What To Eat (And Drink) After A Juice Cleanse

After completing a juice cleanse, transitioning back to your regular diet might leave you wondering what you should be eating to maximize all those feel-good post-cleanse benefits.

Knowing which foods to incorporate back into your diet (and which to avoid) will help you make the most of your cleanse and keep your healthy eating habits on track.

As dedicated juicers ourselves, we’re sharing our top post-cleanse eating tips so you can get the most out of your juice cleanse.

Tips To Ease Your Way Back To Your Regular Healthy Diet

1. EAT WHOLE FOODS.
With the convenience of processed and refined foods, avoiding them can be difficult. But eating whole foods provide way more of the nutrients that benefit your body—and are easier on your digestive system when transitioning back to your normal diet. After your juice cleanse, stick to whole foods like organic produce, nuts, beans, and other foods without added sugar or preservatives.

2. INCORPORATE LOTS OF FRUITS AND VEGGIES.
Try to work 2 servings of fruit and 3 to 5 servings of vegetables into your meals each day. Vegetables can be eaten raw, lightly steamed, or roasted. Get all the fibre you can to keep your digestive processes moving from high-fibre fruits and veggies like carrots, apples, broccoli, and raspberries. These foods are all great for digestion (and are tasty too!).

3. EAT HEALTHY FATS.
Healthy fats are good to incorporate into your diet and can keep you full and satisfied post-cleanse—making you less likely to snack and undermine the benefits of your cleanse. Get your healthy fats from foods like avocados, olives, nuts, tofu, and peanut butter.

4. WATCH (& REDUCE) YOUR SUGAR INTAKE.
Refined sugars are harder for your body to digest and can make the transition back to solid foods harder on your body. Avoid processed foods and drinks with added sugar, and stick to natural sugars found in fruits or honey instead.

5. AVOID COFFEE AND OTHER CAFFEINE.
Since this is something you cut out leading up to and during your cleanse, you may be more sensitive to caffeine. Jumping right back into your morning coffee(s) can throw a wrench into your sleep schedule and leave you feeling jittery throughout the day. Reintroduce caffeine back into your diet slowly, starting with ½ a cup per day.

6. SKIP HAPPY HOUR.
Your liver has been working hard to detoxify your body for the past few days, so give it a bit of a rest. Wait at least a week before reintroducing alcohol into your diet.

7. DRINK LOTS OF WATER.
Keeping hydrated will help improve digestion and keep your body running smoothly. Drink hot (or warm) water with lemon and herbal teas to ease your digestive system back into your regular routine.

Your Post-Cleanse Food Guide

If you’re wondering what to eat after a cleanse and get into the habit of a regular healthy diet, try out these post-cleanse meal suggestions in the days following your cleanse.

Day 1

• Eat 3 small meals.
• Stick to easy-to-digest fruits like bananas, cantaloupe, and watermelon.
• Ease back into full meals with something light and easy like a soup made from veggies like squash, pumpkins, beets, and green beans.
• Drink 8 cups of water and/or herbal teas throughout the day. Stay away from caffeinated teas and coffee for the first day to avoid an upset stomach or that jittery feeling.

Day 2

• Introduce small portions of rice or quinoa.
• Keep eating more of the fruits and vegetables suggested on day 1.
• Add healthy fats to help keep you satisfied longer. Avocados, nuts, and natural peanut butter are all tasty sources of these healthy fats.
• Introduce starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes for extra iron and calcium.
• Drink 8 cups of water and/or herbal teas throughout the day.
• Start reintroducing caffeine in small quantities if you wish. Try having a ½ cup of black coffee and see how you feel. Increase in small amounts over the next few days.

Day 3

• Introduce dairy like yogurt and skim milk slowly if desired. If you don’t eat dairy, use your normal alternatives like almond or coconut milk.
• Introduce more of your favorite fruits and vegetables.
• Incorporate small amounts of easily-digestible animal protein like eggs. Avoid red meats for now and opt for lean chicken or tofu alternatives.
• Drink 8 cups of water and/or herbal teas throughout the day. Continue to drink caffeine normally if you like.

Day 4 - And Beyond

Continue your healthy eating habits and tailor them to your preferences. The first few days after a juice cleanse is all about maximizing its benefits by incorporating healthier foods back into your diet. After a couple days of a juice-based diet, getting back to solid foods can be a bit of a challenge, so take some time to ease your body back into your regular diet. Introduce gluten, dairy, and red meats slowly just to be sure you don’t overwhelm your system and end up feeling sick.

Get More From Your Juice Cleanse

A juice cleanse can be challenging (especially if it’s your first!), so congrats on completing it. Now make sure you’re maximizing the benefits by sticking to a healthy diet afterwards. Incorporating the right foods back into your diet will help you make the most of your cleanse and keep your healthy lifestyle journey on track.