7-Day Alternating Juice Cleanse Plan

The plan alternates two kinds of day. A full cleanse day, all juices, is followed by a lighter day built around celery juice and small meals, then back to a cleanse day, and so on across the seven days.

There's also a single activated charcoal lemonade to take on one of the evenings, on its own. The two day types are meant to be done in order, not swapped around, so the lighter days sit between the cleanse days rather than bunching up.

Treat the run-up like any cleanse. If you drink a lot of coffee, start easing off two or three days ahead so caffeine withdrawal doesn't colour the first day.

Plan the small meals for your lighter days in advance: simple, vegetable-forward food, so you're not deciding on the hop. Your bottles arrive frozen, so move each day's juices to the fridge the night before, and keep track of which day is which.

These run like a standard cleanse day: five juices and a ginger shot, drunk in sequence across the day rather than grabbed at random, roughly two to three hours apart from morning into the early evening.

Hunger tends to come in waves around your usual mealtimes and then passes; water or a herbal tea between juices helps. The ginger shot is small and sharp, so take it when you want a bit of a kick.

The lighter days are built around two 500ml bottles of cold-pressed celery juice, one in the morning and one later in the day, with small, simple meals around them.

Keep those meals light and vegetable-forward: a vegetable soup, a salad with some protein, steamed veg with a piece of fish. Moderate portions rather than full plates. These days are meant to sit between the cleanse days, not to make up for the day before.

One bottle of activated charcoal lemonade comes with the plan, to drink on its own on one of the evenings before bed. The simplest evening is after a cleanse day, when there's no meal to keep it away from.

Take it well clear of food, supplements and any medication, leaving a couple of hours either side. Activated charcoal can bind to medicines and supplements in the gut and stop them being absorbed properly, which is exactly why it's taken alone and last thing. It can darken your stool for a day, which is harmless and expected. If you take regular medication, check the timing with your GP or pharmacist before you start.

Because it mixes full cleanse days with lighter days and includes activated charcoal, it's worth a proper think about whether it suits you. We'd suggest speaking to your GP first if you're pregnant or breastfeeding, managing diabetes or anything else that affects your blood sugar, or taking regular medication, and your GP or pharmacist can advise on the charcoal timing specifically. It isn't suitable for under-18s.

If you have any history of disordered eating, a structured plan of alternating restricted days isn't a good idea, so please give it a miss. We'd rather you start knowing it's right for you.

The few days beforehand make the rest easier. If you drink a lot of coffee, start cutting back two or three days ahead rather than stopping dead on day one. Caffeine withdrawal is the most common reason people feel rough early on, and it has nothing to do with the juice.

Eat a little lighter the evening before, leaning towards vegetables and away from heavy, salty or very rich food, and drink plenty of water. Pick your days sensibly: starting on the morning of a packed work day or a night out sets you up to struggle. Your bottles arrive frozen, so move the first day's juices to the fridge the night before to defrost.

Honest answer: the first day is usually the one you notice most. You're used to chewing, and drinking your intake doesn't occupy you the same way, so hunger tends to come in waves. It's strongest around your usual mealtimes, then it passes. Water or a herbal tea between juices helps you ride those out.

Most people can work and go about a normal day, though some prefer to keep the first day lighter on commitments. You might feel a dip in the afternoon, the way you can on any day. If you hit a wall and have a small, simple snack, a handful of nuts or a piece of fruit, you haven't ruined anything. Just carry on to the next juice. The point is the few days as a whole, not a perfect score.

Each day's juices are meant to be drunk in sequence, not grabbed at random. That's why they're numbered in the Inside the Box list above. Space them roughly two to three hours apart across the day, starting once you're up and finishing in the early evening.

The ginger shot is small and sharp. Most people take it when they want something with a bit of a kick rather than first thing. Keep the next day's juices in the fridge overnight, and give each bottle a shake before drinking. Separation is natural when there's nothing added to hold it together.

The day after matters as much as the cleanse itself, and it's the part most people get wrong. After a few days without solid food, going straight for a large, heavy meal tends to feel uncomfortable.

Ease back in. Start with something light, like fruit, a vegetable soup or a simple salad, in smaller portions than usual, then build up over the day. Keep drinking water. If the few days have left you thinking about eating a bit differently, the morning after is a natural moment to carry some of that on rather than snap straight back to old habits. That's a choice, though, not a rule.

A juice cleanse is a short stretch of eating very differently, and it doesn't suit everyone. We'd suggest giving it a miss, or speaking to your GP first, if you're pregnant or breastfeeding, under 18, managing diabetes or anything else that affects your blood sugar, or taking regular medication, since some medicines are meant to be taken with food or at set times.

If you have any history of disordered eating, a structured stretch of restriction isn't a good idea, and we'd gently point you away from it. None of this is the fun part of a product page, but we'd rather you begin knowing it's right for you.