Reboot with a Pressed Juicery Cleanse

A cold-pressed juice cleanse seems like a good way to regain control of the typical holiday health derailment. Being somewhat committed to honoring my body temple, I subjected myself to a three-day cleanse at Pressed Juicery, which promised a relatively affordable ($34.50/day), easy-to-follow reboot without significantly disrupting my life.

The cleanses come in three caloric levels and consist primarily of vegetable, fruit, and/or nut juices harvested in the Central Valley. Bottling on location in a hydraulic press without heat or friction allows the ingredients to retain their highest vitamin and enzyme content. Some juices include elements like chlorophyll, aloe vera, cayenne pepper, cacao, and ginger. Guts, get ready for a scrub down.

Day One: I drank a lot of juice. Every two hours, I guzzled in a chronological order made to help tackle cravings and energy dips. However, the tasty and refreshing eight health drinks made the process of forgoing solid food strangely palatable. Luckily, I had cut out my daily cup of coffee two days before starting the cleanse and had already suffered through that transition — otherwise, things would have been much more difficult.

Day Two: I chose the strictest cleanse for day two, which comes in at 900 calories and is mostly green vegetable juices. Hannah Miles, manager of the Pressed Juicery in Montecito, warned me that, on the second day, clients typically feel the most noticeable effects of detoxification. I traveled through a variety of mild symptoms: body aches, feeling antsy, and an earache that lasted an hour. But the only real torture was watching my kids devour a cheesy pizza at Lucky Penny.

Day Three: I hit my stride. I got a deep tissue massage and was feeling well hydrated. I had some helpful realizations about my eating habits and how I treat my body in general — namely, I need to eat more organic fruits and veggies and to get out moving in nature on a daily basis. With any lifestyle change, it is nice to have support, so thanks to my adorable husband who agreed to help me resist the food temptations by manning the family kitchen during my quest for healthier food habits.

Pressed Juicery is located at 1024 Coast Village Road #C in Montecito and downtown at 651 Paseo Nuevo, Suite 305. See pressedjuicery.com.