I am not new to juicing, or to Blueprint Cleanse so I sort of knew what I was getting in ordering this book. However, a few aspects were quite disappointing to me. Dividing the book into roughly three sections:
The first third of the book (or so) is all good information, but highly repetitive and if you are health savvy enough to be attempting a juice cleanse, it is probably all repeat information to you. Really, an entire page on bisphenol-A?? Contaminants in drinking water? The importance of eating organic produce etc? Honestly, it felt like journalistic filler that could have been popped into any random magazine or newspaper article and unless you've been living under a rock for the past few years, it's nothing new or proprietary to cleansing or juicing. A little background is fine but it is too big a chunk of the text to be relevant to the topic advertised.
The middle third of the book is probably the section that ended up being most useful to me. It gave an overview of cleansing, tools etc needed, detox symptoms, what is normal and what's not, benefits, methods, etc. There are a couple charts and quizzes to assess yourself in various areas.
The last third of the book is recipes. This was a major disappointment to me. Some of the dressings and salads are okay but not worth the price of this book as a raw vegan cookbook. The juice recipes, however, are TERRIBLE. They are almost entirely comprised of fruit and rice milk beverages. I call them beverages because that's not fresh juiceDrinking fruit and processed rice milk is NOT A JUICE CLEANSE. There are exactly three 'green' juice recipes and they ALL contain fruit. Juice cleansing is amazing, but a juice cleanse following these recipes will NOT be. I bought this book almost solely for the cashew milk recipe and, having had Blueprint Cleanse cashew milk, I knew it lacked the cinnamon and simply added it back in. I've done the actual Blueprint Cleanse and it in no way resembles the juice regimen outlined in this book. To be honest, most of the fruit juices looked gross to me and I would also say most contained rice milk. A real cleanse should consist mostly to nearly entirely of the green juice. I do have a Norwalk and I use it regularly, so it wasn't hard to figure out the 'real' recipes for a cleanse like this. my approximation of the green juice would be:
a third to one half a bunch of kale
one small head of (dark green!) romaine or half a large head
handful or two of spinach leaves
dense handful of parsley
one bunch of celery
two cucumbers
3 lemons, peeled
5 apples, fuji are great for juicing (fewer if you don't mind the taste of the green juice)
one piece of peeled fresh ginger (I don't add this because I'm not a fan)
This makes 2-3 mason jars or about 1.5-2 days' worth if you are cleansing, and occasionally drinking another juice or two. You'd probably want more if you are only drinking the green juice. NOTHING like this recipe appears in the book. I guess the purchase was worth it for the cashew milk recipe, which is very good (with added cinnamon). I have been drinking one quart jar of green juice daily, with small glasses of other fresh juices like apple-carrot-orange (also nothing like this in this book, more of a Gerson recipe with added orange) and pineapple-apple-mint, a Blueprint favorite of mine that is SO EASY to make but again does not appear in any form in this book. Perhaps because pineapple is hard to juice in a centrifugal juicer, I don't know. I plan to branch out a bit more into beet juices and other vegetable juices but again this book was no help in that regard. There were next to no vegetable juice recipes included, and those are the ones with the major health benefits. While there is no added sugar in the fruit juices, they DO contain a good amount of sugar and if that is all you are consuming, you are not reaping the same health benefits. Maybe at some point they will write a book with better quality of information but unless you have other sources for the recipes or you know how to make your own green juices, this book is minimally helpful in following through on a cleanse.
I can't give this book 5 stars because there are no alternative recipes to the nut milks for people like me who are allergic to cashews. I also think they should have gone more in depth with the side effects you will experience while detoxifying. I got a weird rash all over my arms from the toxins coming to the surface reacting with the sun. My doctor prescribed Betamethasone cream which worked, and I realized when I exercised my arms also felt better because the sweat was helping remove the toxins from my skin. I am Kenyan-American so I don't wear sun screen regularly but I've learned my lesson after that incident (lol) and now wear SPF 100 when it's very sunny outside. You might also want to take a sea salt bath while detoxing as I did to help draw out the toxins the juices dredge up, it really helped.
I originally wanted to do the actual 3-day Blue Print Cleanse which delivers the juices daily to your house but it would have cost $250, which seems too pricey for me, so I figured I could just buy the book and a juicer and do the cleanse myself. I bought a Factory-Reconditioned Breville XXJE95XL Two Speed Juice Fountain Plus (which I love)from Best Buy for $75 and began reading the book and experimenting with the juice recipes.
I think this book is great. I discovered juice cleanses through my best friend who had success with both of her cleanses, but this book gave me a lot more information. For instance, drinking water with lemon in the morning and then having a green juice is best to help clean out your system from the night before.
I've been drinking juices every other day as a replacement for breakfast and lunch for over a month and I have noticed a remarkable difference. I no longer crave a lot of junk food and when I did give in and have a chicken nuggets meal from McDonalds, the food tasted so gross to me. I've also noticed the flavored sodas I used to love (orange, grape, etc.) now have a chemically taste and I can only drink Pepsi and ginger soda. My tolerance for refined sugar has also decreased. When I decided to treat myself to a slushy I got the first sugar rush headache I've ever had in my life. I don't crave sweets anymore, and when I get a little craving for chocolate I only need one piece to be satisfied instead of the whole bar.
