I felt the strongest urge to do a detox the last few weeks, and Vegan Cuts had discount offer for Kaeng Raeng products, so I jumped on it. I have fasted before, but I wouldn’t say I’ve done a cleanse, so I appreciate the idea of a pre-made mix that has all the nutrition packed into it for me. Plus? Vegan, non-GMO soy, recycled packaging, local ingredients, etc. This is not meant to be a fast. You are encouraged to drink the three servings per day in any order or combination, and then supplement your drinks with a raw, vegan diet (per the box). I recall the web site saying raw fruits and vegetables, which is different from everything a raw, vegan diet can be, so I am sticking with just raw fruits and vegetables if I feel the need to crunch on something.

You are supposed to use 24-32oz of water/liquid with each pack, but the cup that came with my inversion blender only holds about 25-26oz, so I will fill it to 20oz, blend, then top it off with ice to get to 24oz. They tell you repeatedly to drink lots of water during the detox, and you do need to. I find myself very thirsty by the early morning hours when waking up.

Day 1
7am: Glai Roong “Daybreak” (mango, peach, pineapple) with 1 small banana and 20oz water. This combination was delicious. The banana gave it a lovely consistency somewhere between a watery smoothie and full-on smoothie.
11am: Reunn “Joyful” (strawberry, raspberry, pineapple) with 1/2 cup OG blueberries and 20oz water. The flavor was okay. I definitely missed the creaminess the banana added.
6pm: Juu Juu “Into the Blue” (blueberry, blackberry, banana) with 1 small banana and 20oz water. It was the end of the first day, so I was craving anything other than my beverage, but it was good.

Throughout the day I probably drank only another liter of water. I should probably drink closer to 2-3 liters. I snacked on some OG baby carrots in the evening.

Day 2
7am: Reunn “Joyful” (strawberry, raspberry, pineapple) with 1 small banana and 20oz water. Nothing wrong with this combination.
11am: Glai Roong “Daybreak” (mango, peach, pineapple) with 1/2 cup OG blueberries and 20oz water. This combination was okay. Adding a water-dense fruit is probably not the best option.
6pm: Juu Juu “Into the Blue” (blueberry, blackberry, banana) with 6oz unsweetened almond milk and 20oz water. The almond milk was not a good addition. I will stick to water from now on. I had to really work to finish this one.

I was down 1-lb the morning of Day 2. Losing weight is not my main goal, but to feel better. I do believe I have become much more in tune with my body’s signals since becoming vegan. That doesn’t mean I always listen, but I do hear them now. I don’t recall if I was able to get in closer to 2 liters of water this day. I had some OG mixed greens with one half of a (soon to go bad) OG avocado, 1 cup OG broccoli, and a handful of baby carrots at dinner time.

Day 3
7am: Juu Juu “Into the Blue” (blueberry, blackberry, banana) with 1 small banana and 20oz water. Good combination.
12pm: Glai Roong “Daybreak” (mango, peach, pineapple) with 1 small banana and 20oz of water plus lots of ice. Just what I needed after a quick trip to the gym on this hot day.
5pm: Reunn “Joyful” (strawberry, raspberry, pineapple) with 1 small banana and 20oz of water. Snacked on some baby carrots and 0.05lb of raw pine nuts at home.

I was down 2-lbs the morning of Day 3. I feel really good. No strong cravings. The funny thing is if you read up on detox symptoms, in theory, I should be feeling like crap as toxins are being released, but for the most part I feel fine. I am curious to see how that changes over the next 24-hours since I am only two days in, going into my third. I definitely drank a ton more water Day 3. Sadly, the expansion party at the co-op is tonight as well as an invite out to the Blind Pig, but my willpower is strong so I will abstain from the alcohol and just snack on any raw fruits and vegetables, if available. (No problems at the Blind Pig and had a few bites of fresh fruit at the co-op party.)

