In short: Plan 2 to 3 lighter days before your juice cleanse: skip sugar, white flour, alcohol and greasy food, eat lots of veg, soups and raw food, and drink plenty of water or tea. Pick a calm week with no food-heavy plans, cut back on coffee gradually and get your head ready for feeling hungry. Updated: October 2026.
We recommend taking a break with one of our juice cleanses several times a year. You fast on delicious cold-pressed fruit and vegetable juices and give your body important nutrients while you do it. Brand new to this and wondering what a juice cleanse actually is? Then your best bet is our article “What is a juice cleanse?”.
Here we look at whether preparing for a juice cleanse is important and worthwhile, or whether you can skip it and just start. Spoiler: we recommend preparing, because a juice cleanse is an unfamiliar situation for your body - especially if you have never fasted before - and we want to avoid side effects.
Checklist: how to prepare for your juice cleanse
- 2 to 3 days before: Take it easy with light food, lots of veg, soups and salads. Leave out sugar, white flour, alcohol and greasy food.
- Cut down on coffee: Drink less coffee beforehand so you don't get headaches. More on this in Coffee, nicotine and alcohol during a juice cleanse.
- Drink enough: Water and unsweetened herbal teas, ideally already in the days before.
- Choose the right time: A calm week without parties, holidays or business dinners.
- Clear out your gut the day before: Optional, but helpful for longer cleanses (details below).
- Tidy up your fridge: Move sweets and temptations out of reach.
- Pick the right cleanse: The 3-day juice cleanse to get started, the 5-day juice cleanse or the 7-day juice cleanse for more effect. You'll find all our cleanses in the juice cleanse collection.
- Plan for afterwards: Read up in advance on how to break your fast properly, and what to expect from losing weight with a juice cleanse.
A juice cleanse is not suitable during pregnancy and breastfeeding, with eating disorders, or for children. If you have a pre-existing condition, talk to your doctor first.
Why is preparing for a juice cleanse worthwhile?
Your body is used to you eating several times a day and giving it energy in the form of food. Digestion starts in the mouth, carries on through the stomach and into the gut, and breaks your meal down into its smallest nutrients, which are then absorbed or passed out again.
If your usual food stays away and you only drink juices with far less energy, that feels unfamiliar to your body at first and means stress for it. The further your diet is from unprocessed, plant-based food, the harder the switch to juices can be. But don't worry! With good preparation you can enjoy your juice cleanse to the fullest.
Sugar, flavour enhancers and caffeine in particular can be properly addictive. Giving them up is then really hard, the walls start closing in and your mood drops. That's because dependence on certain foods makes you want them right now, no matter what. Wondering whether you really have to give up caffeine? Then the article “Coffee, nicotine and alcohol - taboos during a juice cleanse” is exactly what you need.
We definitely recommend juice cleanse preparation in the form of a few lighter days before the actual cleanse! You're making life unnecessarily hard for yourself if you don't build some preparation into your routine.
Even two lighter days help prepare your body for the coming juice cleanse and see it through successfully. Whether it's a juice cleanse or any other form of fasting: we always recommend preparing for the cleanse or the fast. By the way, you get all the details for free in the fasting guide that we deliver with your cleanse!
Tasty veg can help you prepare properly for your juice cleanse. In our guide you'll find simple recipes to make vegetables really delicious!
The right time for a successful juice cleanse
Noticed you've been eating more junk food lately than you should? Fancy doing something good for your body again? Then go for it and treat yourself to a 5-day juice cleanse after your long cheat phase! It often happens that you feel a bit out of shape after a holiday, because you couldn't stop eating at the all-you-can-eat hotel buffet or treated yourself to pizza out several times a week. Back in everyday life, you now want to give your body a bit of relief, make a mental cut and steer your diet back on track.
If you're physically healthy and have no complaints, a cleanse is possible at any time. You should also rather not do a juice cleanse during pregnancy, as fasting is “good” stress for the body, and that is not recommended with the changing hormones of pregnancy. The baby on the way also needs extra nutrients. You can read more about the situations in which we don't recommend a juice cleanse in our article “When a juice cleanse doesn't make sense”.
If nothing speaks against a cleanse physically or mentally, we advise taking a look at your calendar. On holiday, especially somewhere new, we want to enjoy the local cuisine and not hold back. And if there are birthdays or other celebrations coming up where you wouldn't be allowed to eat anything on offer, we'd advise doing the cleanse at another time. The easiest way is to pick a calm week when nothing big is on, so you can focus completely on your cleanse and yourself.
But keep in mind: there will NEVER be a 100% perfect time for a cleanse! You'll see, the 3, 5 or 7 day juice cleanse is over in no time, and a juice cleanse is so much more than just going without food for a few days. So start now and see for yourself. If you still have questions or doubts, you can check out our FAQ section or reach our lovely customer support by email at info@thefrankjuice.com.
Does preparing for a juice cleanse contribute to success?
Definitely: the right juice cleanse preparation is one of the secrets to success! Alongside it, the quality of the cleanse is a key factor: the juices are ideally cold-pressed, never heated, and cleverly put together from different kinds of fruit and veg. That way they not only taste fresh and delicious, but also deliver plenty of nutrients. Want to know more about the juices in your juice cleanse? Then we recommend the article “Juice fasting - which juices?”
Just as important, though, are the days before the cleanse, the so-called lighter days or preparation days. The exact length of your juice cleanse preparation always depends a bit on your personal lifestyle and the intensity of your juice cleanse.
