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We Tried It: DL revAMP
What it is: A five-day gourmet organic food and juice cleanse
Who tried it: Loni Venti, Style and Beauty Editor (and chocolate/ice cream / coffee lover)
Loni Venti
Why I did it: Really, I did it for you. If you aren’t already Googling “over-indulgence fixes,” “drop five pounds fast” or “juice cleanse” you will be in a couple hours (and a few more bites of stuffing) so I figured I’d be a doll and take out all the guesswork for you. You’re welcome!
Level of difficulty: During days two and three I almost needed a padlock on my freezer to prevent me from eating all the ice cream in the world (which doesn’t even make sense because there might be, like, a pint in there, but definitely not all the world’s supply). The rest of the time, it was surprisingly easy and sometimes even delicious.
Each day began with a chia seed juice (called the “Fat Flush”) followed by a “Satisfying Breakfast.” The chia cocktail was a mix of cranberry, lemon and about five zillion chia seeds. It was tart and refreshing, but a little tough to get down all of those seeds (I kind of felt like I was drinking a lava lamp). Breakfast might be something like this buckwheat cereal with berries and coconut milk. It tasted kind of like eating regular cereal, but way better! I’m definitely going to raid Whole Foods for these ingredients to recreate this on my own post-cleanse.
Loni Venti
You pretty much eat or drink something every two hours so you never feel hungry. There are lots of midday shots (sorry, not the tequila kind) and juices to keep you going. And the lunches were always light but really good. Here’s one of the salads I had that came with an amazing citrus-y dressing. But you adhere strictly to the meals (and the scheduled mealtimes) to make sure you’re not too tempted by breakroom cookies at that 3 p.m. down hour.
Loni Venti
Full disclosure: I cheated. Twice! Like I mentioned above, days two and three were especially tough for some reason and I dreamed about chocolate-chip anything. So to avoid losing my mind, I had a handful of almonds one day and some Greek yogurt the other. This is pretty counterproductive and not recommended since a key part of the cleanse is eliminating allergens (hello, nuts and milk), but there are worse snacks in the world so I’m not beating myself up over it!
One of the reasons I really loved this plan (well, aside from the fact that they let you eat instead of just chugging juice after juice) is that they create an entire detox experience for you outside of just the meals. It comes with a body brush for you to use in the morning (to help with lymphatic drainage), a soothing nighttime tea and a detox bath soak and candle meant to provide a pre-bed ritual.
The verdict: I loved it and would tell anyone to try it: It’s the perfect way to reset after chowing down on carb-filled everything. Plus, my stomach looked way flatter than usual when I was finished (score!) and my skin has been looking rather glow-y if I do say so myself. The one big caveat: It’s pricey ($125 per day), but the team at DL revAMP is offering an exclusive $75 off the cleanse for you, beautiful readers. Just enter promo code “PEOPLE” when you’re ready to check out at DLrevAMP.com.
Also exciting? I begged their raw food chef Alina to share their ridiculously good Raw Cacao Truffles recipe (I swear, they did not taste healthy). Why not add them to your Thanksgiving weekend dessert menu while you wait for your cleanse to arrive?
Makes 14-15 servings of 1 oz
1 cup organic medjool dates, pitted
1/2 cup organic coconut butter or manna (NOT OIL) by Nutiva
3/4 cup organic coconut nectar
½ vanilla bean
½ tsp high-mineral sea salt
1 cup organic raw cacao powder + 1/8 cup for rolling
Place vanilla bean in food processor (or Vitamix) with 1 cup cacao and blend until the bean is chopped. Add the rest of ingredients except coconut nectar and process until chocolate mass if formed. Slowly add coconut nectar and process to mix well. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes. When cooled, roll a small amount of the mixture into a ball in your hand, then brush with the reserved cacao powder so the truffle is not sticky outside. Enjoy!
Think you’ll give it a go? Are you already planning your Thanksgiving detox? Tell me all about it in the comments. And HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
–Loni Venti
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