Day 4
9am: Reunn “Joyful” (strawberry, raspberry, pineapple) with 1 small banana and 20oz of water.
3pm: Glai Roong “Daybreak” (mango, peach, pineapple) with 6-8 slices of frozen peach and 20oz of water.
6pm: Juu Juu “Into the Blue” (blueberry, blackberry, banana) with 1 small banana and 20oz of water.

No weight loss on the scale the morning of Day 4, but that’s okay. I am still feeling really good. I went to the gym yesterday for a quick 20 minute bike ride over lunch and some weights and yoga stretching. It was a long day yesterday with lots of events to go to after work, so I am not at all surprised at the lack of loss. Hence the late start to my day as well. It was 80F and muggy by 8am, and 99F with the heat index by noon. I should have gotten up at 6am for a jog. Finished the OG greens and OG broccoli with 1/4 OG avocado in between morning and lunch smoothies before they went bad. Definitely had lots of water today. Snacked on a few baby carrots.

Day 5
9am: Juu Juu “Into the Blue” (blueberry, blackberry, banana) with 1 small banana and 20oz of water.
1pm: Reunn “Joyful” (strawberry, raspberry, pineapple) with 1 small banana and 20oz of water.
6pm: Glai Roong “Daybreak” (mango, peach, pineapple) with 1 medium banana and 20oz of water.

Down 2-lbs this morning. Late last night I noticed the inside of my right bicep felt bumpy along with my forearm, but more so on my bicep, and not perceivable on my left arm. It reminded me of the allergic reactions I have had in the past to mango, but I didn’t notice it until 9pm or so, and I had the mango smoothie in the late afternoon. It’s possible it was that smoothie. The frozen peaches were not OG. Each smoothie is made with real fruit, so in theory every batch can be different, so even though I’ve had better luck with OG mango, there is no guarantee it wasn’t the mango that set off the reaction. I am doubtful since the first three days were fine, but I will keep an eye out for another reaction. The bumps are mostly gone and never got as red or hot as they have in the past. I did take an antihistamine. Snacked on some baby carrots around noon and the other 0.05-lb pine nuts (They are expensive!), some more OG baby carrots, and another 1/4 of the OG avocado in the evening. Other than the random apparent allergic reaction, I still feel great. I can’t say I’ve felt poorly at all with the exception of the cravings the first day or so.

Day 6
7am: Reunn “Joyful” (strawberry, raspberry, pineapple) with 1 medium banana and 20oz of water.

No weight loss the morning of Day 6, in fact, I gained 1-lb. I attribute this to the pine nuts and avocado. (Plus, even though I felt like I drank a ton of water, perhaps I didn’t get as much as I thought.) I am still having an allergic reaction to something, and the similarities to my reactions to non-OG mango make me believe it is the mango in the smoothies. Perhaps it just took 4-5 days to take effect since mango is one ingredient among many? I think I am going to save the last two smoothies for a day when I feel the need to replace a meal. Starting at lunch today I will return to eating something other than the detox drinks.

Overall, this was a pleasant and easy detox/cleanse. Not bad for my first experience. The funny part of supplementing the drink was how it felt like effort to get through a small salad. While my brain is sending excited signals at the thought of eating something solid, cooked, or made from a grain, I don’t feel like I have been deprived, and I do feel healthier. I would recommend Kaeng Raeng to those wanting to reboot their digestive system. They have a quiz to help you find the best product for you (3-day, 6-day, beginner, veteran or master). I think I started reaping the benefits around the end of Day 3, so it was important that I go the six days. I think this is due to the fact that I have been vegan for three years and therefore was already used to a pretty high fiber, raw-leaning lifestyle.

I think lunch is going to be overnight oats with OG blueberries. Yum. Exciting.

Kaeng Raeng was featured in the “nutrition” section of First

Read the section here!

The smoothies were tasty and filling, and I didn’t feel like I was missing out at mealtimes. The only physical discomfort was a mild headache on the second day, but I expected this, because I was also trying to detox from my normal 2 cup of coffee a day routine. By the third day, I had so much energy and felt great. The energy and general feeling of good health lingered for weeks afterward.

