By Ramesh Bjonnes 

Recently, I coached a group of people doing a three-day juice cleanse via zoom. Normally, we would conduct such a cleanse during one of our five-day detox retreats here at Prama, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are also doing these programs online now.

Studies by Dr. Valter Longo have found that a three-day low caloric cleanse will reset your entire immune system. Another study from Harvard showed benefits in heart disease markers after the same kind of cleanse.

Studies have also shown other benefits, including weight loss of up to five pounds. Moreover, the weight stayed off for several weeks afterwards. Other important benefits include an increase in the good intestinal microbiota in the gut.

The two most common gut bacteria in humans are Firmicutes, linked to increased body weight, and Bacteroidetes, linked to lower body weight. After a three-day juice cleanse, the number of Firmicutes dropped significantly and the Bacteroidetes increased, which researchers link to the ease of weight loss.

Another benefit of juice cleansing is that it reduces inflammation. During one of our 10-day detox retreats here at Prama, one person with a severe autoimmune disease had a blood test afterwards, and the inflammatory response was down 50%.

Despite the many health benefits of doing a three-day juice cleanse, some may find it challenging to do it at home alone. Therefore, it is helpful to join a group online for moral support and learning. 

Here’s what you can expect during an online three-day juice cleanse: 

Juice it up yourself. It’s best to juice your own fruits and vegetables, and we will teach you how to do it and give you recipes on the first day of the program. You can buy the juice, but high quality, fresh juices from a store are expensive and are not as fresh as the ones you make yourself.

Take it easy. It’s best to do the cleanse on a weekend or during a time when your workload is low, so that you can easily de-stress during the cleanse. You’ll be encouraged to go for walks, practice yoga and also to meditate for stress relief.

You’ll flood your body with super nutrients. When you make your own fruit and vegetable juices (about 60-70% vegetable juice and about 30-40% fruit juice) and drink it slowly to savor its flavors and absorb its nutrients, you will feed your body on a cellular level with easily absorbable super-nutrients. At the same time, your liver, kidneys, skin and lungs will go into detox-mode and liberate your body from unwanted toxins.

You’ll learn a lot. Everyday you’ll attend classes with hands-on tips on fasting, nutrition, plant-based food, and meditation. In fact, you’ll learn enough to continue incorporating the teachings at your own pace at home afterwards.

In the coming months, we at Prama will conduct both one- and three-day juice cleanse retreats online. So please check our websites for times and how to register.