Last week I completed a four-day juice cleanse followed by two days of raw food all provided by Red Carpet Cleanses.
As you know, last year I detoxed with a three-day “Foundation” juice cleanse from BluePrint and the five-day L.O.V.E. Fast (Live. Organic. Vegan. Experience.) cleanse from Organic Avenue.
So you probably want to know, what’s the difference? Which is the best? Is one of them easier?
Overview
First, review a basic breakdown of the three cleanses. All three use fresh ingredients that only last a couple of days. Deliveries for RCC and OA come daily; BPC can drop off three days worth of juice at a time.
(BPC: BluePrint, RCC: RedCarpet, OA: Organic Avenue)
- BPC 3 day “Foundation”: Six juices—three green juices, two fruit juices, one cashew milk
- RCC juice cleanse: Six juices—electrolyte lemonade, two green juices, one carrot juice, one banana smoothie, one cashew milk
- OA L.O.V.E. Fast: One elixir, one fruit juice, one green juice, one smoothie, one soup, one small salad, one coconut milk/water
(All three companies offer other cleanses as well.)
Why?
You also need to know my goals in cleansing:
- Detox my organs
- Repair my diet
- Restore a normal appetite
- Decrease cravings for processed sugar
So What Do I Think?
Following are my conclusions on the three cleanses.
Degree of Difficulty While OA has the most hearty offerings, it incorporates many veggies I really can’t stand. However, there is no way I could ever finish all of the stuff they sent for one day because it was so substantial. So if you’re a veggie lover, this would be the easiest cleanse by far because it’s closest to a normal diet.
BPC and RCC both offer six juices a day. RCC is a little easier because like OA it offers a sweet smoothie mid-day that is delicious. That boost in energy and moral keeps you motivated until your nighttime cashew milk. OA’s smoothies are by far the best because they offer a variety that often includes chocolate.
Both OA and RCC (soon BPC) offer raw food cleanses as well if you are fearful of going to straight juice on your first attempt.
The Green Factor
Obviously green juice is a big component of the cleanses.
Hands down OA’s is the worst, but you only have to drink it once a day (and it’s followed by the smoothie).
Most people would say BPC offers the best green juice because it’s sweetened with green apple. I like it as well, but the celery sometimes gets to me.
RCC gives me the option to exclude ingredients like celery in all of their juices so it was more enjoyable.
Out of the six juices offered by BPC and RCC, I usually only drank 5 because the green juice twice in RCC and three times in BPC per day became redundant.
Cost
OA L.O.V.E Fast: $450 per week ($90 per day) including delivery in NYC
BPC: $65 per day (for three-plus days including delivery in NYC), $85 per day including overnight shipping to anywhere in the US
RCC: $90 per day (including shipping in LA)
Honestly, if you’re serious about cleansing and getting your diet back on track, I think it’s worth the investment. You receive juices and recipes you can’t replicate on your own, the support of a nutritionist, and everything you need for the day so you don’t have to think about what to do next.
Portability
BPC is by far the easiest if you’re on the go. They have a cute travel bag with a little ice pack to keep all of your juice cool. RCC offers a cooler tote, but it’s a lot more cumbersome.
OA comes in glass bottles so it’s not easy to throw in your purse (although I have).
The Good Stuff
There is always one juice in a cleanse that I crave months later. In OA, I love the smoothies so much that I go buy them separately when I’m in NYC. They have chocolate, mint chocolate chip, goji berry, and blueberry flavors for these nutrient-packed mixtures. Delicious!