My fiance told me that my body looked the best it ever had! It definitely jump started weight loss (about 10 lbs so far, but going to do the 6-day cleanse next), and gave me lots of energy for maintaining with yoga. I’ve been recommending to friends who are interested in detoxing after winter bad habits, and one has already tried. He was so appreciative and happy with his results as well!” -K.E., New York, NY

A FRUIT-and-vegetable-based cleansing product Marie Lebair O’Brient uses about every three months makes her feel like she’s getting her eating habits back on track.

After following the vegan, gluten-free Kaeng Raeng cleanse program for three days, her taste for salty foods diminishes. She feels more “regular” and is motivated to eat more healthfully. The regimen replaces all meals with a shake and all snacks with raw fruits and vegetables. It’s worth the $60 investment each time, she says, to detox and lose a little bit of weight.

“It’s a regimen of a few days where I am eating things that are really good for me,” the Moraga resident says. “I am amazed at how good I feel afterward.”

In the past couple of years, cleanse programs — everything from the do-it-yourself lemon juice and maple syrup Master Cleanse to designer cleanses such as Kaeng Raeng developed by a Stanford grad — have become the rage for people who want to lose weight, eliminate toxins from their bodies and gain some oft-needed eating discipline. Hollywood elites such as Beyoncé Knowles and Ryan Seacrest say they’ve lost weight using them, and Gwyneth Paltrow says a 21-day regimen she regularly follows helps give her “mental clarity.”

Depending on the program — and there are hundreds if not thousands on the market — anecdotal reviews are generally shining. But health professionals warn that people are wasting their money on cleanses and, at worst, they are risking their health.

Unlike some cleanses that promise dramatic weight loss in mere days with the help of starvation fasts or added stimulants, there’s nothing sneaky or nefarious about Lindsay Reinsmith’s Kaeng Raeng cleanse or the CAN CAN Cleanse developed by San Francisco’s Teresa Piro.

Reinsmith’s Kaeng Raeng follows the principles of a raw vegan diet. A cleanser uses her powders — which contain more than a full serving of fruit and fiber, lean protein, probiotic cultures, amino acids and vitamins — in shakes, and supplements those shakes with raw fruits and vegetables for three to six days. And that’s it. No coffee, no alcohol, no cupcakes or french fries. A healthy dose of water is also prescribed.

“What Kaeng Raeng does is help people get on the right track for long-term health,” Reinsmith says. “It gives people the chance to experience plant-based living. When you’re going on a detox, when you’re abstaining from meat, you get a glimpse of how your body feels in that lifestyle.”

Reinsmith says most people turn to Kaeng Raeng when they’ve “jumped off the wagon,” meaning they’ve found themselves consuming too much fast food, too much salt or sugar and not enough fruits and vegetables.

Piro says her $175 CAN CAN Cleanse — a three-day liquid cleanse program that includes organic fresh fruit and vegetable juices, soups and teas — is a tool to reset the mind and body.

Prompting change

“People tend to make some realistic and healthy changes to improve their diets after the cleanse,” she says.

And although Piro says the cleanse is not a weight-loss solution, “this is a great way to jump-start (a weight loss program).”

People report their cleanses have made them feel lighter. Users notice changes in their hair and skin. Sugar and salt cravings subside, and energy levels increase.

Providers of cleansing products, including Kaeng Raeng and CAN CAN Cleanse, say the process eliminates toxins from the body. And some cleansing proponents can be pretty convincing.

“We’re starting to understand the impact that toxins are having on our bodies and their contribution to almost every type of illness that we’re seeing, especially obesity and diabetes and cancers and neurological diseases,” says Cory Reddish, a Mill Valley-based licensed naturopathic physician who offers a two-week personalized cleanse for $395. “When I say toxins, we’re talking not only about chemicals, pesticides and PCBs but also things we are eating.”