And I can fit into skinny jeans again!
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I'd heard about cleansing and, for a long time, I have wanted to try a cleanse of some sort. Unfortunately, I'd only heard of the so-called "Master Cleanse"...the one with maple syrup and lemon. I'm sorry, the idea of basically starving yourself did not appeal to me. Then I heard about the Blueprint Cleanse. I looked up their site on line and was disappointed to see that 3 days of juice would cost $200. I'm a stay-at-home dad and money is a little tight so a $200 grocery bill for three days was not do-able. Then, low and behold, I found this book which basically gives you recipes and guidance to do a three-day juice cleanse!
There are many great things about this book aside from the reasonable price tag. First, they give a thorough explanation of why a juice cleanse might be better for you than other cleanses. They explain about the nutrients contained in the juice ingredients and they give you fairly straight-forward (and mostly yummy) recipes to make your own juices.
The authors are also honest with you. They admit that you will be fantasizing about food during the cleanse. (At the end of day 1, I was craving a nice, juicy hamburger...or a slice of pizza...or just about anything to chew!) They also give a list of some of the negative side-effects you may feel as toxins leave your body.
I have only three minor complaints in this book. First, there is a lot of pseudo-science. Really, there is little experimental data to show that expunging toxins via fasting really is healthful; there is mostly anecdotal evidence. My second complaint is that they assume you can pony up big bucks for a top of the line juicer. While they say you can use a $200-$300 juicer (which is still a bit pricey for most people), they really want you to buy a $2400 Norwalk juicer. Hey, I really want to buy one too, but I have a car payment to make. They acknowledge that less expensive juicers will have lower juice yields, but they provide no suggestions for how to make up for that. Common sense tells me to just throw another stalk of kale in the juicer, but is that okay? They don't let you know. My final complaint is that they want you to buy fresh, organic berries and other fruits anytime you want to do the cleanse. If you like to buy food in season at the farmers' market, this is just not possible. I ended up buying lots of frozen berries as I did my first cleanse in January...not an ideal time for fresh, organic fruit.
The bottom line is that this is a good book if you are interested in doing a cleanse but not willing to pony up $200. The juices are mostly palatable and the book is upbeat and easy to read.
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I am someone who has done the Blueprint juice cleanse twice (once for 3 days, once for one day) and the Juice 'til Dinner once (best food EVER).
The BPC is actually promoted through Exhale Spa, which I have been a member of since 2004. My reasons for cleansing were more for hitting the diet "reset" button after periods of time where I am being more social (i.e. drinking) and eating not as healthfully as I would like. I got the book to read further into the philosophy of the women who started the BPC as well as to get some healthy recipes, and the book definitely was great for both of those things.
After watching "Food Inc" and "King Corn", reading "The Omnivore's Dilemma" and realizing how industrial our food system is (and not liking it), I started to buy into the "eating natural and clean" philosophy which is actually really hard in today's world of processed everything and oversized portions. This book is a great way to jumpstart that lifestyle with super easy recipes and tips, as well as the logic behind the Blueprint Cleanse juice fast.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for quick, easy, healthy recipes or just interested in finding out more about eating cleaner.
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mythoughts
In my mind (read world) the word cleanse equates to fasting. While I am all for fasting for religious or Spiritual purposes...choosing to not have food just because I want to look good...well, not in my realm of thought. The word cleanse sends shivers down my spine because it means...NO FOOD! Or...at least that is what I have been led to believe.
Along comes The 3-Day Cleanse and it has changed my mind, a bit. I still am not thrilled over any "cleanse" routines but this one...I am willing to give a chance. Why? Because it seems easy, you can drink enjoyable juices and you are not stuck eating Cayenne peppers and lemon...anyone with me?
I understand that there are a lot of Toxins in our bodies just from normal living. They can affect our moods, personalities, energy and spirit if we leave them alone.
The Blueprint Cleanse is a great concept that is built around drinking fresh vegetable and fruit juices (I can do that!). You can start with 1-day on the cleanse and build your way up to the 14-day cleanse routine. It seem effortless. You change your juices based on the level of cleanse you choose.
There is a "Symptom" chart in the book that allows you to track the changes your body may go through as you participate in the cleanse. Each symptom has a description, a normal or not normal box and a comment as to why this may be happening and what you can do to rectify, alter or accept the symptom. I especially like this chart...being a "Type A" personality means I not only want to be in charge of everything...I want to know why my body is doing it!
At the back of the 3-Day Cleanse there is array of great recipes. Recipes that include Roasted Red Pepper Soup and Salsa Salad. I thought I'd never say these words...but....I am ready for cleanse!
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I have recently read a few books on first responder type medical aid for wilderness scenarios ... and this is BY FAR the best. If you are looking for a book that goes well beyond even advanced first aid, and presents the material in a pratical way using common languge ... this book is it. There is a balance with books like this on either being too elementary (i.e. "dumbed-down") or being too academic (i.e. filled with technical jargon that goes over the head of most people), but this book is a great balance between the two. The author has a gift of explaining things in a very straight-forward fashion.
