The 5-Day Nutritive Cleanse
I just finished my third experience with the 5-Day Nutritive Cleanse and I wanted to share about it with you! Not only is this a quick and powerful reset, the cleanse is so manageable.
The 5 Day Nutritive Cleanse helps to gently purge toxins and unhealthy cravings from the body. It’s a great opportunity to examine and refine my habits. I notice that I am more sensitive to sweetness and saltiness in food afterwards, and I actually crave all kinds of healthy food, as well as the Balance Complete shakes, after the cleanse. I actually just finished a shake as I write this!
3 Reasons I Love This Cleanse
It is very simple.
This cleanse consists of 6-12 ounces of Ningxia Red per day, with three Balance Complete shakes per day for your meals, digestive support capsules and a few healthy snacks. The shakes are delicious and easy to change up with some vitality oils, frozen fruit or Ningxia. About 30 minutes before the shake, take two capsules of Detoxzyme, or a capsule of Digize & Caraway Vitality. Taking these helps to support digestion and detoxification as the body receives all of the nutrients and fiber from the shakes. There is also a suggested morning snack (small piece of fruit), midday snack (nut butter, rice crackers, veggies), evening snack (raw or steamed veggies, or clear broth) that you can choose to have!
It is very nourishing and satisfying.
Drinking a 6-12 ounces of Ningxia daily helps me feel really good throughout the cleanse, and I can eat some real food - fruits, veggies, broth at different times in the day! It is very important to be prepared, to stay hydrated, to support yourself emotionally, and to have lifelines in place to help you in those most challenging times of the cleanse.
It is quick.
Five days is doable… it goes by quickly. I am going to break down how my five days typically goes below, but if you plan out your kids’ meals ahead of time, get your snacks, broth and Ningxia Red ready to go, it can go pretty smoothly and quickly throughout a work week.
Note: we typically do a Monday-Friday for the cleanse with our wellness community - definitely easier with friends! Somehow my husband and I always have an event on Friday night, so we’ll just back up the cleanse to Sunday night-Friday evening and then we can enjoy ourselves. It would have been easy to say, oh we can’t do it… but this is NOT a reason to bail on the cleanse, just shift it if you need! And yes, he does the cleanse with me!
The Rundown - What To Expect
DAY ONE: This day is one of the easier ones, I feel excited and focused and motivated because of the novelty, and because I am usually doing this with a group! The withdrawals haven’t really hit but this is a day where the mindless eating habits start to reveal themselves for sure. Drink LOTS of water on day one, and this is also a day that I usually feel like getting in some movement.
DAY TWO: The sugar/booze/processed food withdrawals start to set in, and they’ll continue through day three. I use a lot of oils on these days… as well as Ningxia Nitro and LOTS of Ningxia Red. On day two, I still have that motivation but I am settling in and usually not feeling so good. Lots and lots more water and I imagine my body releasing those toxins and cravings and unhealthy habits.
DAY THREE: This is probably the hardest day for me. We’re approaching and getting through the halfway point, but the end is not really in sight. I may be a little cranky, but I know that I need to journal and rest on day 3. I try to have some fun distractions or special self-care treats (face mask, detox bath, mani/ped) in place. Having the broth at night and the healthy snacks throughout the day helps too.
DAY FOUR: Day four is usually my turning point! I wake up feeling clear, refreshed, ready to crush the final stretch. My body feels lighter, I’m moving better, and I’m almost there! I usually notice big-time digestive changes around this time and I continue to make sure I’m having my snacks and broth.
DAY FIVE: The end is close but it’s not quite the end. Sometimes I’m feeling “over it” by this point, but it’s all good because it’s almost over! This is a great reflection day… What have I learned? What did I enjoy? What do I want to carry forward beyond the cleanse? I will ask and answer these things on day five. It’s important to pause and think about these things, write them down and think about some new habits or changes I want to make, and also to congratulate and celebrate myself too!
More Tips for Success
Go to bed early helps if you find yourself craving snacks at night. I sleep so well on this cleanse… it’s amazing how allowing our digestive system to rest and reset helps with many aspects of our wellness.
Crunchy fruits and veggies, warm Ningxia (⅔ warm water and ⅓ Ningxia) and the warm clear broth really helps to give some variety throughout the cleanse. I need texture… haha!
Chew Slique Gum or sip a Ningxia spritzer while you prepare meals for your kids - put any extra food away after you serve, it helps with those urges to take a bite of this or that (also a good tip for everyday life).
Drink Ningxia Nitro and Slique Tea if you are struggling with caffeine withdrawals. In the past I have also cleansed with one cup of black coffee in the AM… I know, I know…not for everyone, not following the “rules” but it’s what worked for us. We also drank carbonated mineral water throughout the cleanse!
Make sure to take your supplements - Super B, MultiGreens, CardioGize, Sulfurzyme…there are some go-to’s, or stick to your regular routine.
Oils that Helped Me During the Cleanse
Peppermint for head tension, to give a boost when I have a dip in energy.
Stress Away & Peace and Calming to help me relax and unwind without wine or dessert!
Purification for detox baths and purifying the air and mind. Release is another option.
Harmony and Valor for emotional comfort and strength. This actually coincided with a Great Day Protocol challenge that we did with our wellness community and those four oils (Valor, Joy, Harmony, White Angelica) were the perfect thing to help me through the week. I’ll have an article about that up soon!
Try It Out
You can purchase these items through Young Living, and you can open or reactivate a Young Living account and grab your cleanse supplies (and anything else you need!) directly through this link!
Note: The original cleanse uses Digest & Cleanse capsules which have been under reformulation but do not fret because there are some great alternatives to swap in. That is why I made a bundle for you! You can choose EITHER the capsules with Digize and Caraway, or the Detoxzyme capsules. Along with your Ningxia Red, and Balance Complete!
I totally respect that this (or cleanses in general) may be not the right option for everyone. If you’re looking for a gentle, nourishing, effective option — I love this one. The idea behind it when Gary Young formulated the cleanse was to do it four times per year. I would love to know if you try it and if there are any useful tips to add here!Share this with a friend if they need to know what to expect!