What’s a Juice Cleanse?
It must have been two years since I last did a juice cleanse. I enjoy drinking fruit and vegetable juices so sipping juices all day without having any solid food seems doable. I especially enjoy the after-effects of a juice cleanse too. You will feel invigorated and energized after a 3 or 5-day juice cleanse. During a juice cleanse, your digestive system takes a good rest as it does not need to work so hard to digest the liquids.
Juice shops often prepare cold-pressed juices with a right amount of nutrients to meet the nutritional needs of our body for those doing a juice cleanse. Since the cold-pressed juices are all natural and fresh, your body gets to absorb all the living enzymes and a bountiful of vitamins and minerals.
My Personal Juice Cleanse Goals
Previously, I thought juice would help me to achieve my weight goals quicker. But I soon realized that juice cleanse has other amazing benefits other than weight loss. The most significant advantage is probably the detoxification of the body. During this period with the abstinence from food, I taught myself discipline and how to differentiate fullness from hunger. You see, going for a juice cleanse is like going for a retreat. Over time, you learn how to get in tune with your own body.
Likewise, I am doing the juice cleanse this time as I wanted to a reset in my body. I tried to listen to my own body again and move along with its rhythm. And somehow, I knew my body yearned for detox, and I was glad I had the opportunity to do a juice cleanse with EGA Clinic.
EGA Clinic: Aryuvedic-inspired Cleanse
After learning about the story behind EGA Juice Clinic, I was curious to find out how they have interwoven Aryuvedic philosophy with modern-day juicing. It did make perfect sense to bring in Ayurveda principles of creating balance to strengthen and nourish the body because it is also about relying on natural ingredients to heal and energize the body.
At EGA Juice Clinic, they offer a wide-range of cold-pressed juices and superfoods (in the form of supplements and power shots) to promote preventive healthcare.
The Consultation
Before the juice cleanse, I went down for a consultation with their clinic’s Vaidya, Dr. Ratheesh at their new outlet in Marina One. A Vaidya is a specialist Ayurvedic practitioner, and each EGA Juice Clinic has a Vaidya stationed there. They are available for consultation during the store opening hours. However, it is best to make an appointment with them before your visit.
During the consultation, the doctor asked me about the health concerns I have and what my daily routine is like. I highlighted that I have constipation problems. He took my pulse and then recommended that I could take some herbal supplements to aid in my digestion. In addition to that, he recommended that I start to follow a fixed routine of getting up early to exercise early in the morning or late evening.
Dosha
He also mentioned that I had my Aryvuvedic body type or dosha is Pitta. This came to me as a surprise because I thought I was a Kapha all along due to my large build. He later told me that it was possible to have two types of doshas, but my body type was more predominantly a Pitta. As such, there are certain foods which I could take to ‘cool’ the fire element in me.
Below are the two supplements he prescribed to help me with my constipation problem.
EGA Triphala LAX ( 60 tablets)
It is said to be one of the most ancient forms of Aryuvedic remedies which helps to maintain regular bowel movements and support the digestive system. Triphala is a herbal combination of three fruits – Amalaki (Indian Gooseberry), Haritaki, and Bibhitaki. This herb is widely used as a natural alternative treatment for constipation.
The Triphala tablets are usually taken on an empty stomach in the evening.
EGA Ashwagandha Energizer Tea (Purified with Milk)
This energizer tea consists of Ashwagandha (Indian Ginseng), ginger, black pepper, and cardamom. Ashwagandha is an Ayurvedic herb which promotes vitality and reduces blood pressure. Our bodies can absorb this herb more efficiently when it is taken with healthy fats like ghee or milk.
To prepare the tea, I was told to mixed one teaspoon of the tea powder with hot water and let the tea steep in hot water for a while. Once the tea powder has settled to the bottom of the cup, you can start to take a sip of it.
The tea should be taken early in the morning on an empty stomach. I usually drink this tea in one gulp because it tasted very spicy with the herbs.
Isn’t it interesting to know that the Indians also have their own traditional herbs just the Chinese do?
The 3-day Juice Cleanse
My original plan was to go on a 6-day juice cleanse where I could try the four various juice clean packages offered at EGA juice clinic. But on my fourth day of the cleanse, I decided to break the juice fast as I had diarrhea (or instead I was pooping juices) and it causes somewhat a lot of inconveniences during work. As such, I stopped the juice cleanse so tentatively-speaking, I only completed a three full-day juice cleanse.
