Here’s what happened. I had not gone on a juice cleanse in a while, other than the 21-day Clean Program detox – which is totally hardcore in its own right – but still allows you to chew a limited points throughout the day. Over the past few weeks, I’d been burning the candle at both ends and I knew that my body needed a disruption. I wanted to do something but didn’t know what. Going on a juice cleanse when you live with someone who is food obsessed is nearly impossible, so I decided that juicing for just one day would suffice. Sunday evening, shortly after purchasing my one-day juice cleanse from the Pressed Juicery (I’d been dying to try it since it opened in New York only a few months ago), my fiancé found out he would have to leave the city unexpectedly the next day on a late minute work trip that would last a few days. 

God heard my prayers and this was my chance to go all-in on a juice cleanse. I decided that I’d go day by day, so I wouldn’t feel the pressure, and could decide at any point to end the cleanse.

Monday mid-way through, I realized something very shocking – Pressed Juicery is NOT organic. Nor non-GMO. Ummmmm what? How could this be? Do others know this? I asked around and everyone seemed to be as shocked as I was. Drinking large quantities of non-organic liquids is so bad for numerous reasons. The non-organic and potentially genetically modified juices are super condensed, so you are really just drinking pounds and pounds of super toxic stuff. And because you are drinking a liquid, it’s getting immediately absorbed into your body.

Based on this shocking reality – that I was drinking something that I just assumed was organic – I decided to look into other brands the following day, hence how this article began. This is what I discovered and uncovered over the past five days of hardcore juicing and trying the most popular juice brands around. 

Day 1: I started my five day bender with California founded Pressed Juicery. This was actually one of the better tasting cleanses I had all week, but as I mentioned, it’s not organic and doesn’t include non-GMO on its label. Their Instagram is like a who’s who of juice drinkers, and has garnered a massive celeb following as you can see here. There are locations all over the US with a massive expansion plan in the works – It’s opening in all New York City Equinox gyms. The aesthetic is minimalist and clean, making it perfect for photography. At the end of my first day, I was feeling kinda bleh, but that’s normal. I was excited to try a new brand the next day.

Day 2: Feeling pretty good, I awoke to Juice Generation at my door. JG is usually my go-to for one off, fresh juices during the day. I usually will order them and have them made fresh on the spot. Surprisingly this was one of the most boring tasting cleanses of the week. But there’s another reason that people love this joint – their commitment to the environment. Juice Generation is a member of the Green Restaurant Association, everything is biodegradable, 100% recycled, vegan and HPP certified. Ingredients-wise, they have made a commitment to using as much local as possible. The 6^th juice was a super caloric almond based Mylk which I skipped right before going to bed.

Day 3: I had woken up feeling lighter but tired and tried Luli Tonix, a small New York City based brand, after chatting with a very in-the-know friend. I had a yoga press event that morning, which was nice because I had not exercised since starting the cleanse. Around 10am I had my first juice of the day. I knew right away that these juices were going to be the most unique. The juices are blended, not pressed, so the texture and consistencies are much thicker, filling you up faster. One juice was beet red and had whole chia seeds floating inside and another was straight up charcoal mixed with a little lemon. There were only 5 juices here and not the usual six that I was used to. I was a little worried about this at first, but at the end of the day, I didn’t even care, I was so full. The 5^th juice was another 400-calorie chia seed protein drink, which I also skipped. I went to bed super tired and totally full. Bonus: most of their juices are savory, so there was very little sugar, which I love.

Day 4: I popped out of bed, and was feeling pretty good and surprisingly energized. I knew that I loved Magic Mix Juicery, the 4^th brand so far, so I was psyched. I received their all greens cleanse, which contained 6 of the most amazing flavors, all cold pressed. The taste here was by far the best out of all of the juices that I tried this week. I just loved their whole vibe, menu, etc. etc. etc. Thursday was the day when I started to feel really thin, and also something insane happened. Around 7pm and through the rest of the night, my energy kicked in like never before, and actually as I am writing this story (on day 5), I feel more natural energy that I have truly felt in forever. There is something really amazing about going past day 3, with your juice cleanse. I think that day 4 is when the real change starts to happen. Motivated by my newfound energy I drank all 6 juices and again went to bed early.

Day 5: Energy levels were off the charts, so I knew that exercise would be a really good idea. I went to a Ballet Beautiful class, and walked home afterwards. I couldn’t believe that I was on my fifth day of juicing. The first three days were the hardest, the evening of day 3 being the peak, and then it was all downhill from there. In fact, I could have kept going for days and days. Today I was trying perpetual classic, master of the juice cleanse, Juice Press. I ordered the “NYC Cleanse,” which was six juices that you could drink in any order. This was strange compared to the others that you needed to always drink in order. There was almost no mylk in this one, which was nice. 1150 calories made us the juices, and I was satisfied all day long.

Keep reading for a breakdown of each cleanse to see if it would be right for you.

For the Instagram addict and selfie queen – Pressed Juicery
Price per day: $72
Star juice: Vanilla Almond – I am not usually into the super caloric juices for good reason (this one 400 calories), but I wanted to sip on this baby all week. It was the perfect relief when I craved something super sweet.
Location: All over the country, and they also provide domestic shipping.
Organic: NO!
GMO: Not specified
Type: Cold-pressed

For the environmentalist – Juice Generation
Price per day: $58
Star juice: Hale to Kale – A yummy mix of kale, watermelon, apple and lemon. I like it better when ordered fresh.
Location: All over New York and Brooklyn, and they also provide domestic shipping.
Organic: YES!
GMO: Non-GMO certified
Type: Cold-pressed

If you prefer savory, over sweets and concerned about drinking less sugar – Luli Tonix
Price per day: $60
Star juice: Black Magic – Activated charcoal made with lemon, maple syrup and Himalayan sea salt.
Location: There is just one location in Soho, NY, and they also provide domestic shipping.
Organic: YES!
GMO: Non-GMO certified
Type: Blended, not pressed or squeezed.

For something magical and truly delicious – Magic Mix Juicery
Price per day: $55
Star juice: SO hard to choose…Natural Painkiller because it includes cayenne pepper and ginger.
Location: There is just one location in the Financial District, NY, and they also provide local delivery.
Organic: 100% yes.
GMO: Non-GMO certified
Type: Cold-pressed

There’s something for everyone here and it’s straight to the point – Juice Press
Price per day: $60.96 (NYC Cleanse)
Star juice: Love at First Sight
Location: All over New York City and the Hamptons, and they also provide domestic shipping.
Organic: 100% yes.
GMO: Non-GMO certified
Type: Cold-pressed

Carolyn Murphy photographed by Norman Jean Roy for Vogue, June 2003, Joan Smalls photographed by Patrick Demarchelier for Vogue, April 2013 and Doutzen Kroes photographed by Norman Jean Roy for Vogue, 2009.