LA JOLLA.  As promised, I am chronicling my Nekter juice cleanse experience.  To say that I got “off track” during my recent vacation would be an understatement  —  Norwegians still prefer reindeer to plants – so I was thrilled to start the cleanse when I returned to San Diego!

THE BASICS:

Nekter offers 3 different cleanses: (1) Classic, (2) Advanced, and (3) Premium Organic.  Each cleanse can be 1, 2, 3, or 5 days, and all of Nekter’s juices are vegan, raw, and “cold pressed.”

What is the big deal about “cold pressed” juice, you ask?  Well, a traditional centrifugal juicing machine has a motor and can heat up the blades that cut the fruits and vegetables.  This heat can harm nutrients and enzymes.  But the cold pressed method involves squeezing the produce with an extreme amount of pressure in order to extract every last drop of “nectar.”  The end result is a juice especially dense in nutrients.

At Nekter, each day of any cleanse includes six bottles (500mL each) that are numbered from “1” to “6,” so even I could manage the proper sequence.  Also, it is recommended to drink plenty of water.  (Interesting note:  my friend found that hot water curbed his appetite between the juices.)  And for those of us who want to work out during the cleanse, Nekter has created a special two-drink bonus (for immediately before, and after, the workout) to supply the extra protein and calories.

I elected the 3-day Premium Organic Cleanse, with the workout drinks.  Let’s get started . . .

WHAT AM I DRINKING, AND WHY IS IT GOOD FOR ME?

Bottle 1 Ingredients:

Apple, grapefruit, celery, kale, parsley, spinach, and mustard greens

• Benefits:  

  The grapefruit in this juice is included for its soluble fiber and liver detoxifying benefits.  The greens provide a powerful cocktail of antioxidants, especially the nutrient dense mustard greens and alkaline celery.

  
  

• My Take:  

  The juice had a beautiful emerald, green color.  The apples make the juice sweet, but the rest of the greens ensure that it is not overly sugary.  A great way to start a day!

  
  

Bottle 2 Ingredients:

Water, lemon, turmeric, cayenne pepper, agave nectar

• Benefits:

  Cayenne pepper and turmeric have anti-inflammatory and detoxifying properties.  These ingredients help the body bring blood to the surface so toxin elimination can begin!

  
  

• My Take:  

  This lemonade has a bright, golden hue.  It is tart, but delicious.  It also helped to curb my hunger.

  
  

Bottle 3 Ingredients:

Carrot, celery, kale, parsley, spinach, ginger

• Benefits:

  This is an alkalizing green mix with carrots that eliminates free radicals and gives the body a good dose of Vitamin A.  The ginger aids digestion, circulation, and helps reduce inflammation.

  
  

• My Take: 

  Don’t worry about the murky green color — it’s delicious.  The carrots provide a mild, sweet flavor.

  
  

Bottle 4 Ingredients:

Water, lemon, agave nectar, beets, ginger

• Benefits:

  The beets help purify blood and assist in toxin elimination.

  
  

• My Take:  

  Beets dress up this lemonade and give it a beautiful bright, pink color.  It is slightly less tart than the other lemonade (Bottle 2), and helps give variety to the cleanse experience.

  
  

Bottle 5 Ingredients:

Celery, lemon, apple, kale, parsley, dandelion greens

• Benefits:

  The dandelion greens provide calcium while working with the lemon and apples to help flush out the gallbladder and the liver.

  
  

• My Take:

  This juice is a vibrant green and screams, “I’m healthy!”  Fortunately, the apple makes this veggie bomb easy to drink.

  
  

Bottle 6:

Cashews, water, dates, cinnamon, nutmeg

• Benefits:

  This drink packs a protein punch and provides minerals like zinc, which help the lymphatic system to eliminate waste.

  
  

• My Take:

  Nekter describes this drink as a “dessert,” but it’s more than that.  Yes, you think you are drinking a cinnamon, vanilla milkshake, but it is thick and deeply satisfying.  It is your reward for staying on track.  It will lift your spirits, and you will go to bed happy.

  
  

Pre-Workout Drink (Mojo) Ingredients:

Coconut water, lime, mint, apple, AFA (live blue-green algae)

• Benefits:

  The coconut water helps to hydrate the body pre-workout.  Blue-green algae has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.  To learn more about blue algae click on:  http://www.livestrong.com/article/398318-blue-green-algae-benefits/

  
  

• My take:  

  I loved the taste of this drink.  As the name suggests, it is sweet and minty like a mojito.

  
  

Post-Workout Drink (Protein) Ingredients:

Raw almonds, dates, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla bean

• Benefits:

  This drink delivers necessary calories to your body post-workout.  The vanilla beans help calm the body while the cinnamon helps to steady the blood sugar.

  
  

• My Take:  

  This drink is similar to Bottle 6.  And you know how I feel about Bottle 6.  More, please!

  
  

DAY #1 RECAP:

I woke up and drove to La Jolla to pick up my cleanse package!  The bottles were nicely packaged in a refrigerated bag.  And I confess, at this point, my stomach was beginning to growl, so I opened up Bottle Number 1 for the drive home.  Am I desperate already?

After a few hours at home, I drank bottle number 2 and headed off to work.  Where was I going?  A vegan bakery.  That’s right.  While cleansing, I would be making cookies and icing cupcakes.  This was the ultimate experiment in self-control as there are MANY opportunities to “test” our creations in the bakery!  The upside of being at work, however, was being busy.  The hours flew by, and I finished bottles 3, 4, and 5.

Back at home, I was tired and starting to feel a little cranky.  But this is the genius of Bottle 6.  It is the velvet hammer.  And I went to bed full and slept very well.

DAY #2 RECAP:

On day 2, I woke up after nine hours of sleep.  (This is a good sign for me.)  I started with the Mojo bottle, because the day started with a workout.  My legs felt fresh.  I had been worried I wouldn’t have enough fuel in the tank to power through a full run.

When I got back to the house, I was definitely ready for something substantial.  And the Protein post-workout drink was ready for me on the counter.  It was perfect.  It is obvious that somebody put a lot of thought into this program and provide my body with exactly what it needed.  I enjoyed the rest of my cleanse day without feeling deprived.

DAY #3 RECAP:

I had some reservations about doing a 3-day cleanse.  Previously, I had participated in a 2-day affair with mixed results.  Although I felt some benefits, I also felt sluggish and developed headaches in the afternoons.

So I was pleasantly surprised when I woke up on the third day, feeling good and ready to work out.  I even had the energy to accompany my fiancé and a visiting friend to both lunch and dinner and watch them eat while I drank my bottles!  Even though I was starting to fantasize about what I might eat the next day, I noticed my head felt delightfully light and clear during the long walk to dinner.  There was no tired fog or exhaustion.

CONCLUSIONS:

The Premium Organic Cleanse surpassed my expectations.  To ditch the stress of finding food and cleaning dishes for three days – without the expected drop in energy or mood – was a liberating experience.  It allowed for some introspection and forced some relaxation.  For all these reasons, I recommend a Nekter cleanse.

Nekter has an informative FAQ page that may be able to help with additional questions: http://www.nekterjuicebar.com/c-8-faq.aspx

UPDATE:

A lot of readers have been wondering about the specific nutrition content for the different drinks and cleanses.  I was able to get ahold of the information for the Nekter’s Advanced and Classic cleanses.

Advanced Cleanse:

Drinks 1-3:

Drinks 4-6:

Classic Cleanse:

Drinks 1-3:

Drinks 4-6:

I hope that helps everyone, and happy cleansing!