Jun20
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A Conscious Cleanse Review, a two-week program designed to detox the body and help identify any food allergies or sensitives you have.
For two weeks, I followed the Conscious Cleanse.
The purpose:
To detox the body and help identify any food allergies or sensitives you have.
What’s not allowed:
corn, soy, alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, dairy, eggs, sugar, wheat. And a few other things. [I already avoid dairy and wheat but many other aspects of the cleanse were difficult for me.]
What is allowed:
LOADS of veggies and greens. Certain meats. Gluten-free grains.
What else does it require?
Certain food combination prescriptions and a couple Purification days to boost your detoxing.
The creators, Jo and Jules, provide plenty of recipes in the book and in the PDF manual you get if you do the group cleanse.
I’d never tried romaine lettuce in a smoothie before the cleanse!
In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever eaten so many greens in my life. Now I crave them and if I don’t start my day with a green smoothie, I just feel off.
I can usually judge the quality of my diet by the amount of poof I have on my belly. So I took a Before picture.
And an After. I was definitely leaner and less puffy after two weeks on the cleanse, even though I wasn’t perfect. I’d say I followed it 75-80%.
Before & After
It’s kind of hard to tell because it’s different lighting and different angles but I was leaner and felt I had better definition, particularly around my belly button and on the sides of my core.
I wish I had done a before and after of my face because my skin looked AMAZING by the end. Not a single breakout in two weeks. I kind of botched the re-introduction phase where I could have identified exactly what is causing my breakouts, but i’m still pretty sure I figured it out. I think it’s SOY!
What I learned:
I’m sensitive to soy. I was addicted to caffeine (the first few days without it were rough!). I wasn’t eating enough veggies. My digestive system was pretty backed up.
What I liked:
That there were plenty of options to eat, with lots of variety. It wasn’t super limiting like a juice fast. They don’t demand or expect perfection; every slip-up is an opportunity to learn how your body responds. The group support on the private Facebook page was helpful, as were the conference calls and emails with Jo and Jules where you could ask questions – the direct access made the cleanse so much easier and manageable. And I loved how my skin looked! 🙂
The detox symptoms – fatigue, grumpiness, headaches – were tough but I also had phases where I just felt awesome! More energy than I’d had in weeks and I just had this mental clarity…like a fog had been lifted.
What was hard for me:
the restriction. The “no you can’t have this.” Even though a good chunk of the no-no list I avoid anyway. I have struggled with emotional eating in the past so it was a bit of a mental game for me and I felt it resurfaced some food issues I haven’t had in a long time.
Do I recommend it:
Yes…if you are in a good place with any emotional eating issues. If I had done this at the height of my food issues, it would have been a disaster. But, even being a good place, it messed with my head a little. But, I did learn a lot about my body and I’d like to do the cleanse again. I just felt…clean. And light.
Would I pay for it myself?
Yes, and I plan to at some point, when I do it again. (I received the program for free in exchange for a review on my blog. As always, I tell you what I really think.) You could do the cleanse with just the book and not all the personal support/direct access to Jo & Jules (and the group support of other cleansers!), but I think it might be a bit harder with just the book.
Note:
Definitely invest in a high-powered blender if you’re going to do a cleanse, like a Vitamix. I used the blender on my Bosch when I was at home, but my boyfriend’s Vitamix was MUCH better at making smoothies. (I bought a refurbished one to save $200 and it works great.)
If you want to learn more, check out these resources below.
Conscious Cleanse Book – this is SO good and guides you right through everything! I keep this on my kitchen counter at all times for the recipes too.
Conscious Cleanse Website
Conscious Cleanse Twitter
Conscious Cleanse Facebook
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11 responses to “Conscious Cleanse Review”
I’m really interested in doing this cleanse and had read about it on a couple of other blogs. I would really like to do the group one, but the next date cuts right into my vacation time and I don’t want to be on a cleanse while I’m on vacation. Maybe I’ll catch the next one. Thanks for a very informative review.
ooh yeah that would be torture on vacation. good call! 🙂
Very interesting, never thought about doing a “cleanse”. I can see how it would be beneficial though. Did you ease back into your regular diet, continue to restrict things like caffeine or jump right into how you ate before? When you felt headaches, etc. are you allowed to take ibuprofen? Sorry for all the questions, just really curious. Thanks for sharing this. Cheers, Connie
Wow that’s awesome! 🙂
It’s hard to tell from your pics (you look great!) but I believe you. Two weeks of clean eating will definitely make a difference. 🙂 Good job and thanks for sharing your experience.
thanks! 🙂
Great review! I’ve never done a cleanse, but I kind of feel like I should try one before I start practicing as a dietitian–I am sure I will get lots of questions about them.
This post is making me crave a green smoothie–maybe I’ll even try adding Romaine to the mix!
I just added romaine to a steamed spinach dish last night. It was wilty and about to get canned so I figured, why not? I didn’t mind it. Can you taste it in the smoothies or is it sneaky like spinach?
I think you look great, I can definitely see the difference! From doing the Whole30, I definitely know what you mean by mental games. I started craving stuff that I don’t even usually eat. Our psychological response to food is very interesting.
Congrats!
thanks for this amazing review! love that you saw results + enjoyed the experience. love you!
Hi thanks for your review ! Just bought the book was going to go it alone but now I’m considering the support? I’m a fellow food blogger. I indulge in all sorts of foods and WINE so this will be a challenge. Staying fit is important to me as a Pilates instructor. But, lately I’ve been splurging too much so hoping this will get me back on track. Thanks much
If there are any huge swellings of coconut oil, quit the mixer and press the paste along with your hand, or break up the lumps with a fork.
I just completed this on my own. Even though I drink half regular half decaf coffee ( 2 cups) giving it up totally proved to be the most difficult. Drinking warm lemon water helps. I lost some weight but basically feel better and slept better. On reintroducing food, definitely have gluten sensitivity. Had some yesterday and woke to feeling very puffy and bloated.