Shame On You: The Blueprint Cleanse

After receiving favorable publicity in Vogue, Elle, Cosmopolitan, and New York Magazine, the New York City based Blueprint Cleanse is increasing in popularity across the United States.

As you may imagine, I am not a fan.

Long story short: the founder of The Blueprint Cleanse had “a savage cold” on January 1, 2000, which she recuperated from a week later after following a seven-day juice cleanse.

Don’t most colds naturally run their course in a week? I digress.

As happy as she was to have her health back, she thought that particular cleanse was too extreme.

Well, lucky us -- this inspired her to start a nutritional cleanse company “customized to [each client’s] level of nutritional awareness and dietary history.”

Mix that idea with a cutesy website, trendy advertising, and promises of “normalized weight” and “physical rejuvenation,” and the latest "wellness" nonsense is born.

Beginners can opt for a 3 day program, while more advanced folks looking to flush their hard-earned dollars down the toilet -- oops, I mean, the toxins out of their system -- can opt for 5, 7 or 10 day cleanses.

For $65 a day, the 6 beverages you need to drink each day are delivered to your home or office in the insulated cooler picture at top (as you may notice by looking at that photo, each juice is labeled in suggested order of consumption.)

Mind you, these are fruit and vegetable blends (as well as one cashew milk drink) that cost no more than $10 a day to make.


Despite Blueprint’s claim that this is different from other cleanses, we are dealing with the same flawed logic (except this time the intellectual excrement is covered in a glossy shimmer, kind of like an episode of MTV’s The Hills.)

A few choice examples:

“Can we please finally put to rest the myth that if you don’t eat a lot, you’ll lack energy? Unless one is undergoing a water fast, which, should only be done with a coach, energy levels will skyrocket!”

I suppose. But how about finally putting to rest these inane notions that we need to subsist on nothing but liquefied fruits and vegetables to cleanse our bodies?

While "we" are at it, can "we" please learn some basic human physiology and realize that the kidneys and pancreas already get rid of "toxins"?

Disturbingly, The Blueprint Cleanse folks claim it is absolutely possible to exercise while undergoing any of their fasts (3, 5, or 7 days.)

“The energy that is usually spent on digestion is now yours for the taking, so grab it and go for a jog! Remember- you are feeding your cells, not stuffing your belly.”

Newsflash -- solids AND liquids go through the digestive system. Just because you are drinking six juices a day does not mean your body takes a break from digestion.

According to the creators, this cleanse contains nothing but “food that's packed with enzymes [and] will allow your body to clean.”

Oh, the enzyme argument. Cute. Too bad it’s baseless.

“A three-day Cleanse helps the body rid itself of old built up matter and cleanses the blood. A five-day Cleanse starts the process of rebuilding and healing the immune system. A ten-day Cleanse will take care of problems before they arise and fight off degenerative diseases.”

I would love to know how they came to this conclusion. Not to mention, how exactly does a cleanse "take care of problems before they arise?"

Am I supposed to believe that, magically, on the tenth day, I have enough power in my immune system to prevent a scratchy throat? If so, for how long?

Wondering when you should be cleansing? Here it is from the horse's mouth:

“A good rule of thumb is whenever you experience any of the following: fatigue/general lack of energy, sleeplessness, anxiety/depression, digestive problems, at the first sign of a cold and of course, before and after holidays or any special events that lead to overindulging.”

Yes, because I am sure someone with depression is just itching to give up a hot plate of food and instead subsist on nothing but cold vegetable and fruit juices for a week.

Okay, okay, I'm being unfair. The Blueprint Cleanse allows you to cheat by sinking your teeth into.... celery sticks.

You might as well throw two ice cubes onto your plate and have yourself a party!!

Back to the suggested times of use -- I'm very weary of attempting to correct issues of fatigue and lack of energy by going on a liquid diet that barely grazes the 1,000 calorie mark.

And then there's the most extreme cleanse – “the excavation cleanse” – which does away with most fruits and instead “focuses on foods that trigger detox and elimination, such as citrus (spicy lemonade), which act as “cleaners” and green vegetable tonics which act as “healers.”

And, clearly, this cleanse goes in the "complete and utter nonsense" category.