Juice cleanse, courtesy Raw Pressery

A few years ago, I had gotten very interested in creating juices and would drink at least two glasses of fresh home-made vegetable juice everyday. This was my routine for almost two years. I never saw the point in juicing fruits and mostly made my juices with vegetables like spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, beet, carrots, bottle gourd etc. Anyone who has used an electric juicer to make juice will know… it’s time-consuming and cumbersome. From picking the right vegetables, to washing them clean, to juicing and then the most tedious of all—washing your juicer and reassembling, so it’s ready for next time 😀

I obviously had a lot of time on hand back then, considering that I juiced not just for myself but also for my mom and two brothers. Cut to the present, I still am as inclined towards nutritious eating, but I don’t have the luxury of as much time. [Or you can say, I don’t make the time for it.]

Then one day, I saw a post on Facebook by a yoga teacher flaunting six juice bottles, of some cold pressed juices. The doubter in me immediately presumed, “Oh! She’s probably abroad and talking about some foreign brand.”

I clicked the link to discover a beverage company called Raw Pressery has launched these and they are available in aamchi Mumbai, delivered at your doorstep by our very own dabba wallas. Seemed too good to be true.

My desire to try these juices was so compelling, that before I could call Raw Pressery to place an order for my juices, I got a call from them asking if I would like to try a one-day cleanse on their juices. Talk about law of attraction!!! Would I??? Of course! Bring ‘em on! 🙂

So I decided to do the cleanse on a Saturday, since I would be at home. The day before starting the cleanse you’re advised to not have caffeine, alcohol, smoke or eat meat… in order to make the most of the cleanse.

Delivery: The juice was delivered at 5am sharp. I knew they were going to be delivered early, but I was not aware it would be that early; I wasn’t prepared!

The juices arrive in an ice-pack and once handed over to you, need to be refrigerated immediately.

Schedule of a day cleanse:

As you can see in the picture above, the juices are available in six flavours, or let’s say variants [since it’s not really about taste but nutrition]. Each bottle has a time mentioned on it for when it should be consumed.

Each bottle for the juice cleanse is a 410 ml and they give you a schedule to follow which is—

Trim:  9am

Run:  11.30am

Flush:  2pm

Shield: 5pm

Glow: 7pm

Build: 9.30pm

Taste and palatability:

I thought that the juices tasted good, except for Build. The ginger and bell pepper in Shield may seem to be a tad pungent to some people. Run with pineapple and pear is the winner at taste.

Since the juices have to be kept refrigerated, it may be a problem if you’ve been asked to avoid cold drinks. Since I did the cleanse during the peak of summer, drinking the chilled juices was refreshing. But during the winters, I prefer having soups to juices.

Energy levels during cleanse day:

I had all the juices as per the schedule and since the quantity is a lot, it keeps you feeling full. Though they recommend only drinking the juices during the cleanse, I did eat some fruits and salads; but overall my energy levels were good, with no fluctuations. But if you’re not used to doing something like this, then you may want to prepare in advance by stocking up on fruits and veggies. If you get too hungry or feel weak during the day you may end up eating unhealthy food; then all your effort would go wasted.

Nutrition value:

Firstly, the juices have no sugar and no preservatives, so that’s one big concern taken care of. The juices are prepared using hydraulic technology, so no heat or air enter the juices and that makes sure no oxidation of nutrients happens.

I was fascinated to see that the date of manufacturing on the bottles was the same as the date it was delivered to me. Wow!! It’s almost as good as me making the juices in my own kitchen.

The shelf life of the juices, if kept in the fridge, is 48 hours as per the bottle. [though their website says 72 hours].

Raw Pressery offers several packages. To have these juices delivered to you, you need to subscribe to a minimum package of 15 juices, which will be delivered to you over a period of four weeks. These are smaller bottles, of 250 ml [Price: INR 150].

The cleanse comes in a 1- or 3-day packages of bigger bottles, 410ml [Price: INR 250 per bottle]

Value for money:

Well, if it’s possible for you to have fresh juices made at home, then you don’t need these. But if lack of time is your excuse for not eating healthy, you have your answer. Of course, it’s not as if a glass of these juices a day will end all your health woes. You still have to eat healthy, sleep well, exercise and manage stress. But they will improve your nutrition quotient a good deal.

If you have any health issues, check with your physician if this is safe for youmdash;especially if you are doing the cleanse.

I do think they are tad expensive, but then you’re not just paying for the juices but also for the time you saved if you had to make them yourself.

Definitely worth a try!