Review: Jus by Julie 3 Day Cleanse
While it’s sometimes hard to get people to talk about finances or retirement plans, I’ve found it’s usually pretty easy to start a conversation about nutrition and health. Since watching Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, one thing I’ve added into my quest to stay healthy is juicing. Everyone seems to have tons of questions about that!
I actually searched high and low for information about juicing before I decided to do it, and not from people like Gwyneth Paltrow and Lauren Conrad. No offense to those ladies, but I wanted real people opinions about products, how juicing felt, and how it tasted.
Today I’m giving you a real people review.
Last month I tried a three day juice cleanse from Jus By Julie, and loved it. When I reached out to the company, they were nice enough to give me some samples to review. So here is my honest opinion and review of Jus By Julie.
DIY or Buy Pre Made?
This is actually my fourth time trying a three day cleanse. The first time, I made all the juices myself and quit after one day. The second time, I paid probably more than I should have to a well known company. It was OK and I certainly finished everything I paid for, but I had to hold my nose to get the green drinks down.
Then I found Jus By Julie Three, actually on Amazon Prime. The free overnight delivery sealed the deal for me as it’s normally pretty spendy to ship.
The juices arrived the day after ordering and were still frozen, packed nicely into a reusable bag. Since I wasn’t starting the cleanse that day, I popped them in the freezer. They can be safely frozen for up to three weeks after delivery.
The night before my cleanse, I sat out the next day’s juices and put the rest in the fridge so they would thaw. That way, I would not be tempted to quit and leave two days worth still in the freezer while I chowed down on a cheeseburger!
Day One
Day one is always kind of exciting but also really hard. For this cleanse, you drink 6 juices a day, one every 2-3 hours.
Morning
You’ll usually start the day with a Morning Glory, which is a mixture of kale, romaine, celery, spinach, apple, banana, and strawberry.
Think drinking a salad. It’s pretty good after you get past the first sip. I hate kale with a passion, but the other stuff balances it out.
Jus by Julie is blended instead of pressed so you still get the fiber benefits from all the good stuff in there. Some reviews have said it was too thick, but I didn’t feel that way at all. The consistency is that of a really runny milkshake, albeit a green colored one. I found that I do much better drinking juices through a straw.
Juice #2 will either be Spicy Lemonade or Spicy Pomenade. Both have lemon, cayenne pepper, and maple syrup, with pomegranate added to the Pomenade. These are probably my least favorite juices. They taste OK, but the kick that the cayenne pepper gives back is not one I enjoy.
Lunch
Sweet Spin is your third juice and is basically what you get for lunch. This is when it really seems like you should be hungry because most of the world is eating right now, but don’t give up!
Sweet Spin is another green juice made of more kale, spinach, mango, banana, and pineapple. It looks yucky, but is absolutely delicious and more filling that you’d think. I could drink this every day. Kudos to whoever made up the recipe.
By mid afternoon, it’s time for juice #4 ,which will be Chia Berry or Acai Blend. Chia Berry is made of strawberries, chia seeds, lemon, and pomegranate. It tastes just like a big strawberry. I don’t like the feel of the seeds, but the taste is very good. Acai Blend is Acai berries, strawberries, and banana and is wonderful. It’s maybe my second favorite of the whole bunch.
Dinner
Now it’s dinner time, the toughest part for me because my family is eating. I usually have to prepare some part of a meal that I can’t sample. Will power!
Luckily, this is when you get “dinner,” the thickest and highest calorie juice of the day. My first day was Island Coconut made of coconut, cinnamon, and dates. It is too delicious for words. It could just be because I’ve had almost no fat for the day, but I think it would still be wonderful if I was drinking it with a slice of birthday cake.
It’s hard not to slurp it all in 20 seconds, but if you can sip it for a little while, it fills you right up. The other choices for dinner are Not So Chunky made from peanut butter and banana or Choco- Nana with chocolate, strawberries, and banana. They are both as good as they sound.
After Dinner Snack
Before bedtime, you get one more green juice, usually Xtreme Greens, which is , you guessed it, more kale, spinach, lime, pineapple, orange, and hemp seeds. It’s pretty good, but by this point, I’m over green drinks, and it’s the hardest one of the day to get down.
Days 2 and 3
Day 2 and 3 are almost the same as Day 1 for me. The juices vary a little bit, but not having solid food for 3 days is tough. By that third day, I am really ready for something to chew. I thought I’d answer some of the questions people generally ask me about juicing for 3 days.
Were you hungry?
Actually because you are supposed to have a juice every 2-3 hours, I didn’t feel hungry. I felt like I should be eating at meal times, but that was because it was habit, not because my stomach felt empty.
Did you have energy?
Yes, I would say I had normal energy up until around 4PM. Then, it got a little sketchy until I would have my dinner drink. After that, it was fine until bedtime. I don’t think I could have done anything too challenging in the evening, though. I would encourage going to be early if you are juicing.
How did you feel?
Unlike some of the testimonials I read online, I did not feel ethereal. I did not glow. I did not have uber acute senses. I felt pretty normal for the most part.
Did you exercise?
I did normal workouts for the first couple of days and a lighter one on day 3. I am used to working out, so that was natural for me. If you don’t exercise regularly, I would not start during a cleanse.
Did you have any side effects?
I did not have stomach upset, dizziness, or any other troubles. I tend to eat lots of fruits and veggies, so I don’t think juicing was a huge shock to my system. If you haven’t had anything green since beer on St. Paddy’s Day, it might be more difficult. You do have to pee a lot when drinking juice all day, so be prepared.
Can you work while doing a cleanse?
I did, but my work does not require demanding physical labor.
What did you eat after cleansing?