Toxins abound

Add the chemicals found in the air and water with chemicals used in home cleaning products, for example, and additives and preservatives in our food, Reddish says, and you’ll find your body is full of toxins. Cleanses, she says, help remove some of those toxins. The people who participate in her Essential Cleanse, which includes classes, herbal supplements and a detox diet, lose weight and feel much better, she says.

“People start thinking more clearly, their energy is better, their mood is better after a cleanse,” she says. “It’s a result of decreasing the total toxic load in the body.”

But is it necessary?

Thomas Hargrave, a doctor with Alta Bates Summit Medical Center who specializes in the gastrointestinal tract, is clear about claims of toxin elimination by cleanse proponents.

“It’s ridiculous voodoo. All the people who are pushing this stuff have no medical training, and they are basing their claims in these phony ads where they show toxic stuff building up in colons,” he says. “There are no toxins in colons. There is no health benefit and no cleansing benefit.”

Although she says that eating a diet with lots of fruits and vegetables is great for you, Keri Gans, registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, agrees that cleanses cannot deliver on all the promises their proprietors make.

“Anything will feel better after a couple days of not eating pure junk,” she says. “And I claim that people who feel better do so because of what they’re not eating, and they are not eating food very high in fats and very high in sugar.”

Toxins, she says, are naturally eliminated by bodily functions.

“Our bodies are normally cleansing every day. That’s why we have livers. I encourage people who feel like they need to clean out their system to eat fiber. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables and whole grains every day,” says Gans, author of “The Small Change Diet” (Gallery, $15).

As for permanent weight loss, Gans has doubts.

Do it yourself

“Quick weight loss usually means you haven’t changed any of your behaviors,” she says. “You will gain all that weight back and then some because you haven’t learned anything from your actions.”

Save your money and make your own fresh fruit juices and smoothies says Joan Frank, director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics at San Francisco State University.

She warns that cleanses should not be used by children or diabetics, and even healthy people should contact their doctors before they use them.

Frank adds it’s best to avoid toxins rather than relying on a cleanse to flush them out. Buy meat with no antibiotics or hormones added. Use the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program (www.montereybayaquarium.org) to find out which types of seafood have high levels of mercury and other toxins. Eat organic fruits and veggies or visit the Environmental Working Group (www.foodnews.org) to find out which produce has the most and least amount of pesticides used in production.

“The other thing to avoid is processed foods,” Frank says. “There are so many benefits to just eating whole foods, fruits and vegetables, lean meats and poultry. It’s nothing dramatic, but it really works.”

All last month, you’ve been reminded to celebrate Earth Day by going green and buying eco-friendly. With all this sustainable spring cleaning, make sure to clean your body as well.

Get started with Kaeng Raeng.

Kaeng Raeng is an all natural vegan, gluten free meal replacement detox program. We love Alicia and The Kind Life because they promote being better to your body, to animals, and to the planet. We couldn’t agree more!

With Kaeng Raeng, you get to:

Be good to your body. Kaeng Raeng gently and safely helps to remove toxins, bolster immunity, jumpstart weight loss, cut cravings, and improve digestive health without depriving you. It’s a filling, nutritional, and delicious fruit smoothie – just drink 3 shakes per day for 3 – 6 days. You can eat as many raw fruits and veggies as you want! Each pouch is packed with a full serving of fruit and fiber, 15g non-gmo protein, 2 billion live cultures, amino acids, and daily vitamins.

Be good to animals. Whether you’re a lifelong vegan, a vegetarian, or just veggie curious, Kaeng Raeng’s vegan detox will help you transition to a healthier, kinder diet. Our company was founded by vegans looking to spread the health and happiness that comes with a plant-based diet. We give a portion of every sale to the Humane Society, so when you buy Kaeng Raeng, you’re directly supporting America’s largest animal protection organization.

Be good to the planet. We’re proud to have a sustainable product. We buy only local California ingredients (including our fruit directly from East Bay farmers), use low-impact packaging, and encourage reusable bottles. Losing weight and rejuvenating your body doesn’t have to be costly or harmful to the environment. When you make the choice to jumpstart better eating, you’re choosing better living.

