Whether you're a first time cleanser looking for some hints about what you're in for and how to navigate the challenges that arise, or an experienced cleanser looking for ideas to incorporate into your next program, we hope you will find some helpful insights in today's cleanse diary.
Today we're taking an inside peek into Zoe's 3 Day cleanse, to see how the working-mum-of-two gets it done.
Who: Zoe (38) and Luke (42) are co-owners of Pressed Earth and parents of two busy little people aged six and two.
Why: we aim to do a cleanse each season, and we're particularly conscious of nutrition during the winter months when we tend to eat heavier and richer foods. A cleanse gives the digestive system a break whilst replenishing it with easy-to-absorb nutrients. After a few days we feel lighter, sleep better and have better energy. We always try and cleanse together as it can help keep us both on track (and who wants to watch their partner tuck into dinner while they sip on a juice? 🤷)
What: we're doing a 3 Day Winter Cleanse in keeping with the season (and because we love the Broth! Loaded with veggies!). As you'll read below, we changed up our program from the traditional cleanse, and added Cacao Nuts to the line up for extra sustenance. It's really important that a cleanse works with our lifestyle (with two young kids and a business), so we break the "rules" and adapt as needed.
How: we each do our cleanses differently, depending on how we feel and how the day pans out. Below is how Zoe had her juices over three days, starting on a Monday.
Day One
6.30am started with day with a big glass of hot water with lemon and fresh ginger. This gets me through the morning family chaos, while I try to keep my mind off breakfast and remind myself it's only three days!
9am I'm feeling very positive about this cleanse as I kick off with my first juice; deliciously refreshing Ginger Zing.
11am I'm feeling hungry now as my body (and mind!) adjusts to not eating food. Having an almond milk early in the day helps to take the edge off, so I have Goldie Nuts warmed. It's like a hug in a mug, and the warming spices keep me feeling full through til lunchtime.
1pm Alphabet is smooth and earthy with root veg and ginger, so I feel like this is a nice "lunch" option. I'm drinking lots of water and brushing my teeth after the juice. This helps signal my brain that it's finished eating and so helps curb my appetite.
2.50pm I'm feeling very hungry now and needing an afternoon pick-me-up. I look longingly at the crumpets and then begrudgingly make a cup of hot liquorice root tea for the walk up to school. It's surprisingly sweet and takes the edge of my cravings. Lots of water throughout the afternoon.
5pm I'd usually be nibbling away on the kids dinner ingredients, and I'm feeling very peckish...but I think this is more out of habit than hunger. I pour Flame Tree into a wine glass and it's delicious, with bitter grapefruit and sweet cinnamon.
7pm we cut up the fresh veg and herbs in our fridge (carrot, pak choy, fresh ginger, spring onion, coriander) and simmer it up in Vegan Broth. Add a squeeze of lemon. After a day of liquids, it's so satisfying and yet still very gentle on the digestive system. I'm still feeling all the benefits of a cleanse by adding the veggies, even if it's not a traditional cleanse.
8.30pm half a Cacao Nuts, warmed on the stove. It's a rich chocolate treat at the end of the evening, without the refined sugar rush. Yum. I'm actually quite full now. I'll save todays Appetite for post-cleanse.
9pm Bed! An early night to let the cleansing process work it's magic. 
Day Two
6.30am another hot water with lemon and ginger to boost hydration and detoxification. I feel pretty fresh this morning, but hollow in the stomach. I try not to think about the two days still to go.
8.30am my tummy is rumbling and I nail the whole jar of Ginger Zing. It's so tasty and I love the virtuous feeling of starting the day with greens. It sets me up for making healthy choices throughout the day. I top up my water and make a liquorice tea for the road.
11am fading before lunch today and feeling irritable, so I have Flame Tree and keep busy with work to take my mind off food. I remind myself it's not forever and I will survive.
12pm to keep the hunger at bay I back it up with Appetite over lunch, and have to leave the office as the sight and smells of people eating their lunch is sending me crazy!
2.30pm have been thinking about this allll day and I relish every sip of warmed Goldie Nuts. I don't get through all of it, so keep the rest in the fridge for later.
5pm I'm craving a snack but I hold out and sip on Alphabet through til dinner time. Day two almost done!
7.30pm it's simmered Broth with veggies and herbs on repeat, which I have been looking forward to all day. So full of flavour and so healthful, it's giving me all the "my body is a temple" feels this eve!
8.30pm half a Cacao Nuts, warmed, and then off to bed early knowing I still have another day to go, although today was definitely easier.
Day Three
7.30am day three, come on! I wake up energised, and have Appetite along with a big glass of warm water.
9.30am half a Goldie Nuts, warmed, powers me through the morning.
11.45am I savour the rich and earthy Alphabet, and follow with a green tea, for something hot. I'm definitely not feeling as hungry today as I think my body has adjusted to the cleansing rhythm, and with two days down I know I can get through one more.
1pm lunch is Ginger Zing, and I can almost feel the goodness of flooding my body. No sluggish, bloated post-lunch feels for me today. I realise I'm not actually starving, and it's more the sensations of food I'm missing.
3pm I have the other half Goldie Nuts, warmed.
5.30pm half a Flame Tree, wine glass. On the home stretch now!
7.30pm tonight it's straight up hot Broth with no additions. Honestly I could drink this every day. I'm proud to have made it this far, and I feel now like I could go a fourth day if I wanted to.
8.15pm a mug of warm Cacao Nuts, curled up on the couch, feeling snug and smug that we have completed our cleanse. Off to bed early, since the the sooner we go to bed the sooner we can eat!
Day Four
Cleanse done and dusted. I feel good this morning; light and refreshed, hungry but not starving. I have made the mistake of eating a rich breakky straight after a cleanse before, and never again, so I always get an extra juice for the next day. I make up a green smoothie with some frozen spinach, banana, coconut yogurt and chia seeds.
I follow up my good work with a big raw salad for lunch, with my leftover juices throughout the day.
I feel physically great, but I think the greater benefit is actually the sense of empowerment in finishing the cleanse. The cleanse reminds me that I have got willpower. I can in fact survive without the things I reach for out of habit, that may not be serving me (all the bread, for example). I am reminded that I have a choice about how I fuel my body and how I want to feel. The cleanse gives me momentum towards making healthier choices for the weeks to come.
