A few weeks ago, as I did research for my article on juicing, Kaeng Raeng offered to send me a complimentary cleanse. The cleanse isn’t what you may typically think of because instead of bottles of juice or almond milks being consumed for the duration of the cleanse, you instead mix a packet of freeze dried fruit, pea protein and probiotics with water or smoothie. Although I was a bit hesitant I decided to give it a try. It has been named “Hollywood Favorite” and “Favorite Juice Cleanse” by InStyle and Family Circle, so that made me think it would be worthwhile.
Kaeng Raeng sent me a three day cleanse and a blender bottle. The box they sent me came with 6 meal replacement packets and the packets contained 1 serving of fruit, 15 g of non-gmo protein and probiotic cultures. The cleanse was vegan, gluten free, caffeine free and soy free. The flavors were “daybreak” which consisted of mango, peach and pineapple, “into the blue” which contained blueberry and banana and “joyful” which contained strawberry, raspberry and pineapple.
The cleanse came with suggestions for how to prepare for the cleanse and what to do afterwards. Before the cleanse starts users should remove processed foods, animal products, dairy and fried food from my diet. They are also urged to stay hydrated and wean themselves off of caffeine.During the cleanse I was supposed to drink three of the pouches each day by mixing each with 24 oz of liquid or by blending it with a smoothie. I was also allowed to eat raw fruits and vegetables throughout the day. After learning that I could eat as many fruits and vegetables as I wanted I wasn’t too concerned about going hungry! After the cleanse users are supposed to introduce foods slowly by starting with cooked vegetables, grains, nuts and legumes. Next, they suggest introducing dairy or meat if users eat them. Finally, it is suggested that users avoid alcohol for two days.
Kaeng Raeng claims that the cleanse helps to jumpstart weight loss, cut cravings, improve digestive health and bolster the immune system. Before the cleanse I was excited to see if any of these changes occurred. I’ve also heard that many people feel more energized after going on a cleanse which I was curious about.
Unfortunately, I didn’t last very long on the cleanse. The first day I blended my packets with a smoothie I often make consisting of water, spinach, banana, pineapple and spirulina, but did not like the taste at all. It’s hard to explain but when drinking the smoothie it tasted like the powder hadn’t really absorbed into the water and tasted a bit chalky. The smoothie also didn’t have much flavor and I think the powder just dulled the flavor of my original smoothie. I planned on just finishing the cleanse, but on the second morning when I went to make my smoothie I decided I really didn’t want to drink what I had just made.
Through looking at reviews on Amazon and the press this cleanse has recieved, it is clear that many people do enjoy it, but I personally would not recommend it. While people’s’ tastes differ, I also didn’t like the fact that the packets were primarily fruit and no greens were included. I would have preferred to create my own cleanse using my own smoothie recipes and eating raw fruits and vegetables. While the packets contained pea protein, psyllium husk and probiotics I could easily replace these things or go without them in order to save money.
I still want to try a cleanse in the future, but instead want to try a juice cleanse. Thanks to Kaeng Raeng for letting me try out your cleanse!
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