I thought that our bodies are capable of cleansing naturally? If so, why do I need a cleanse?

It is definitely true to say that our bodies cleanse naturally and constantly. Our body is a great self-healing tool and built to combat toxins. But an imbalanced diet, irregular eating habits, a high intake of refined sugar and consume of nicotine, alcohol and caffeine put the body under too much daily strain. Hence it cannot cope alone anymore with the purification process and needs assistance. Our cleanse program is an occasional way to pause and reflect from hectic lifestyle routines- see it as a way to bring balance back into your life and get the best tune-up for your body.

Who should cleanse?

Every adult who wants to live her/his healthiest, happiest and most energized potential! We believe that every adult can benefit from a cleanse program as a regular part of their lifestyle regimen. Whether it's to give your body a rest and heal from all the wining and dining, improve overall health and boost the immune system or just feel light and attractive with radiant skin and full of energy, Essentially is for busy working professionals, stay-at-home moms and everyone in between. Even those of you who are lactose-intolerant and/or keep a strict vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free diet can enjoy our cleanses. Children under 18 should not participate in our cleansing program but our juices are a great supplement to their developing bodies along their individual diet as they flood the system with much needed nutrients. Our yummy Cashew Milk is a fantastic source of non-animal protein for kids.

How many calories are in your juices and nutmilks?

Our beverages range from 35 to 389 calories per bottle. That being said, we don't believe in calorie counting but we understand it is a concern for many individuals. Each bottle is labelled with complete nutrition facts.

Will I lose any weight with the cleanse?

If you do lose weight, and that was something you were looking for while cleansing, then that's a happy side effect. It is important for us that our customers don't see our cleanse programs as a weight reduction diet. Instead we hope to change that mentality into an understanding that our fresh-pressed beverages provide optimal nourishment and amazing energy. Nothing is wasted here, as your body knows how to assimilate all the calories in raw live foods, whereas a regular diet of 2,000 calories for example might only have about 1200 useable calories and the rest is "wasted" or stored as fat. In a nutshell, 500 calories of Essentially live juice is NOT the same 500 calories you get in a Quarterpounder with cheese!

Will I really be able to handle a cleanse?

Our cleanse programs require a level of commitment but are in no way designed to starve you. Essentially cleanses flood your body with nutrients and are created to give you a boost of energy. Believe in yourself and in us, our programs are perfectly workable with your daily schedule. If at any point you find yourself needing a bit more, please read our "During" the cleanse section for ideas and know that you can always call or email us for support. Consider your cleanse as a departure from the ways you are used to feeding yourself and in the end you will be thankful. Your great health adventure has only just begun!

What is so special about the way you make your juices?

All Essentially juices are produced with a special hydraulic press. 9 tons of pressure extracting every drop of goodness our fruits and veggies have to give. Our hydraulic press system also keeps the live enzymes intact for an extended period, which is essential to preserving nutrients and flavour. Our juice maintains more vitamins and minerals than juices from "centrifugal" juicers.

What about your longer shelf life? What is HPP?

We use an extra measure of food safety for our products. After we have cold-pressed our juices, we preserve the goodness by using High-Pressure Processing (HPP). This means that we're placing the bottles in a tank of water that uses super-high pressure to kill bacteria but preserve nutrients. High pressure processing is the most popular measure of food safety utilized in the cold-pressed juice industry in the United States and Europe. This process will allow us to continue our mission of providing highly nutritious products, which are both safe and delicious. We never add sugar, sweeteners, fillers, or preservatives. Our products are natural and we never EVER compromise. As an industry leader, we have researched the latest technologies available that best keep our products safe without compromising great taste. In a field crowded with opinions and unqualified conjecture, we feel strongly about having actual science to support our decisions.

I want to get regular juice deliveries to my house. Is this possible?

Of course! Making our juices a regular part of your life is easy: Simply sign up for regular juices deliveries or a juice subscription and save money by buying in bulk. Choose any juices from our entire menu and receive deliveries straight to your door, multiple times a month at your convenience. Just have a look at our juice packages in our products section and select!

What about fiber? I thought this is important?

Our pressed juice has trace amounts of fiber (insulin and saccharides) but you actually don’t need fiber with a liquid diet. The purpose of fiber is to trigger digestive processes (a little like an intestinal broom) so whilst important when consuming solids, it’s not required with juice.

What about the sugar content in a raw juice diet?

If you’re producing insulin and are efficient at stabilizing blood sugar levels, you will have no problem with a reasonable amount of fresh fruit juice every day. It is simply bad science when natural occurring fruit sugar is compared to highly toxic, processed and isolated sugar in a candy bar or a similar product. But the truth is that ultra sweet fruits are dense sources of polysaccharide carbohydrates, which when digested or broken down in juice turn into glucose and other simple sugars. SMART juicing means becoming savvy about the use of fruits versus veggies in a juice. That is why our juices are usually heavily vegetable based and we mostly use low-sugar fruits such as tart apples in our recipes. But we also have some cold pressed juices with a fruit or root-vegetable dominance which have amazing health benefits such as boosting your immunity, stamina and aiding in the digestive process. If you have high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol, be vigilant about limiting your sweet fruits and pure root-vegetable drinks until you normalize these conditions.

What exactly are toxins in the body?

In the first instance, toxins are bi-products of nicotine (if you’re a smoker) and alcohol (if consumed on a regular basis). The next level of toxins include chemical additives from processed food, pesticides, herbicides, antibiotic residues, chemicals found in household products and paint and bi-products from protein metabolism due to an overconsumption of animal protein. These toxins are mainly stored in fatty tissues and the liver.

When were my juices made?

Our juices are made on different days and we use an advanced tracking system to ensure the freshness of our juices. Your juices will be delivered straight to your doorstep and delivered by a chiller van. Just take them out of the bag and put them straight into your fridge once you receive them.