Tag: 21 day cleanse

Essential Detox: 21 Days to Better Health

Chef V

Veronica working from home

Happy hello! Whether it’s hot or cold, every day calls for care for your health. Weather changes and cleansing go together with my Chef V cleanses & detoxes.

My cleanses include delicious Carrot Ginger and Sweet Potato Curry soups, soothing and filling.  Doing an essential detox cleanse right now may protect you from nasty viruses. Plus, doing a detox is like giving your organs a much-needed tune-up. 

 When you’re sharing oxygen in a confined space, that’s when your body is more susceptible to catching colds and flu viruses. At work with lots of people in close proximity, the state of your immune system is a major factor in determining if you’re going to have to call in sick for work.

You might feel totally healthy now. But if you eat unhealthy fast food now that you are back at work  along with alcohol, ice cream and other inflammatory foods, your immune system might be weakened right now without you knowing it.

And if you don’t detox your system now, your immune system’s energy will be spent trying to get rid of the toxic load in your organs, instead of devoting all of its resources to fighting viruses.

Hey, maybe you’re one of the lucky ones and can feast on foods with refined carbohydrates. Perhaps you’re a genetic freak who never gets sick despite a diet rich in foods with white flour, sugar, and saturated fats.

But if you’re not a member of the dietary one-percent I have some advice for you on boosting your immune system right now with an essential detox….

green line

“During my detox I lost 19 lbs! My BMI went from 24.0 to 16.9!
I am super excited for when I do my next detox because I will be
doing the expert challenge! LOVE LOVE LOVE Chef V.” – Mackenzie

Below, my Black Bean Soup, a recipe from my cookbook. A cleanse-friendly recipe created to accompany my cleanses and detoxes.

black bean soup

Ditch Sugar Addiction & Reset Your Metabolism In Just 21 Days

In addition to eating unhealthy food, you might be more vulnerable to getting sick because of stress.

Recently, I wrote about staying healthy for the back to school season. But even if you don’t have kids, many of us feel stressed out. And when stress strikes, lots of people cope by snacking on sugary treats and other unhealthy food.

If you can relate to having felt stressed out or eat lots of unhealthy food, I suggest trying my 21 Day Detox.

My 21 Day Detox is 100% organic. Although you’ll very likely lose weight after doing a 21 Day Detox, my program is far more than just a weight loss solution. More than that, my 21 Day Detox will teach you how to adopt healthier eating habits. Not just for the 21 days but for weeks, months and even years after the detox is over.


21 day detox

How Does The 21 Day Essential Detox Work?

During the 21 Day Detox, you’ll have days when you follow my Cleanse protocol, which provides you with four servings of 16 oz Green Drinks, 2 Protein Shakes and a Detox Soup. Then, on other days, you’ll also have Green Drinks and Protein Shakes, plus my Healthy Routine, which allows you to choose your own lunch, snack and dinner from my Meal Planner. The Meal Planner contains delicious recipes, an approved foods list, a portion-size guide, and more helpful tips that will make completing a 21 Day Essential Detox a breeze.

Plus, when you order the 21 Day Detox, I email you a downloadable copy of my recipe book, Making Cleansing Easier.

A lot of people have no idea what to eat. But I take all the guess work out of meal planning. My recipes are filled with lots of low-starch veggies, healing herbs and spices and healthy, whole grains that don’t promote inflammation. I also include some fruit as part of my Healthy Eating routine (but not too much), as well as legumes, lean protein and moderate amounts of healthy oils such as olive oil.

Squashing VIruses With … Squash, Soup And Other Awesome Autumn Veggies

Introducing winter squash, sweet potato, carrot, beets and other hearty antioxidant-rich veggies this time of year is a good strategy for boosting your immune system and aiding your body in the detox process.

And when you do my 21 Day Detox, you’ll get one of two delicious Detox soups for dinner: Carrot Ginger Zing and Sweet Potato Curry. The carrot ginger soup also contains yam, onion, garlic, turmeric, and sea salt with a base of filtered water.

