Drinks 2022 | Cover Story

Clean and Clear

Juice cleansing for the new year.

written by Christina Nellemann

After the New Year’s Eve Champagne has flowed and the cocktails are consumed, the inevitable is bound to happen: the New Year’s Day hangover. If the plan is to party hard through the night then the same plan should include a way to remedy the ramifications.

“If you take the poison, take the antidote,” says Dr. Michael Gerber, practitioner of homeopathic medicine at Gerber Medical Clinic in Reno.

Juicing for Health
The antidote for overconsumption doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, natural and simple are better to counteract the harmful effects of over-imbibing.

“In and of itself, alcohol is an antioxidant, but the breakdown product is a very strong free-radical damager,” Gerber says. “Alcohol is broken down into acetaldehyde, which is like formaldehyde, which is essentially an embalming fluid. That’s what does damage to the liver, the brain, and the arteries.”

Gerber recommends several remedies, including a dose of liposomal glutathione, such as Tri-Fortify Orange, and lots of water. He also is an advocate of juice cleanses and says that a mixture of maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and lemon in water will help with cleaning out toxins.

“A juice of beets, turmeric, celery, and cucumber is calming and rejuvenating, and doses of celery juice will help with inflammation,” Gerber says.

Juicing Whizz
Juice cleanses aren’t just for the day after, but they also can assist with regular daily health as well. Wilson Wood, marketing manager for Great Full Gardens in Reno-Sparks, says his life was changed after experiencing a five-day juice cleanse. Wood owned a juice company in Arkansas and now runs the organic cold-pressed juice program for Great Full Gardens’ locations.

Wilson Wood, marketing manager for Great Full Gardens in Reno-Sparks, runs the organic cold-pressed juice program for the restaurant's locations. Photo by Wade Snider — Wilson Wood, marketing manager for Great Full Gardens in Reno-Sparks, runs the organic cold-pressed juice program for the restaurant’s locations. Photo by Wade Snider

“People get overburdened with toxins, and juicing gives your digestive system a break,” Wood says. “About 30 to 40 percent of your energy is used for digestion, and juicing transfers that energy toward healing your body.”

Wood provides juice cleanse programs, protocol sheets, and consultations for one-day, three-day, or five-day cleanses as well as advice for what to eat on the days before and after a cleanse.

“You don’t want to eat a cheeseburger and fries a day before you go on a cleanse because your body is still digesting that food,” he says.

From left, Gino Scala, Great Full Gardens co-owner, and Wilson Wood, Great Full Gardens marketing manager, load produce into the juicer

Wood also will direct cleanses toward beginners as well as people who already may be familiar with juicing. Each of Great Full Gardens’ juices contains about three pounds of vegetables. A beginner cleanse will include more fruits, and the more advanced cleanses will include more greens.

According to Wood, a juice cleanse also will decrease a body’s exposure to toxins by giving it a break from processed and nutrient-depleted foods as well as sugar and caffeine.

“If you are not used to going on a cleanse, you may get hungry,” Wood adds. “We are so used to eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but once you get past day one or two, the juices have enough vitamins and nutrients to fill you up.”

Cold-pressed juices are located at all Great Full Gardens locations, and Wood is seeing a trend of customers wanting to cleanse when they are feeling sick or stressed. The most popular combination at Great Full Gardens is the You Glow Girl juice, which contains pineapple, apple, lemon, and ginger.

While getting as many vegetables as possible into a juice is important, flavor comes in at a close second and will help with what Wood believes is the most essential aspect of a cleanse: completing the entire process.

“If someone is just getting started on a cleanse,” he says, “I would suggest doing whatever benefits them the most and that’s going to allow them to succeed in finishing a cleanse.”

Christina Nellemann has remedied a rough day once or twice with the Great Full Gardens Cuke Skywalker cold-pressed juice.

Print Recipe

HANGOVER SMOOTHIE

Get clean for the new year with a juice cleanse. Photo by Candice Vivien

Lambert recommends this smoothie specifically for a hangover as it adds electrolytes, antioxidants, potassium, fiber, and hydration back into the body. She also recommends it as a good detox smoothie for every morning.

Servings: serving

Author: Dillon Lambert, owner of Thrive Integrative Health & Hydration in Reno

Ingredients

1 cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon chia seeds or dried oats you also can use half an apple, chopped
1 banana
½ cup frozen spinach or kale
½ cup frozen blueberries
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 cup coconut water

Instructions

Combine ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. You also could add a few ice cubes, cinnamon, and honey as desired, or add a small knob of fresh, minced ginger for natural anti-nausea relief.

Print Recipe

GREAT FULL GARDENS ANTI-INFLAMMATORY JUICE