Hand on heart: do you regularly treat yourself to fast food and sweets? Then you should give your body a little more time to prepare than you would with an overall fairly healthy lifestyle.
From a 3-day juice cleanse upwards, it makes sense to tweak your meals at least 2 days beforehand. You're welcome to put 3 lighter days before your juice cleanse to be even better prepared. On the lighter days, which count as the perfect preparation, you should avoid simple carbohydrates such as sugar and white flour, as well as especially greasy food and alcohol.
Make sure you get plenty of fluids and go for lots of veg, raw food, and salads, soups or generally light dishes. That way you can prepare even better and don't need to worry about not making it through the juice cleanse that follows.
Clearing out your gut before a juice cleanse: is it a must?
Probably the best-known preparation for a juice cleanse is clearing out your gut. Before a traditional fasting cleanse, people use a laxative to empty the gut and reduce potential discomfort during the fast. A cleared-out gut can help the body adapt more easily to the changed eating habits during fasting, and may minimise possible digestive complaints such as bloating or constipation.
It is also argued that an empty gut prepares the body for the cleansing process by clearing waste products from the digestive tract. This may help the body work more smoothly during fasting and amplify the positive effects of fasting.
But it's exactly this clearing out that makes many people uncomfortable, so the juice cleanse often gets pushed far into the future. Yet using Glauber's salt or special teas the day before your juice cleanse doesn't have to be bad at all.
Clearing out the day before the cleanse isn't compulsory, but it makes the cleanse easier to carry out, which is certainly not to be underestimated. Just make sure you're home by the day before your juice cleanse at the latest and have no more plans to leave the house.
Since it's not a must, you can decide for or against it yourself. The longer your cleanse lasts, the more we'd suggest doing it.
Mental preparation for your juice cleanse
A juice cleanse can be a challenge not only for your body but also for your mind. After all, we're used to eating something solid at least 3 times a day! The power of the mind shouldn't be underestimated here, as the wrong mindset can make it especially hard for you.
As part of your preparation, it's best to write your goals down to stay motivated. Why are you doing your juice cleanse? Do you want to ease digestive complaints? Do you want to feel fresher and lighter? Do you want to build new habits and lose a little weight?
The most important point of mental preparation is dealing with hunger and the lack of food itself. So try to get your head ready for the hunger feeling to come, and remove temptations from your surroundings. For example, empty your fridge and make sure sweets and your favourite foods aren't within reach in the first place! It also helps to drink lots of fluids, take things slowly and make sure you really relax. For enough fluids, we're happy to supply you with delicious teas.
That way you feel less hungry and sticking with it gets easier. If, as part of your preparation, you also cheer yourself on a little and remind yourself that it's only a few days, that helps you stay the course too.
Preparing and doing the juice cleanse together
Did you know that doing a juice cleanse as a pair is not only much more fun but also makes the challenge itself much easier?
It's normal to hit a little low during juice fasting and lose motivation. After all, temptation lurks everywhere. That's when it helps to have someone at your side who knows how you feel right now and may be going through the same thing, because in moments like that you can motivate each other to stay strong and keep the goal in sight.
Is there anything nicer than sharing your joy with someone and celebrating successes together? After a juice cleanse, the joy of breaking the fast is big, and as a pair it's even bigger. Together you can pick suitable recipes the day before and prepare them side by side. You can also draw one last joint conclusion about the experience and perhaps already consider the next juice cleanse.
What matters is that you reward yourselves for your success, with a film marathon or a tasty dinner ordered from your favourite Italian (after a careful build-up phase, of course). Especially if it's your first time doing a juice cleanse and you don't quite dare yet, it can help to have your friend support you. Set shared goals and reward yourselves for your success. Your bodies will thank you, and you'll see that this experience brings you closer together too!
The juice cleanses from frank. are tailored to all your needs. Choose a 3-day juice cleanse, or go for the 5-day juice cleanse.
You can also extend our cleanses with BIOGENA supplements into a gut cleanse, beauty cleanse or energy cleanse.
Conclusion: juice cleanse preparation helps you stay the course!
One thing is certain: with the right physical and mental preparation, you make your juice cleanse much easier. The chances that you'll get through the juice cleanse without cravings, relaxed and in a good mood are really high with the right preparation.
So don't skip the lighter days before the cleanse, which help you and your body experience the switch in a relaxed way.
After all, there's no reason to make life harder than it needs to be, so use 2 or happily 3 lighter days with light meals, lots of fluids and no sugar or alcohol at all as preparation. That way, success and sticking with it are almost guaranteed!
Frequently asked questions about juice cleanse preparation
How long should you prepare for a juice cleanse?
We recommend 2 to 3 lighter days before the cleanse, a bit longer if your diet is unhealthy.
What can you eat before a juice cleanse?
Light food: veg, salads, soups, raw food, fruit and wholegrain in small amounts. Skip sugar, white flour, alcohol and greasy food.
Do you have to clear out your gut before a juice cleanse?
No, it's not a must. It can make getting started easier, especially for longer cleanses. If you do, do it the day before the cleanse and stay at home.
Can you drink coffee before a juice cleanse?
Yes, but cut it down gradually beforehand so you don't get withdrawal headaches during the cleanse.
When is the best time for a juice cleanse?
When you're healthy and have a calm week without parties, holidays or business dinners.