As for the sweet potato curry, it’s loaded with leeks, onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, and a gentle curry spice, flavored to taste with sea salt in a filtered water base.

Although the Detox Soups are relatively low in calories, they are very nutrient dense, so you won’t still be hungry and be tempted by empty carbs after having it for dinner.

Here’s what one Chef V customer, Mel H. of San Diego, has to say about the soup on Yelp:

The detox soup is DELICIOUS- I want to try the recipe on my own one of these days. After 3 days of cleansing I feel 100% better. I will absolutely do this cleanse again. Thanks Chef V. !

Mel didn’t jump into the 21 Day Detox. She dipped her toe in the shallow end by doing my shortest detox program, the 3 Day Cleanse. If the sound of a 21 Day Detox intimidates you, doing a 3 Day Cleanse (or 5 day or 7 day) is a good alternative.

Whether you choose the shorter cleanse or the 21 Day Detox, I’ll tell you exactly what foods to eat in the days leading up to the program and for the days that follow it after you successfully finish it.

So give your organs a tune-up now and get them in tip-top shape for the cold/flu season that’s right around the corner.

To your health,

Chef V

Veronica and Coco

What Fasting Does To Your Body

Chef V

What Fasting Does To Your Body

Fasting is a practice that has ancient roots in many cultures. However, there’s a good reason that it’s stuck around so long. This blog will give you a complete look at where fasting comes from and what exactly it does to your body. We’ll also measure up traditional fasting against juice cleansing (like our famous 21 day juice cleanse) and give tips for things like using green juice during intermittent fasting.

Where is Fasting From?

To many people, fasting is just not eating food. However, fasting is a lot more complex than that. It can involve the giving up of any substance. Most often, this is concerning specific kinds of food or drink. Fasting can be for health reasons, but also religious reasons as well. What’s important to understand right off the bat is that fasting is deliberate and controlled – it’s not starvation.

Prehistoric times, fasting was often times the key to better health. This makes it impossible to put a hard date on when the practice started. One of the earliest records of fasting that we have record of is from the Hippocrates. Yep, that’s the father of medicine, he of the Hippocratic oath. He was also a big fan of fasting, as were other ancient Greek writers like Plutarch. The ancient Greeks, in general, believed that fasting was just as necessary as bed rest when it came to fighting and preventing illnesses.

However, fasting was also becoming a crucial part of many religions worldwide. Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism are just a few examples of religions that have fasting as part of their heritage and culture. This has helped fasting spread to plenty of countries around the globe.

These early recommendations for fasting were based mainly on, pardon the pun, gut feelings. People in older periods understood that fasting made them feel better but didn’t understand why.

In the 19th century, people started to get curious about the actual mechanisms of fasting. Scientists began to link specific dietary choices to particular illnesses, and the sciences of nutrition and dieting started to emerge. People also started to try some of the first nutritional fasts for themselves, experimenting with foods, drinks, and lengths of time.

By the 20th century, nutritionists had managed to hone in on what exactly fasting was doing to the body.

Fasting and You

Before we talk about what fasting does to the body, it’s important to understand that fasting refers to limited and controlled periods of reduced or no food or liquid consumption. There’s a big difference between controlled fasting and starving. It’s never a good idea to put your body into starvation mode. Specifically, starving refers to the point where your body starts to burn muscle mass for energy.

But what happens between being full and starvation? That’s where fasting comes in.

The main difference between your body in “fasting mode” and your body in “regular mode” is how your body handles its blood sugar. If you are using green juice during intermittent fasting or other fasting methods, your carbohydrate intake will be lower. If they’re available, your body will automatically use carbs to produce glucose, which is where you get your blood sugar from.

During a period of lower carb intake, like a 21 day cleanse, your body will switch from using carbohydrates to make glucose to using fat. This is why 21 day detoxes are so effective for weight loss. During fasting, you’re making the most efficient use of your body’s energy reserves.

Benefits of Fasting

Does it actually matter how your body creates glucose? Studies and signs point to a real benefit to practices like intermittent fasting and 21 day juice cleanses. Here are some of the changes that fasting can make in your body.

