On Tuesday (May 1st), I did a live weight-loss segment for my local morning talk show, “daytime Toronto“, on Rogers Television.  For those asking, yes, I will upload my appearance and share it with you all once I receive my copy of the taping.  Anyways, I was talking about juice cleansing in my segment and I featured a full-day juice cleanse from Belmonte Raw.  Well, after taping ended at around 11 a.m., I started this juice cleanse.  Right away, I broke the rule of drinking on schedule.  Carol, the owner, provides a drinking schedule and I was a few hours behind due to the show.  I had nothing but lemon water since waking up (I was committed to consuming only liquids that day!).  Sure, it would have been easier to start this juice cleanse the following day.  However, these juices actually expired that day (May 1st) even though they were made only 2 days ago (on April 29th)!  Carol definitely tried to ensure that her juices are the freshest possible!
Also, these juices can be delivered right to your door bright and early (if you live in the Toronto area) and they come in very chic-looking glass bottles (so you do not have to worry about phthalates and BPA leaching into your drink).  Here is a breakdown of how my day went, drink by drink… (Note: I started drinking them in the recommended order, but as the day progrssed, I got rebellious, ha ha.  I also was anticipating the cashew milk the most, so I really wanted to save that for last, especially since it was the heartiest drink.)

Juice #1: carrot, apple, beet, lemon, ginger
Taste: This was hands-down my favourite!  I was so happy that there was not one, but two bottles of this stuff!  It tasted sweet with just the perfect amount of tartness.  I tasted mostly carrot and apple with a hint of ginger in the background.  When I saw beets in the ingredients list, I was worried, because anything that includes beet juice often tastes like dirt (literally).  However, that icky flavour was so nicely masked with the carrot and apple juice.  Simply amazing!

Liver Detox Tea: There were several ingredients in here, but I forgot to write them down. The only ones that I remember are chamomile and spearmint.
Taste: This was interesting, because my favourite kind of tea is spearmint (along with peppermint) and my least favourite kind of tea is chamomile.  It was funny that this tea included both these ingredients.  I definitely tasted them both.  I did not love the tea, but I liked it okay.  The spearmint flavour defintely made the chamomile taste more tolerable for me, ha ha.

Juice #2: cucumber, kale, parsley, apple, lemon, ginger
Taste: This was quite good for a green drink.  Unlike Juice #1, this was more tart than sweet.  I tasted mostly cucumber, parsley, and ginger.  It was very nice and refreshing.

Elixir (Juice #3): liquid chlorophyll (and some peppermint essential oil for flavouring, I believe)
Taste: This was essentially tasteless aside from the subtle mint flavour in the background. It was meant to help cleanse the blood.

Juice #4 (supposed to be Juice #5): lemon, cayenne, agave
Taste: WHOA!  This definitely had a kick!  It was my third favourite drink.  Don’t expect to taste any sweetness from the agave.  It just tasted tart (from the lemonds) and spicy (from the cayenne) and it definitely made me pucker.  Loved it!  This is similar to what one would drink on the Master Cleanse.  It helps to alkalize the body.

Juice #5 (supposed to be Juice #6): carrot, apple, beet, lemon, ginger
Taste: same as Juice #1

Juice #6 (supposed to be Juice #7): cucumber, kale, parsley, apple, lemon, ginger
Taste: same as Juice #2

Juice #7 (supposed to be Juice #4): cashew, filtered water, date, cinnamon, vanilla bean, Himalayan salt
Taste: I was most looking forward to this drink and it ended up being my second favourite beverage of the day.  It was creamy, hearty, and not sweet like most may think.  There was a perfect amount of flavouring from the cinnamon and vanilla bean.  There was also a salty kick from the Himalayan salt, which I actually enjoyed.  This drink provides some protein and it helps to regulate blood sugar levels.

Here is a preview of my set-up.  Carol’s bright juices are hard to miss!

One day is obviously not long enough to notice any major differences.  However, I did feel a lot lighter and more alert.  I also defintely felt more in tune with my body and my senses (i.e. smell, taste) were heightened.  All in all, I can say with confidence that the Belmonte Raw juice cleanse is probably one of the most, if not the most, thorough and well-thought-out juice cleanse out there (from the juices, to the tea, to the elixir).  It is no wonder though since Carol has spent years travelling the world (how “Eat, Pray, Love” of her, ha ha) to develop this cleanse.  I only did it for 1 day, but she recommends at least 5 days, noting that day 2 is often the hardest day.  She also told me that some have done it for up to 90 days!  Wow!  You don’t have to worry about it getting too mundane though, because she switches up the menu daily.  If you are looking to try a specific juice, she sells her juices separately at her store and they come in smaller sizes too.  If you are thinking about trying her juice cleanse, I highly recommend it!  I cannot tell you how happy I am that something like this exists in Toronto!  It is the bomb dot com.
xoxo,
Adeline
P.S. The fact that Carol has celebrity clients makes her even cooler, ha ha.