7-Day Juice Cleanse: A Safer Food-Inclusive Plan

A 7-day juice cleanse can be adapted into a 7-day routine of regular meals and optional juice, but it does not detoxify the body. Use the ai detox plan generator to explore a personalized routine, and read more about how to do a juice cleanse.

What is the 7-day plan?

A traditional juice cleanse replaces some or all food with juice. The plan below does not recommend a juice-only fast: it uses juice as an optional drink alongside meals. There is no good evidence that a 7-day juice cleanse removes toxins or provides a special health benefit.

The liver and kidneys do most of the body’s detoxification; the lungs and gut also help eliminate waste. Sweat removes only trace amounts. Water and other fluids support hydration, but no drink can substitute for these organs.

1. Choose seven days when you can prepare or access regular meals. Use the schedule as a flexible example, not a prescription.
2. Shop for foods you enjoy and pasteurized juices with no added sugar. Adjust the meal ingredients for allergies, preferences and any medical diet.
3. Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner each day. Include a protein source, a carbohydrate and fruits or vegetables across your meals; add snacks if you need them.
4. Drink water as needed, and have the suggested juice with a meal if you want it. The sample juice amounts are recipe portions, not a target or a limit.
5. Stop the plan if it makes you feel unwell, and seek medical help for the warning signs described below.

The meals matter more than following the juice rotation exactly. Keeping whole fruit and vegetables in the plan also provides fiber that is largely removed when juice is strained.

What should you buy?

For the seven suggested juice drinks, buy these pasteurized juices:

• Apple juice: 360 mL (1½ cups).
• Carrot juice: 600 mL (2½ cups).
• Tomato juice: 240 mL (1 cup); choose a lower-sodium option if available.
• Orange juice: 240 mL (1 cup).

Choose 100% juice where available. You will also need drinking water, including 240 mL (1 cup) for the two diluted orange drinks. Check labels if you need to manage sodium, sugar or other dietary restrictions.

For meals, choose a mix of oats or other grains, whole-grain bread or tortillas, rice, beans or lentils, eggs, yogurt or a suitable alternative, and a protein such as chicken, fish or tofu. Add fruit, vegetables and a fat source such as olive oil, nuts or seeds. Frozen and canned foods can make the week easier; use options that fit your needs.

What is the day-by-day schedule?

Use the meal ideas as a starting point, changing foods and portions to suit your appetite and needs. Have the listed drink with any meal, or skip it and drink water instead.

These are examples rather than a complete shopping or portion guide. Add snacks, such as fruit with nuts or yogurt with oats, when you are hungry. Continue any eating plan recommended by your clinician or dietitian rather than replacing it with this schedule.

What drinks can you make each day?

Each juice recipe makes approximately 240 mL (1 cup). The schedule rotates the drinks, but you can repeat one you like. Keep opened juice refrigerated and follow its label for storage.

Apple-carrot juice: Days 1, 4 and 7

Ingredients per drink

• 120 mL (½ cup) pasteurized apple juice
• 120 mL (½ cup) pasteurized carrot juice

1. Mix the juices in a clean glass.
2. Serve with a meal, or refrigerate according to the juice labels.

Tomato-carrot juice: Days 2 and 5

Ingredients per drink

• 120 mL (½ cup) pasteurized tomato juice
• 120 mL (½ cup) pasteurized carrot juice

1. Combine the juices in a clean glass.
2. Stir and serve with a meal.

Diluted orange juice: Days 3 and 6

Ingredients per drink

• 120 mL (½ cup) pasteurized orange juice
• 120 mL (½ cup) drinking water

1. Pour the orange juice and water into a clean glass.
2. Mix and serve with a meal.

Optional cucumber-mint water: Any day

This infused water is an alternative to juice or plain water, not a detox treatment. It is steeped rather than blended, so the cucumber is used for flavor rather than as a serving of vegetables.

Ingredients

• 1 liter (about 4¼ cups) drinking water
• ½ cucumber (about 150 g), sliced
• 8–12 fresh mint leaves (about 5 g)

1. Wash the cucumber and mint, and put them in a clean pitcher.
2. Add the water and refrigerate for 2–4 hours to develop the flavor.
3. Keep the water refrigerated and drink it within 24 hours for best flavor. Discard it sooner if it becomes cloudy, slimy or sour-smelling, and do not leave it at room temperature for more than a few hours.

What should you expect during a juice cleanse?

This food-inclusive plan should feel different from a juice-only fast because you are continuing to eat. You may notice changes in appetite or digestion when you change your usual foods and drinks. Juice can also cause discomfort or loose stools for some people.

A juice-only fast can leave you without enough protein, fat, fiber or overall food. Large amounts of juice or fluid can also be unsuitable for some medical conditions. A headache, weakness or nausea is not proof that toxins are leaving your body.

Who should be careful?

Talk with a healthcare professional before changing your diet if you have diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease, a digestive condition or a history of an eating disorder. Ask for individualized advice if you take diabetes medicines, diuretics or medicines affected by dietary changes; do not stop or adjust medication on your own.

Children and teens, people who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and people with weakened immune systems should avoid a juice-only cleanse and seek medical advice about dietary changes. Choose pasteurized juice, particularly if you are pregnant or immunocompromised, because unpasteurized juice can carry harmful germs.

How do you end the plan safely?

If you followed the food-inclusive schedule, simply continue with regular meals and drinks after Day 7. There is no need for a special transition meal or to compensate by restricting food. Keep the habits that are practical for you, whether that is preparing vegetables ahead or choosing water more often.

If you have already had only juice or very little food for several days, contact a healthcare professional for advice before substantially increasing your intake, especially if you have been undernourished. Some people need medical supervision when restarting food.

When should you stop and get help?

Stop the plan if you feel dizzy, unusually weak, nauseated or otherwise unwell, and contact a healthcare professional if symptoms persist or you are concerned. Seek urgent medical care for fainting, confusion, chest pain, severe abdominal pain, repeated vomiting or an inability to keep fluids down.