I would have continued if not for my work.
Juice Cleanse Packages
Nonetheless, I managed to try three different juice cleanse package: Rewind (soft), Re-energise (Medium) and Re-focus (Hard). The juice cleanse packages varies across the difficulty level of the cleanse starting with Rewind which consists mainly of fruit juices. Re-energize consists mainly of sweet root vegetables like carrots mixed with fruits while Re-energise and Re-focus consist primarily of vegetable juices. I enjoyed both the Rewind and Re-energise cleanse packages.
The Re-focus cleanse package was quite doable for me, but it may be challenging for those who do not like the astringent taste of vegetables. Unfortunately, I did not manage to try the Rebirth package though I would have loved to try it and give it a go.
Day 1 and 2
Collection of Juices
The juice clinic prepares fresh juices every day. That means you have to collect personally from any of their outlets the day before or early in the morning. You have to call to order your juices a day before you collect them. So I would head over to the outlet at Bukit Timah to collect the juices for the next day.
It is quite a hassle to head down every day to collect your juices unless you live or work near the clinics. Otherwise, another alternative is to order the juices via Deliveroo. That would help you save a lot of trouble.
What’s in the juice cleanse package?
The staff at EGA would pack five glass bottles of juices, one glass of golden almond milk and one jar of power shot drink. Each bottle contains 500ml of juices, and there is a recommended timing for each of the juices. I found it exceptionally useful that they actually label each bottle of juices with the timings there.
As for the power shot, you can drink it anytime of the day or in the evening. The Natural Immuno Booster I had consisted of lemon, ginger, amla, turmeric and Himalayan salt. It is very concentrated so you can taste that spicy herbal kick as you drink it in one gulp.
Rewind Juice Clean Package
What’s really interesting about these juices is the presence of spices in some of them. The ‘Sunshine’ juice for instance has Aryuvedic herb, Tumeric, added to it. I found that spices like ginger, cardamom and black pepper help to fire up the metabolism and energizes the body. After Day 1, I felt awesome and I slept so much better that night too.
I tried the Rewind juice cleanse packages on Day 1 and 2. Overall, the juices were great, and they tasted sweet and palatable.
Day 3
On Day 3, I requested to try the Re-energise package and also asked if I could try other power shots. I tried the Natural Skin and Hair care powershot which consists of Amla and honey. Since I haven’t tasted Amla before, so I had no idea how strong it was. I guess I still prefer the Natural Immuno Booster shot.
Re-energise Juice Cleanse Package
I found this package to be very interesting as well because of the vibrant color of juices. They used a variety of carrots – purple, orange and red. The juices tasted somewhat quite sweet, and I actually enjoy this juice cleanse package the most.
Instead of getting Golden Milk, I asked if I could also try pure almond milk. I prefer drinking the pure almond milk as it was not to overly sweet. So they gave me one 250ml of pure almond milk and one 250 ml of golden milk.
My Verdict
I really enjoyed the three full days of juice cleanse. During these three days, I stayed focused and discipline. The juices made were actually more than sufficient for my body, so I did not feel hungry at all. I would have lied if I told you I did not have cravings. But I was able to curb the cravings by sipping water and making sure the juices are within reach.
They key thing about a juice cleanse is really to stay focus on your goals. Since I’ve done juice cleanses several times before, I understood how my body would react. Overall, I really enjoyed the fresh juices prepared daily just for my consumption.
During the juice cleanse, I was visiting the toilet once every two days. It was an improvement from the norm where I would only visit the toilet once every 3 or 4 days. Drinking juices really help with the bowel movements and detoxification effects.
Would I do it again?
Definitely. I might do another 3-day, or 5-day cleanse. For beginners, I recommend starting out with 1-day or 3-day cleanse first with the Rewind or Re-energise juices. Before the cleanse, try to eat as clean as possible and go vegetarian or vegan if possible.
If you would like to try any of the juice cleanses, do check out their website for more details.
The EGA Juice Clinic currently has three outlets in Singapore.
EGA locations
Marina One, 7, Central Boulevard, #B2-30, S(018936)
Forum the Shopping Mall, 583 Orchard Road, S(238884)
Cluny Court, 501 Bukit Timah Road, #01-04A, S(259760)
For more information, please visit: www.egajuiceclinic.com