Win a 3-Day Beginner Detox Program!

We love Alicia so much we’re giving away one free 3-day Beginner detox program to one lucky Kind Lifer! To enter to win, just comment below and tell us why you want to try a vegan detox.

Can’t wait? Visit us online and use code KINDLIFE15 for 15% off (exp 5/16, 11:59 PT). Kaeng Raeng comes in 3 day or 6 day and in Beginner, Veteran, and Master levels. Get started for just $16/day!

Kaeng Raeng

Background: Kaeng Raeng (which means “be healthy, be strong” in Thai) started in the kitchen of Stanford graduate Lindsay Reinsmith who was experimenting with creating her own detox. This vegan cleanse donates a portion of its proceeds to the Humane Society.

Detox DL: This liquid- and raw-food regimen provides three drink mixes a day (blueberry blackberry banana, strawberry raspberry pineapple, and mango peach pineapple) and lets you eat as many fruits and veggies as your stomach desires. The mixture is dairy-, gluten-, and caffeine-free—although you can mix the powders with milk, juice, yogurt, or water—and is loaded with probiotics, fiber, protein, and freeze-dried fruit. Kaeng Raeng offers three different levels of cleanses (beginner, veteran, or master) that you can follow for 3 or 6 days. (Related: Is gluten making you fat?)

Calories: 600 to 700 calories per day, plus calories from fruits and vegetables

Price: Starting at $14 per day, plus produce

Pros: It’s cheaper than other juice-based detoxes, and in Zuckerbrot’s opinion, Kaeng Raeng is preferable to an all-juice cleanse, and you can eat as many fruits and vegetables as you like. When you eat whole fruits and veggies, you’ll feel more satisfied because you’re getting all that fiber, too.

Cons: The calorie count is low, and even though you can eat real produce, you don’t have any whole food sources of healthy fats and protein. Also, you’re getting many of your nutrients from supplements. “As a dietitian, I advise my patients to get the vitamins and minerals they need from natural foods rather than supplementing them through a pill,” says Zuckerbrot. Whole foods deliver a more complete package of nutrients, as well as pack in natural fiber, antioxidants, and phytochemicals.

Verdict: “This is just a little low in calories,” says Glassman. You’d need to take in 400 to 500 additional calories to reach a healthy level. While you’re getting real fruits and vegetables, you’re still missing out on other essential nutrients that your body needs for fuel. To get a dose of healthy fats—which you need to absorb vitamins A, E, and K, and to protect your organs—add a serving of avocado.

Get the detox program made for your lifestyle and your budget.

Maybe you vowed to make this a healthier season and somewhere along the way, got off track. Or you want to cleanse, but dread the usual juice fasts (pricey, painful).

Turn to Kaeng Raeng. It’s an all-natural, vegan, gluten-free meal replacement detox program that helps to peel off pounds, relieve bloating, enhance energy and give you that natural vegan glow–without depriving you. And you can get started for just $20 a day! We named Kaeng Raeng “The Next Cleanse” last year and here’s why:

You’ll drink a delicious fruit smoothie three times a day for three to six days. Each shake is packed with fiber, protein, probiotics and vitamins, and you can eat as many raw fruits and veggies as you want, so you won’t be hungry or cranky.

Want to try it for free? Kaeng Raeng is giving away a three-day Beginner detox program to one lucky Vital Juice reader! Follow Kaeng Raeng on Facebook and tell them why you want to try a vegan cleanse to enter to win. Or order it today and save 15% off with coupon code VJUICE15 (hurry: offer expires May 4 at 11:59PST).

Way to clean up your act.

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Kaeng Raeng hosted Skinny Bitch author Kim Barnouin at a meet and greet and book signing at Natural Products ExpoWest Saturday, March 12. We had a great turnout of fans and members of the press. Thanks for stopping by! Get Kim’s newest book, Skinny Bitch: The Ultimate Everyday Cookbook!

See more pictures from the event on our Facebook page or our official Press page.