed on the juice.

Cold-pressed juicers extract juice by applying thousands of pounds of pressure to fruit and vegetables for the highest juice yield. Because the juice is not heated, pasteurized, or chemically treated, they keep more of the fresh, organic ingredients' nutrients intact.

Enter Dose Juice
Going to Montreal-based cold-pressed juice company Dose for my cleansing needs was a no-brainer. Dose is the brain child of Geneviève Brousseau Provencher and Raphael Hubert, a serious foodie couple who both share a passion for healthy living.

Online magazine Notable, a booming site that features noteworthy young professionals and entrepreneurs and boasts 1.5 million monthly visitors, had only flattering things to say about Dose: “Forget that freshly mowed lawn taste. Dose has all the goodness without losing focus on taste.”

Each day of a Dose cleanse includes 5 carefully chosen cold-pressed juices and one hemp milk, and step-by-step instructions (think details to tell you what to drink when). These curated choices are intended to replace all, or the majority of, your meals and snacks.

Final Verdict
Although challenging at times (and by "at times" I mean "many times"), the cleanse was a perfect opportunity for me to slow down. Day one and two of the cleanse were spent cuddling my man and dog while watching movies. By day three I was full of energy and on fire while teaching my yoga classes. Surprisingly, I felt “full” from this cleanse; I was drinking 500mL of nutrient-dense juices every two hours between 8am and 6pm, interspersed with at least another 500mL of water between juices. The times I felt the most challenged were when I missed “chewing crunchy things” or couldn't reach for that crutch piece of bread or bag of (organic vegetable) chips when feeling slightly emotional. By the end of the three day cleanse, I felt as if I had pressed reset on my body and freed myself from my bad habits, making room for wise and conscious choices.

Will I do it again? Hell yeah! Cold-pressed juice cleansing is a great way to start each season or to do a few times a year when you feel you need a boost.

So what are you waiting for? Contact Dose Juice now and get your colorful cleanse delivered to your door as soon as tomorrow!

*Before embarking on a juice cleanse, please consult your health care professional.