I do enjoy a good cleanse now and again. It can be as simple as juicing in the morning, or eating only fruits and vegetables for a few days. Although there’s not much scientific proof to support cleanses, it doesn’t take any for me to know that something’s doing my body good when I feel more energized, when my skin looks clearer, my stomach is flatter, and my cravings have diminished. Contrary to popular belief, the hardest thing about detoxing isn’t going hungry. It’s meal planning. Try making three squares a day that don’t include sugar, dairy, wheat, or meat and see what happens. Enter: Cooler Cleanse. Created by Eric Helms, Salma Hayek’s personal juiceman, this made-to-order living-food liquid detox is now available nationwide in three- or five-day plans. I tried it for one day last week, and it was BRILLIANT.

On the first morning, Fedex delivered the goods. Cold-pressed and packed on ice in a cooler, natch. Each bottle is labeled 1-6. You drink one every two hours, in the assigned order. I loved lining up my nifty-looking rations in the fridge, like the greedy little eater that I am. The first drink, a blend of hard-core green vegetables like kale and dandelion greens, was a bitter pill to swallow. But it’s also drink #3, so I learned to live with it. The other flavors are absolutely delicious and unexpectedly exotic—grapefruit with mint, young coconut water, almond milk with dates. Six “meals” throughout the day actually felt generous to me. Just when I started feeling hungry, it was time for another drink. My steady energy made me wonder if maybe I’d be better off consuming smaller meals more frequently, instead of crashing everyday at 10 and 4 o’clock. At no point did I feel weak or headachy or hungry like I have with DIY detoxes (you’re dead to me, Master Cleanse!). In fact, I had enough in me for a gentle workout, which is recommended to things, um, flowing.

The next day I felt physically lighter and well-rested, even on 6 hours of sleep. One day isn’t long enough to reap the full benefits of this cleanse, but it was all I needed to know that I want more!

Filed Under: cooler cleanse, detox, eric helms, lemonade diet, master cleanse, salma hayek