What to Eat After a Juice Cleanse: A 3-Day Plan

After a few days of cold-pressed juice, your appetite is usually smaller and your digestion is used to lighter fare. Jumping straight into a takeaway or a big Sunday roast is the most common reason people feel heavy and bloated afterwards. It is also the easiest time to keep the habits you have built. Here is a simple, UK-kitchen-friendly plan to get you there.

How long should you take to ease back in?

A good rule of thumb is about half the length of your cleanse, with a minimum of one day:

• 1-day cleanse: follow Day 1 below, then return to your normal meals.
• 3-day cleanse: follow the full three-day plan.
• 5 days or longer: follow the plan, spending an extra day on Day 1 or Day 2 if you would like to go slower.

Coming off our 3 day juice cleanse? Follow the full three-day plan below.

Portion guide: use your hand

For the first couple of days, aim for roughly half to two-thirds of your usual portion. Eat slowly, put your fork down between mouthfuls and stop when you feel comfortably satisfied, not full.

• Protein (eggs, fish, tofu, lentils): about the size of your palm
• Carbs (oats, rice, potatoes, bread): a cupped hand on Days 1–2, up to a fist by Day 3
• Vegetables: two handfuls, cooked rather than raw at first
• Fats (olive oil, nut butter, avocado): about the size of your thumb

Day 1: warm, soft and simple

• On waking: a glass of water or a mug of ginger or peppermint tea.
• Breakfast: a small bowl of porridge made with water or your milk of choice, topped with stewed apple or half a ripe banana.
• Lunch: a bowl of blended vegetable soup, such as carrot and ginger, butternut squash or pea and mint.
• Snack: a ripe pear or two oatcakes.
• Dinner: another bowl of soup, or one to two soft-scrambled eggs with wilted spinach.

Warm, cooked food is easy to chew, and the fibre comes from oats and soft veg rather than raw salad. If you would rather not cook today, a day from one of our soup cleanses is an easy way to bridge the gap between juice and solid food.

Day 2: add texture and protein

• Breakfast: one or two poached or boiled eggs on a slice of wholegrain toast with grilled tomatoes, or porridge with berries and a spoonful of natural yoghurt.
• Lunch: lentil and vegetable soup, or a small red lentil dal with a few spoonfuls of rice.
• Snack: natural yoghurt with berries, or hummus with carrot and cucumber sticks.
• Dinner: a palm-sized piece of baked salmon, cod or tofu with steamed courgette, carrots and a few new potatoes.

Day 3: back to balanced plates

• Breakfast: porridge or overnight oats with nuts and seeds, or eggs with a little avocado on toast.
• Lunch: a grain bowl of brown rice or quinoa, chickpeas, roasted veg and leaves, dressed with olive oil and lemon.
• Snack: a small handful of nuts and a piece of fruit.
• Dinner: a chicken, fish or tofu stir-fry with plenty of veg and rice, or a bean and vegetable chilli.

From Day 4, return to your normal routine, keeping half your plate as vegetables where you can.

What to go easy on (and why)

• Big portions: your appetite will likely be smaller than usual, and one large meal is the quickest route to feeling uncomfortable.
• Fried, greasy and very rich food: high-fat meals take longer to digest and are the most likely to leave you feeling heavy and sluggish.
• Ultra-processed food: crisps, biscuits, pastries, ready meals and fizzy drinks are easy to overeat, low in fibre and tend to undo the habits you have just built.
• Lots of raw, high-fibre food at once: large raw salads, bran cereals or big bowls of beans on Day 1 can cause wind and bloating. Build up over the three days instead.

Bringing back coffee and alcohol

Coffee and tea: if you cut down during your cleanse, bring caffeine back from Day 2 with one cup, after breakfast rather than on an empty stomach. Build back up over a few days. (We cover caffeine during a cleanse in should you ditch coffee on a juice cleanse?)

Alcohol: wait until at least Day 3, and start with one drink alongside a proper meal. After lighter eating it can affect you more than usual. The UK Chief Medical Officers advise drinking no more than 14 units a week on a regular basis, spread over three or more days.

Keep hydrated

Once you are back on food it is easy to drink less without noticing. The NHS suggests six to eight glasses of fluid a day. Water, herbal teas and lower-fat milk all count, and so does a cold-pressed juice. Pale straw-coloured urine is a good sign you are drinking enough.

Your printable checklist

• ☐ Day 1: warm, soft food in half to two-thirds portions
• ☐ Eat slowly and stop when comfortably satisfied
• ☐ Six to eight glasses of fluid every day
• ☐ Day 2: add eggs, lentils, fish or tofu
• ☐ Day 3: whole grains and balanced plates
• ☐ Coffee: one cup, after food, from Day 2
• ☐ Alcohol: not before Day 3, one drink with a meal
• ☐ Skip fried, greasy and ultra-processed food for now
• ☐ Keep one veg-rich habit going: a daily juice, a soup or an extra portion of veg

A note before you start

If you have a medical condition, are pregnant or breastfeeding, take regular medication or have a history of disordered eating, speak to your GP before a cleanse and for advice on eating afterwards. If discomfort carries on beyond a few days, check in with your GP or pharmacist.

Planning your next cleanse?

Every Presscription juice is cold-pressed, made fresh to order daily and bottled in glass, and our cleanses are designed by nutritionist Grace Kingswell. Browse our juice cleanses, and read how to prepare for a juice cleanse so the days before are as easy as the days after.

FAQs

How soon can I eat normally after a juice cleanse?

Most people are back to normal meals within two to three days: roughly half the length of your cleanse, with a minimum of one day.

What should my first meal be after a juice cleanse?

Something warm, soft and small, such as a bowl of blended vegetable soup, a small bowl of porridge with stewed fruit, or soft-scrambled eggs with spinach.

When can I drink coffee again after a juice cleanse?

From Day 2, start with one cup after breakfast rather than on an empty stomach, then build back up gradually over a few days.

When can I drink alcohol after a juice cleanse?

Wait until at least Day 3 and start with one drink alongside a meal. Stay within the UK guideline of no more than 14 units a week, spread over three or more days.

Why do I feel bloated after a juice cleanse?

The usual causes are eating too much too quickly, or having a lot of raw, high-fibre or rich food at once. Stick to smaller portions of cooked food and eat slowly. If it carries on for more than a few days, speak to your GP or pharmacist.