The beginning of March sees a surge in renewal of gym memberships, people rushing to the supermarket over the weekend to buy healthy groceries and a conscious effort to avoid bingeing. Longer days and shorter nights means summer is around the corner and you want to be able to feel and look your best, especially if you are planning a vacay to the tropics.

The wellness blogosphere is raving and ranting about the benefits of going on a liquid only cleanse every once in a while. The claims are endless from weight loss, improved complexion, resetting metabolism, flushing out toxins and fixing a sluggish digestive system. While its certainly not for everyone; it certainly does help give your digestive system a chance to recoup and recover from weeks of late night binges and overindulging in dairy, sugar and chocolate.

I had to attend 5 weddings back to back in Delhi, Calcutta and Goa and I had just about had it with ‘all you can eat buffets’, cocktail hour and late night bingeing. I wrote in to Antidote and asked them to recommend a cleanse for me. They suggested that I do ‘go liquid-until-dinner’ which seemed a bit daunting, at first.

The cleanse consists of 7 juices of 250 ml each that are specially formulated to help regulate sugar levels, keep you sated and promote effective elimination from the body. Regular doters swear by this cleanse and do this once a week or once a fortnight to look and feel trim and beat water retention to the curb.

The rules: well, the juices have to be consumed within 60-90 minutes of each other. The last juice must be consumed before 730 pm . The best part- you are allowed to round up your cleanse with a high protein dinner of either eggs and vegetables, grilled fish and sauteed greens or non GMO tofu and a soup. I was so stoked to learn that I didn’t have to avoid solids all day because I didn’t want to feel lightheaded or dizzy.

I slept early the night before the cleanse and woke up to a tall glass of apple cider vinegar with mother, turmeric, black pepper, hot water and basil leaves . This is something I have been doing pretty regularly in the winter to help with the sniffles and prevent a full blown flu and I promise you- it works.

I had refrigerated the juices overnight and started picking them up at hourly intervals. ‘The starter’ was a refreshing mix of lemon juice, parsley, turmeric, ginger, peppermint, raw honey in alkaline water. I loved the slightly astringent bits from the turmeric and ginger but the peppermint really helped sooth my belly because I had been fasting for over 12 hours. The bottles are BPA free glass and really easy to drink out of and I would keep it at my desk until it was time for the next one. ‘The pumper’ was an interesting mix of pear, spinach, wheatgrass and moringa- a bit of an acquired taste but you could taste the goodness at every glug. It was almost noon and at this time, my stomach started to growl a little bit and I was worried I wouldn’t make it through the day. Next up was ‘the flusher’ with apple, carrot, celery, ginger and green coffee extract. Green Coffee extract has been marketed for a while as a superfood that helps promote weight loss and beat water retention to the curb. The natural sweetness from the apples and carrots made the juice more palatable. ‘The elixir’ was like a delicious rendition of the V8 except it was unrefined , organic and free from all the gunk. My favourite of the lot was definitely ‘the polisher’ – a juice I have learnt to love. With the adaptogenic benefits from ginger and ashwagandha- this juice is perfect for the nervy, anxious and type A, Vata types. If you find yourself getting anxious or wound up easily, consider supplementing your diet with Ashwagandha to promote vitality, restful sleep and to calmm your nerves. The peppermint took the flavour profile up by a few notches and the best part was that it was the perfect ratio of tart, astringent and sweet. I had ‘the conditioner’ at around 5 o clock when I was going through my emails for the day and planning my dinner. The juice consisted of organic vanilla water, unrefined coconut sugar and activated almonds. If you’ve been reading this blog long enough- you would know that I like to do away with refined sugar as far as possible but I absolutely love coconut and its derivates. My tummy felt happy after I glugged this one down because it felt like a little bit of a treat. The last juice was ‘ the alkalizer’ – a healthy mix of apples, courgettes, parsley and peppermint to help restore PH balance, beat puffiness and water retention to the curb.

Verdict:
The juice cleanse was a little hard post lunch because thats when I usually feel peckish. I loved the BPA free glass bottles that the juices are served to you in. The juices come to you with a glugging guide that tells you what order you need to consume the juices in. The service is prompt and very efficient.

I was very nervous about the idea of going liquid free until dinner but I was happy that I gave it a shot. My tummy felt better after I ended the juice cleanse and ate a high protein meal at dinner time. I made myself a mug full of chamomile tea, did some restorative yoga poses and went to bed early that night. I don’t know if I will be able to do these cleanses too often but I will definitely give them a shot when I feel like my digestive system needs time to heal and recover. I don’t usually weigh myself but I did lose about 500 gms the morning after the juice cleanse which I attribute to water weight. I definitely felt a lot less bloated and puffy around the eyes when I woke up the next morning.

Antidote super tip:
In order to flush out toxins from the body you need roughly 2-4 litres of liquids through the day. This includes, juices, water, herbal teas, nut mylks etc.
No it is not necessary to fast, a cleanse can be done in conjunction with light meals. However you must stay off heavy, mucus-forming, hard-to-digest foods like dairy, red meat, processed foods, sugar and refined flour.

Disclaimer- please do not use juice cleanse as a substitute for a healthy lifestyle and diet. Do not try to do an all day juice cleanse for days at end without supervision. If you have any health concerns or blood sugar or blood pressure issues, please consult your nutritionist or your physician before you start a cleanse. Stop your cleanse immediately if you start to feel lightheaded or weak. Do not forget to stay hydrated and replenish your body with electrolytes post a cleanse to avoid headaches, nausea, weakness and muscular cramps.

About Antidote:
Antidote is the brainchild of the sister duo Nadia and Carol who wanted to started a wellness movement that is all encompassing and easy to follow. Their range of products have now expanded and they have superfood shots with the goodness of ACV (apple cider vinegar), turmeric and lotus stem. Here is a short boomerang I shot with my friends for Antidote- superfood shots

Quick Notes:
Antidote Juices
Founded by Carol and Nadia Singh Bahl
https://www.antidote.co.in/
+ 91 9717412218
Email:antidotecleanses@gmail.com

Photos- Antidote