Conscious Cleanse {Review}

Last month I was asked to participate & review a cleanse.
I thought this would be a great way to kick start me into a healthy new year and so I obviously agreed!
The cleanse is called The Conscious Cleanse.It lasts for 14 days and it's purpose is to help you make wise food choices and also discover if you have allergies or aversions to foods that you may not be aware of.
So let's break this down:

Pros

1// You will most likely lose weight: I am "skinny" by a lot of people's standards, but I knew I could lose a few tummy pounds. Even I lost 3-5 pounds over the 14 days.
2// You will have a ton of support: Jo & Jules (the creators) basically set you up to have an enormous amount of encouragement. They provide 4 online sessions for you to call in to, there is a Facebook group for you and the other people cleansing at the same time as you, and they email you tips and tricks daily throughout the cleanse. This isn't you reading a book and setting out on this cleanse alone.
3// You may be eating things that are making you ill: One of the hardest things about the cleanse is that you eliminate an insane amount of things from your diet for the 14 days. They do this so that you can slowly re-introduce these items at the end and see if you have a poor reaction. It's a great way to find out if you're allergic to tomatoes or peppers and maybe had no clue that you were.

Cons

1// Very time consuming & needs creativity: This is not for people with a hectic or crazy lifestyle. You can make it easier on yourself by creating large quantities of food at one time, but it takes effort. I don't even work full time and it was hard for me. The dips and snacks are easy, but I ended up going to Pinterest a lot to try and find creative, easier recipes that I could make during the cleanse. My favorite recipe I created was my Cashew Chicken. I think this cleanse could be a lot better if they would add to or revamp their recipe suggestions. While some were easy and delicious, a lot were "strange" or seemed very time consuming. I think it would be great if they could come up with some more recipes that were "cleanse versions" of food most Americans love. You can only eat fruit so many days for breakfast or make salad "interesting" enough to eat daily for lunch.
2// They restrict EVERYTHING: Ok, not literally, but this is way harder than a "clean" diet. No caffeine, no sugar, only certain veggies and fruit, no dairy, no eggs....That's only some of it. While I understand eliminating common allergens, I was shocked at what was included. You go in thinking "I can do meat, veggies, and fruits...", but then when you find out you are limited to which veggies and fruits you can have, it makes it really hard. I think not being able to have anything tomato made it a lot harder.
3// You can only eat foods paired a certain way: Again, I understand their thought process behind this. They pair proteins or grains or veggies in a way that should help you digest them the easiest. It is really hard. Like you can't have a salad with beans and meat. You can't have quinoa with some chicken. I just found it hard to be satisfied by grouping by their recommendations. It's basically VEGGIES + One item of your choice.
Overall, I think that Jo & Jules have a great idea. I really do love being able to discover if you are allergic to something at the end. I know that that is only possible by eliminating all those items I love for the 14 days.
The tough thing is that this cleanse isn't something that you can just la-dee-dah through. You can't just grab a snack bar and head to work. It's a ton of work and a ton of commitment. Surviving 14 days was one thing, but I could never eat like this all the time. It does, however, make you aware of your food choices, which I think is great.
If you CAN eat like this for life, props to you, I just love food and I think this is too restrictive for someone who loves to enjoy food and try new recipes. I always say, "Moderation is key."
Thank you again Jo & Jules for letting me try the cleanse. It IS a great kickstart to get you eating within a good mindset.

"I love life. I love being happy. I could sit and watch the ocean go by all day long..."
Check out more from Robin's awesome life: