A Health Hit with The Core Cheltenham

A couple of weeks ago I was suffering with a hangover from hell. It may or may not have involved me being sick at work *hangs head in shame*. Stuffing myself with biscuits to give me that much needed sugar, it sure was a low moment.

That night, after I shuffled my way into bed at a stupidly early hour, I scrolled through Facebook and spotted an offer for a High Veg Juice Programme courtesy of The Core in Charlton Kings.

My eating with good intentions went awry after my Birthday; naughty habits of having a piece of cake here and there, and drinking midweek wines seemed to become a regular occurrence. A juice programme, therefore, sounded like the perfect opportunity to put me back on the straight and narrow... Probably and irrational hungover decision, but with £30 off, it was worth a try.

I've done a couple of one day juice cleanses before (with Cheltenham's Kin Juicery - also great), and I'm used to making smoothies for breakfast every morning using my Nutribullet, though a five day juice-fest felt like throwing myself into the deep end. Still, I'd visited The Core a number of times, and I absolutely love their menu, so I was sure that I could trust them to get me through my working week.

The High Veg plan follows the same recipes as the main Core Juice Programme, but is technically a bit healthier due to the drinks being split into 70% veg and 30% fruit. At 8am on Monday morning I went to collect my first day's goods, consisting of two 500ml juices and two 500ml smoothies, with a raw snack to eat at some point throughout the day. Being a bit of a control freak with regards to food/where I eat out/looking up menus/etc, the element of surprise made this whole thing more exciting.

I can't quite remember what drinks I had on which day, but the varieties were as follows:

• Refresher (J) carrot, apple, mint 
• Roots (J) beetroot, parsnip, carrot, apple, lime
• Cleanser (J) carrot, apple, lime, pineapple, mint 
• Vitality (J) parsnip, mint, spinach, pear, apple 
• Energy Boost (J) cucumber, celery, kale, lime, apple 
• Mineral Magic (J) carrot, ginger, parsnip, pineapple, apple, lime 
• Total Tonic (J) cucumber, celery, apple, ginger, lemon
• Blood Booster (S) beetroot, carrot, apple, lime, avocado 
• Super Greens (S) apple, ginger, lemon, kiwi, cucumber, spinach, avocado 
• Calcium Kick (S) spinach, cucumber, pear, apple, celery, lime, ginger, avocado 
• Carotene (S) carrot, pineapple, celery, lemon, avocado

Monday: Drank the first smoothie (my fave - Blood Booster) at the suggested time of 10am, it's probably more than I'd usually have with my Nutribullet, so I wasn't desperate for the next one at lunchtime (1pm). I sipped it throughout my lunch hour, and as a result, I really wasn't feeling another juice at 3pm. Instead, I ate half of my snack - the tastiest raw flapjack known to man (I'd even swap it for a regular one!) - and drank my third juice en route home between 5-6pm. I had the last one at 8pm, then snuggled on the sofa with a herbal tea and the other half of my flapjack, making sure I didn't miss a crumb! I went to bed feeling incredibly full and pleased that the first day was a breeze. 

Tuesday: I'm pretty sure I had the best night's sleep I've had in ages, and I felt full of energy despite not having any caffeine in me. I followed the same routine as the day before - 9/10am, 1pm, 5pm, 8pm - leaving my snack to have as 'dinner' whilst The Chap ate his evening meal. My Tuesday snack was a Nutty Bowl; muesli, cashews, vanilla, cinnamon, almonds, banana, pineapple, with a topping of pecan halves, maca powder and coconut blossom nectar.

Wednesday: Another really good night's sleep, presumably from the detox, and the day whizzed by. The snack of the day was a kale salad, which gave me that much needed texture I was craving. As soon as it hit 9pm I was falling asleep in front of the TV, so I headed to bed for an early night.

Thursday: I woke up super hungry, and was desperate to crack into my first juice - there was no way I was holding out until 10am. I was in serious need of more salty foods, and the savoury gods must have heard me; Thursday's snack was a pot of quinoa salad. Me and my mum have had this at The Core before, and we flippin' love it! Can't quite pinpoint the flavours in though; perhaps soy/tamari? It felt like I had quite a lot to eat, so I didn't finish my juice until late, which resulted in me not being able to sleep straight away (I got some reading in, so I wasn't bothered).

Friday: I MADE IT. I was a little sad going to collect my bag of goodies, knowing that it was the last day; the guys in the cafe are so friendly and supportive. I was still full from yesterday, so drank my juice between 10 and 11am, then 1pm, 5pm, and 8pm. My final snack was a Protein Bowl combining muesli, blueberries, banana, almonds, oat milk, apple and hemp seeds, topped with flaxseed, pecans, mixed nuts and coconut nectar. It was sweet (leaving it sitting all day in the fridge probably didn't help - bananas don't fare too well), but had enough texture and nuttiness to balance it out. A herbal tea, and a feeling of achievement, and I went to bed whilst the rest of Cheltenham seemed to be out partying.

The next morning I anticipated being excited for a breakfast of peanut butter and banana on toast (my go-to weekend treat), but surprisingly I fancied a smoothie.. You'd have thought I'd be sick of liquids! 

The 5 day High Veg Juice Programme was much easier than I imagined - probably down to the fact everything was so bloody tasty - and the support that Jay Halford and the rest of The Core team offer gives you that extra boost if and when you need it. You can still eat extra snacks if you want (bananas, nuts, carrot sticks and hummus) whilst on the programme, but I didn't think it was necessary; herbal teas kept me sane! 

At the end of the five days I felt great (and still do); I have much more energy, I don't feel the need to have a cup of coffee every day, and I even managed to lose a couple of pounds too! It honestly felt like luxury being given my treats each day, and now, feeling smug and slightly more streamlined, I'd say I'd definitely do it again... 

Interested? Visit The Core website for more info, and give it a go!