* Controls Blood Sugar Levels: Intermittent fasting is one of the most effective ways to get your blood sugar levels under control, as it helps regulate the production of glucose in your body. Not only can this cut the risk of conditions like diabetes, but it can also help you get control of sugar cravings.
* Decreases Inflammation: Intermittent fasting has been shown to help reduce inflammation in the body. This can help promote better health of the heart and lungs and potentially reduce your risk of cancer.
* Losing Weight: Remember how we mentioned that fasting switches your body onto using fat for glucose instead of carbs? If your body is consuming its fat reserves, that can help a ton with your weight loss goals
* Improves Your Brain Health: Intriguing studies suggest that fasting can help sharpen your brain and prevent diseases that might affect your neurological symptoms. This could be why many religions promoted fasting for clarity of thought and periods of contemplation.
* Help You Live Longer: The studies are still preliminary on this one, but fasting in animals has been shown to help prolong life and health. Fasting may be the key to aging gracefully.

Importance of Juice Cleanses

Simply giving up food is a type of fasting that walks a fragile line. On one side, you could potentially hurt yourself by denying your body nutrients. On the other hand, you’re going to get incredible cravings from this kind of deprivation. This can then lead to binge eating after the fast is over.

A 21 day juice cleanse is a way to get the weight loss and health benefits of fasting in a controlled and feasible manner. You get every nutrient your body needs, letting your fast in a safe and healthy manner. Using green juice during intermittent fasting is also a great way to regular your blood sugar levels, meaning you can save yourself from binge eating.

If you’re interested in our own famous 21 day detox, make sure to check out our package options here. Our 21 day cleanses come with not just delicious green drinks but detox smoothies and detox soups to give you the most achievable and most effective 21 day juice cleanse out there.

How Did Juice Cleanses Get Started?

Chef V


How Did Juice Cleanses Get Started?

Blended Juice Cleanses have helped tons of people around the world lose weight, detox their bodies, and to feel great about themselves. But where did the idea of juicing come from? It might be a much older practice than you think! This fun piece explores the earliest examples of using juice for its health benefits, as well as the emergence of modern juice cleanses.

Juicing Throughout History

Some people might dismiss juicing as just a modern fad. However, juicing has actually been around for quite some time. There are rumors of juicing recipes being found from thousands of years ago in the Middle East – as the stories have it, the most popular kind of juice back then was pomegranate.

Ancient peoples didn’t just have a one-off fling with the wonders of juicing. Ancient Greek doctors might have recommended you try juices that included barley, herps, grapes, or myrtle. Roman physicians, on the other hand, may have tried to get you on a variety of juices, using apples, grapes, pears, beets, and even celery. (Yep, celery juice isn’t anything new!).

While these people might not have quite understood the juice cleanse as we know it, they did grasp the idea of a juice cleanse. While they may not have grasped modern medicine, they did get the idea that juice cleanses could help flush the bad stuff out of your body.

As people moved into the Medieval and Early Modern period, a love of juicing continued, though it often got much weirder. People were into trying to mix really wacky ingredients into their juice regimes, which soon started to more resemble magic potions. Your orange juice back then might have opium and unicorn horn mixed in with it! (At Chef V, we only use vegan ingredients, so no luck on getting any unicorn horns from us).

There are too many historical figures associated with juice cleanses throughout history to name. Even William Shakespeare might have enjoyed a juice cleanse from time to time. Shakespeare’s son-in-law, famous Elizabethan physician John Hall, came up with veggie-filled juice recipes to try to counter diseases such as scurvy.

centrifugal juicer

Modern Juices

While people have been enjoying detox juice cleanses all throughout history, it was always a pretty laborious process. Getting fresh vegetables and fruits wasn’t always easy, nor was getting the most out of them.

Modern juice cleansing can be said to have started with the career of Norman Walker. The inventor of the Norwalk Hydraulic Juice Press, Walker opened some of the first juice bars in California, bringing juice cleanses to San Diego, Long Beach, Los Angeles, and the rest of Southern California.