This is the reason I like juicing. After three days of only liquid produce, you really do not have cravings for junk. I am perfectly happy to eat salad and lean proteins for the most part. It wears off after a few days, but juicing can be a perfect kick start into a health eating program.
How many calories do you eat each day when juicing?
Jus by Julie is around 1000 calories per day, so it’s not a sustainable eating plan. Don’t try it without a doctor’s permission if you have health problems or blood sugar issues.
Did you lose weight?
Not really. You will probably be a couple of pounds lighter right after the cleanse, but it comes back with regular eating. I would not do a juice cleanse for the sole purpose of losing weight.
Do you think juicing is good for everyone?
Probably not, but if you want to try it and are in good health, I’d say give it a shot. It is a bit pricey to do a cleanse, but costs are comparable to eating out a few times a month. You can also usually find a discount code on sites like Retailmenot. If you are looking for juices that taste pretty good and are reasonably priced, I would highly recommend Jus By Julie.
Have you ever done juicing only for a day or more? Is there anyone out there who honestly likes kale?
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Do yourself a favor and stay away from this company. They will say it is overnight delivery…but then is at least 2 weeks out. When I placed the order I did not receive any type of receipt or tracking information. When I called 2 weeks later to ask about when my juice would arrive, I was told that it had been out for delivery for over 4 days. I stated that I had no interest in drinking perishable juice that had been out for delivery that long and that I would like to be reimbursed for the product I never received. They refused any level of reimbursement. No customer service or integrity whatsoever. Very disappointed as I was really looking forward to the cleanse.
I have never done juicing but I do enjoy a good smoothie once in a while. I’m sure juicing is an excellent way to reset your body and has great health benefits. I’m not sure I’ve ever tried kale and not sure if I want to;0)
Kale is vile but apparently very healthy.
We watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead for the first time last weekend, and loved it! I’ve done juicing before, but not for a while, nearly two years. I need to try it again. I think something like Jus by Julie would be worth the price simply because of the medical benefits. Great review, Kim – thanks!
Thanks. I enjoy it as much as you can enjoy liquid for 3 days.
Very interesting! I’ve always been interested in juicing but I’ve never done it. It’s good to hear that you didn’t feel too hungry and were able to go about your normal work and exercise routine. You’ve definitely got me intrigued…. maybe I can convince Mr. FW to do it with me :).
That was just me. I guess other people have a harder time. Nutrition or lack of does not seem to slow me down or speed me up either way, although I usually don’t eat much junk, so I guess that might make me feel crappy if I did overindulge too much.
I’m intrigued by the idea of a juice cleanse but fear I woukd fall off the wagon quickly – I like eating too much!! I would have to do pre-made or I’d have an even bigger excuse to quit. I do like that this particular brand is blended to keep the fiber. I’ve always seen that as a downfall to juicing. Perhaps one day…
Try it for a day if 3 days seems like too much. My first one only lasted a day then I built from there.
It’s probably just because I haven’t gone through the process, but I started to feel sick thinking about a juice cleanse. I think I could do it, but it wouldn’t be fun and I’m worried I would gag. These are probably silly thought, but I definitely have too much artificial food in my diet so I suppose that would contribute to my initial reaction. My sister did a longer juice cleanse (can’t remember how many days) and I think she’s crazy. Three days seems possible, anything longer I’m not sure.
I could not or would not have even tried in my 20’s. Nutrition is much more important these days.
I tried a pre made one day cleanse because I had a gift certificate and couldn’t make it past lunch. One is I was way too hungry, and two is some of the juices were almost too hard to swallow. I think it could have something to do with the fact that I’ve had two colonoscopies and I had to drink a gallon of the worst tasting stuff on the planet, so anything gross makes me gag now. 🙁 It IS, however, a good reminder to add way more “good stuff” to my diet.
Thanks for the review Kim. I’ve tried juicing a few times for a day or two and it’s just not for me. I love veggies and eat a ton of them – it’s just something about having them all thrown together in juice form that gets me for some reason. I don’t know if it’s a consistency thing or not, but I’d much rather eat my veggies. 🙂
I actually just finished a 3-day juice cleanse as well. Unfortunately, I found my experience to be very different from yours. I was hungry EVERY day and had a headache on day 2 as well as difficulty concentrating. Additionally, I could feel my blood sugar yo-yoing via mood swings…I’m guessing because Jus by Julie includes a lot of fruit juices (high natural sugars).
I ended up cheating with real food on day 3 because I felt so terrible. The lack of protein and fat seemed to hit my body pretty hard and by the end of it, I was ready to binge on tons of junk food (I didn’t, but I wanted to *really* badly). I normally eat pretty healthy – very lean and tons of veggies – but this seemed to be one step farther than my body was ready to go.
My favorites were the Island Coconut, Morning Glory, and Chia Berry but I thought the Acai was simply too sweet and the ones with peanut butter had a weird consistency I didn’t really enjoy.
There are several other companies that include almond milks (or similar) as one of the daily drinks to provide a touch more protein as well as others that substitute in healthy, raw food for another meal to provide a more balanced mix of nutrients (and the mental satisfaction of chewing). Based on my experience, I’d look into those before I recommended straight-up juicing.
That is funny how people’s reactions differ. I guess my first experience with homemade juice was so bad the others taste much better. The one I did before this one did have almond milk and it was very yummy. I think juicing works well as a supplement to a healthy diet and if you can’t go whole hog you could add a couple a day along with solid food. I wanted to get the whole experience so that’s why I did not eat. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Thanks for the review Kim!!! I did a green smoothie cleanse this summer and it lasted for 10 days. The first few days were tough, but then it was not that bad. I mostly did it for the cleansing aspect and I did feel much better after it. I like the idea of shocking your system every few months, I think it a good thing and this sounds like an awesome solution because I got really sick of making the smoothies after day 5.