Review: Soulmatefood Juice Cleanse

Soulmatefood 5 day Juice Cleanse

http://www.soulmatefood.com

I initially came across Soulmatefood from twitter! A lot of people i followed had tweeted about their Juice Cleanses- some female commercial/glamour models, 1 male fitness model, 2 men notorious in the fitness industry and many celebrities including professor green. This range of people, with different levels of activity and discipline made me interested to try it. I went on the website, and after looking at the price i closed the browser. I decided that the next best thing was to just follow soulmatefood on twitter, which i did. Then- like a sign from above- they tweeted about a 60% discount via Groupon, so i rushed back to my web-browser history, and filled out the details and before i knew it i had paid for it, assigned a date for the juices to be delivered, and had received a confirmation email. I chose to do the 5day cleanse for £80- originally £200 (3 days was £60, originally £150). I decided the best time to do this was during a week-day at uni, as there are days where we don't have time to get a lunch/the lunch options are unhealthy and limited, and i could just bring a few in my bag and sip them when necessary. 

A HUGE box delivered my juices, and at first it was overwhelming because there's 30 juice bottles (6bottles each day), and i had to find space in my family-fridge for these bottles, but they do disappear quickly! one day done, 6 bottles down, and much to the happiness of my mum, dad and sister, fridge space became available. Now people will questions what you're doing and why you're doing it, when you're sipping a bottle that has a massive number on it, and no solid food passes your mouth, and you'll struggle to find an answer other than "It's a juice cleanse".

Hunger:

The juices are yummy (particularly number 2) and therefore satisfying. They are fairly thick (don't expect a milkshake) so you don't feel actual hunger. Also, as you drink them frequently, you don't really give your body time to feel hungry (literal, physical hunger not just 'I'm bored, i could eat', it's time for the next one. By the 3rd day i would look at the clock HOPING the next drink was sooner, but that's more because of the mental process that comes with eating as opposed to actual hunger. On the fourth day i did experience actual hunger, but after 40mins of complaining the hunger went and WEIRDLY was replaced by complete satiety. I didn't need or want food. This truly exposed the mental/psychological aspect that accompanies food and eating. I would also advise a 1 bottle of juice: 1 bottle water ratio. And hot drinks, i.e. green tea (or if you're naughty like me then coffee because i do have an addiction to coffee and it wasn't time to break that addiction/ it is never that time). AND KEEP BUSY. Boredom is a recipe for disaster. Also mentally set in your mind that this is 3 or 5 days you've assigned as a challenge to stick to this juice cleanse, as well as paid for- don't give up because of the desire to have solid food- you won't die by doing this juice cleanse, it will all be positive and if you give in then you've sort of.. ruined/wasted it.

Energy:

You're energy levels do not drop. I saw some reviews that they experienced high levels of energy, and i have done this juice cleanse twice and all i can say is they must be popping some sort of pill with it. YOU DO NOT EXPERIENCE LOW ENERGY. But i wouldn't go as far to say you experience HIGH energy. Your energy levels are at a constant, perhaps because your glucose levels are not allowed to drop as you are consuming these drinks 6 times a day, and according to soulmatefood, all your nutritious needs are met. On the 2nd trial of this cleanse, i went to the gym 3 days of the 5 day cleanse, and i was able to do my cardio without feeling like i hadn't eaten for days. And my stomach felt flatter in my Gym top which was motivating haha.

Eating after the juice cleanse:

After 5 days of no solid foods, and an eye-opening experience that hunger is not solely to do with food, but that there really is a psychological aspect to it, you start to become more in-tune with your body and realise you can actually control your body more than you think. Also you realise that you may be hungry, but give it some time and the hunger pangs go. I AM NOT ENDORSING STARVATION. I am merely saying that the concept of over-eating can be overcome if you are willing to listen to your body and not act on every impulse of "meh im hungry".. or "meh im bored, so food". Personally, my appetite was a little reduced, and i wanted to eat in a way that was going to compliment the cleanse, so i stuck with small frequent meals, mainly vegetables, fruits, soups and salads for a few days. You can read on their website what they recommend. 

Day 1 and 2: I was excited to be doing this, and in truth fairly shocked at how easy it was.

Day 3 and 4: I started salivating at the thought of food. The challenge set in and tested my self-control.

Day 5: It's the last day so i saw a bright shiny light at the end of the tunnel.

Overall impression

Personally i found this to be very convenient- I could sleep in a little longer in the mornings because i could sip my breakfast on the train into placement, and i find eating when rushed/in public a bit awkward, so it was perfect for me. It really exposed my emotional side of eating, and how i can control my appetite, and even suppress it (if at 9pm i was hungry, i'm not saying that i would suppress my appetite for lunch for example because, people, FOOD IS IMPORTANT). I  just asked myself if i would do it again, and personally, because of reasons like im trying to build a big booty, and want to increase muscle mass and decrease body fat, at the moment the answer is no. Now that is because of my current goals, rather than a reflection of the cleanse itself because remember i did do this twice so it wasn't something i brushed off into the "this is crap" pile. However, if I had money to splurge and wanted to do a diet plan where i was sent meals then Soulmatefood.com would be the place i would go to, because of how good my experience has been with this cleanse. Plus the food looks so so SO good on the website. It is not something to do for weight loss, because it will not make you lose fat, i can assure you. It is also not something to do if you intend to eat like a horse after and just wanna give yourself an excuse to do so. In terms of doing a juice cleanse for weight loss, you really have to think long term goals, not short term! I think if this is something that you're curious to try, or you've been looking for a Detox to do from a reputably company, then this is a great juice cleanse - it tastes good, it is reliable and you can chose the dates you want it delivered, and well does exactly what it says it does!

Hope this helps!