Norman Walker is somewhat of a controversial figure in juicing, since he was operating right on the forefront of juice cleanses, and might not have always understood why his juices were so good for him and his customers. However, his vegan diet was nothing if not effective, considering he lived to be 99 years of age! You can find his juice machines in kitchens across the world to this day.

The Future of the Detox Juice Cleanse

Thanks to the work of proponents like Walker, juice became increasingly associated with good health in the early decades of the 20th century. Soon there were those looking to take the concept further, with selected limited juice diets. Starting in the 1970s, the term “juice cleanse” started to be used more widely, with various cleanses starting to vie for dominance, such as the Master Cleanse. Post-2000, the world was finally tuned in to the benefits of programs like the 21-day detox.

People also started to be more clued into the weaknesses of established juice cleanses. As time goes on, it becomes more clear which juice cleanses are fads, and which really work. The key to a good juice cleanse is making sure that you stay healthy throughout it. You want to be able to promote weight loss and eliminate toxins without endangering your own health.

At Chef V even our 21 Day Cleanse is totally doable. We mix our nutrient-packed green drinks up with detox soups and smoothies. This leads to a cleanse that will leave you feeling great, all the way through – no unicorn horns required!

Tips For Your 21 Day Cleanse

Chef V

Alright, ladies and gents. This is the big one. The 21 Day Cleanse. You’re a real legend for taking this one on – so we’re going to do our best to help you out as best as we can. A 21 Day Detox might seem like a huge undertaking, but it doesn’t need to be intimidating – especially if you are using the V Cleanse program. No matter if you are doing a juice cleanse in San Diego or juice cleanse in New York, Chef V can make this an obtainable goal.

Why Go for a 21 Day Cleanse?

For some, a 3 or 5-day juice cleanse seems like a hassle all on its own. To maintain a 21-day cleanse seems even crazier. However, it’s important to actually put this in perspective. A 21 day detox doesn’t necessarily mean only having green drink for sustenance for nearly a month.

For example, our 21 Day Cleanses come in a variety of “schedule options”, that let you mix together days of healthy eating with periods of 3 day juice cleanses. This makes it a totally manageable endeavor – especially if you go for the Chef V Cleanse, which provides the protein and fiber you need with detox soups and detox smoothies.

And the benefits of a 21 day cleanse go beyond just losing weight. At three weeks, a 21-day detox is a full reset on your diet. This makes it perfect for resetting your metabolism, helping improve your digestive system, and cutting those sugar cravings. So not only will you lose weight (and get beautiful-looking skin and lips), but you’ll be in a better place going forwards to maintaining healthy eating.

Start Strong

The key to a successful 21 day cleanse is to start it off strong. This is why any 21 day detox you undertake, including the Chef V cleanse, is going to start with a pre-cleanse. Your specific 21 day cleanse will have its own specific pre-cleanse instructions. Generally, during the pre-cleanse, you make some adjustments to your diet – not as extreme as during the 21 day detox itself, but enough to “warm up” to it.

While you might look at a 21 day detox and think that the last stretch will be the hardest, it’s often in the first few days that people start to doubt if they can make it, as their body starts to detox from all that sugar. If you can arrange to have these days fall during a vacation or a long weekend, you can take the time to ride out your detoxing in comfort. Another great tip is to try to plan your detox at the same time as a close friend or family member – that way you can can give each other the encouragement to keep going to achieve success.

Stay Positive, Active, and Safe

After a while, you should get into the swing of your juice cleanse. One of the most common questions about juice cleanses is if you can, and should exercise while partaking in a cleanse (of any length). Generally, you want to aim for some light exercise – don’t go all out during a juice cleanse, but try and stay active.

Perhaps the best possible advice we can give is this – just relax! After a few days of a juice cleanse you’ll start to feel great, so go ahead and enjoy that feeling. Most importantly, if anything does feel weird, make sure that you reach out for guidance. This is one of the things that makes Chef V different – we’ll be in contact and with you every step of your 21 day cleanse journey. Don’t ever hesitate to contact us!

© 2021 Chef V, LLC.