Blue Print Cleanse
Blue Print Cleanse, a Brooklyn-based juice company that specializes in fruit- and vegetable-based detox programs, is revolutionizing the idea of juice cleanses through ease of use and organization. Incorporating convenient services such as home deliveries and utilizing 100% vegan, raw, mostly organic and completely unprocessed fruits and vegetables, they use a hydraulic press rather than your basic bladed juicer. This means seven tons of pressure extracting every drop of goodness the fruits and vegetables have to give, approximately three to five times the vitamins and minerals than juices from other machines.
Blue Print really means it when they say "We think. You drink," covering each and every minor detail with their three-tiered, custom-length programs. I recently embarked on a five-day detox journey and was not only impressed by the quality of the juices and how organized and easy they make the whole process, but was just blown away by the customer service and care that goes into the whole operation.
The process begins by choosing your type or level. There are three different levels: Renovation, Foundation, and Excavation. Each level is slightly different, incorporating different ingredients and challenging the body to cleanse in different ways. Designed with specific types of people in mind, depending on how healthy your daily lifestyle is, Blueprint makes it simple and easy to find the right cleanse for you. Next you choose your length of cleanse, they recommend three to five days but you can really go for as long or as short as you'd like. Once a date has been chosen (they fill up rather quickly so keep checking back for updated dates), you can either pick up the juice at Blue Print's Manhattan offices, as well as at pickup sites in Connecticut and New Jersey, or you can have it delivered in either Manhattan or downtown Brooklyn. The juice arrives carefully packaged in colorful cooler bags (pictured), which are reusable, and each contains the six juices for one day. It's as simple as that, drink the juices throughout the day (about one every couple hours) along with plenty of water and herbal tea in between and you'll feel like a new person after three to five days.
See after the jump to read about my experience.
Head here to learn more and start cleansing.
I chose to do a five-day Foundation level detox (Level II) beginning on a Monday. On Thursday I received an email from them filled with information about the process and how to prepare. Basically they recommended eating extra healthy and staying away from meat and alcohol the weekend leading up to my cleanse. Easier said than done.
The juice was to be delivered on Sunday with the detox officially beginning Monday morning. Unlike other Manhattan delivery services where you may find yourself waiting at your apartment between the hours of 9am-8pm only to have your delivery arrive at 8:30pm, Blue Print sent me an email Sunday morning notifying me that my delivery would be made after 5pm and that I would receive a call from the delivery man about an hour before delivery. Perfect. I went about my day normally and around 6pm received a phone call from a nice gentleman explaining my juice would be delivered in about an hour. Fifty minutes later another phone call and he was downstairs with my juice in hand. Throughout the week I continued to receive emails, coaching me through the process, giving pointers, telling me to feel free to contact them with any questions. I must admit it helped, I wasn't concerned about anything, all the details were taken care of by the program and I was being taken care of by the juice and their support.
The week was challenging, filled with extreme cravings for cheeseburgers (pictured) and chicken fingers but I never really felt hungry or malnourished. I guess the only problem was how it affected my social life and trying to think of things to do besides eat. The change makes you realize how big a part of your life food is, everything from thinking about your next meal to going out for dinner and drinks with friends. I would recommend doing Blue Print Cleanse with friends, not only will you have somebody to accompany you on your cleansing journey but Blue Print offers discounts to groups.
In the end, I do feel a lot healthier and very proud of myself for flawlessly completing five days without solid food. Everyone says I look better, like I've lost weight but most importantly all of those cravings for cheeseburgers and chicken fingers have gone away and I find myself wanting healthier foods.
I'll admit I didn't go all out with recommended kidney massages and gravity colonics but even so I think it was more than worthwhile as I feel healthy and refreshed.
