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Kaeng Raeng is the brainchild of founder, Lindsay Reinsmith. A little about KR in Linday's own words...
" I started this company four years ago with a single blender in my one bedroom apartment in downtown Palo Alto. I was working long hours as an advisor to food and beverage companies and hated how unhealthy I had become. I started experimenting with raw vegan diets and created cleansing smoothies in my kitchen. I knew what I had created was special (because it worked); so, in true Silicon Valley fashion, I posted about my weight loss, renewed energy, and better skin on Facebook. Several men and women, people just like you, asked if they could join me in jumpstarting a healthier lifestyle.
I created Kaeng Raeng to provide an accessible, healthy, delicious, and FILLING natural cleanse product to the market. I was sick of how tired and gross I felt with my awful diet of processed, artificial foods and decided to embrace the culture of health and wellness so ubiquitous in Northern California. I found doing the Kaeng Raeng cleanse exhilarating and liberating. I could really taste my food. I was finally aware of what I was putting into my body.
I named the company Kaeng Raeng, pronounced kang-rang, which means "be healthy, be strong" in the Thai language. I continue to be fascinated with Thai's cultural cuisine focused on the vegetarian lifestyle (Phuket, Thailand has the largest vegetarian festival in the world). KR is truly a product that empowers you to find your best health and inner strength. Although we have a Thai name, KR is 100% made in the USA. "
To read the entire About Me page, you can do so here.
So while the various reasons for cleansing might be pretty obvious, maybe you're wondering why I, or we (my Husband & I ), chose to do this cleanse. I consider myself a pretty healthy person. I live a Holistic Lifestyle, and though I'm not perfect and do eat junk from time to time, I'm pretty regimented for the most part. I've also been Gluten-Free for a year now, due to gluten intolerance. This really keeps me in check, because some of the junk that I might be tempted to eat, most of the time, I actually can't eat it! Win-win!! lol. But though I lead this lifestyle, I do have quite a few pounds I would like to lose. I'm planning on really kicking my fitness game into high gear and I thought this cleanse would be a great way for me to do that. As far as my Husband goes, he's not as strict as me as far as what he eats. Especially since he's not gluten-free, so he can eat a lot of the food I'm not allowed to eat. He also thought this would be a great way to kick off his healthy living - especially since there's currently a "Health Challenge" going on at his work!
So I was initially sent the original 3 Day Beginner Level Cleanse, but since I did not know it had Soy in the ingredient list, I was not able to do it. I avoid soy and was so disappointed that I had made the mistake of missing it on the ingredient list! But Kaeng Raeng was so generous, that when they came out with their NEW Soy-Free version, they sent me a box to review! So that's when I had the idea of my Husband doing the Soy-based version and me doing the new formula! The cleanse is Vegan, Gluten-Free, Caffeine Free, Non-GMO (super important to me!!!), and locally sourced! To get into the details of cost, there are several levels, several options and various price ranges. It can get kind of confusing at first, but if you're a first time cleanser, you can choose from the following....
~ 3 Day Soy-Based $69.99
~ 6 Day Soy-Based $119.99
~ 3 Day Soy-Free $79.99
~ 6 Day Soy-Free $139.99
~ Soy Trial Packet $8 each
~ Soy-Free Trial Packet $10 each
So let's get into the details of the actual cleanse process and my experience with it. Depending on the amount of time you choose to do it, you are sent 3 packets for each day. They are ...
"Joyful" ~ Strawberry, Raspberry, Pineapple
"Into the Blue" ~ Blueberry, Banana
"Daybreak" ~ Mango, Peach, Pineapple
You simply choose which flavor you want to do for each meal and blend it with 24oz - 32oz of water, non-dairy milk, or a little low-sugar fruit (or even some leafy greens if you like that!) and/or ice. I tried both and preferred my smoothie to have a little less water, and did the 24oz. We made ours in the blender and poured them in 36oz mason jars. This kept great, as we did not drink our entire smoothie in one sitting. We decided to split it up between two 2 servings. This was also a great option for my Husband, as the cleanse extended into Monday, a workday for him. I made his smoothies in the morning, poured them in jars and put them in an insulated lunch bag for him to bring to work! So the convenience was great!!! Because there's so much going on in this post, I'll break down our experience bit by bit for you. My overall thoughts....
- The price: I think this cleanse has a great price point! I love the ingredient profile (I'll get more into that in a sec) and the convenience is great! And you don't have to worry about juice going bad in your fridge if you decide that it's not the right time to start after ordering!
- The prep: The prep is super easy!!! You can choose to make your drink in a shaker or a blender. I prefer my drinks to be smooth, so I made them in the blender. It all depends on personal preference as far as texture goes. But like I had stated above, they keep really well to make ahead in the morning and to bring to work, etc.
- Meals/Snacking: You can eat Raw Foods during this cleanse. I personally don't think I ate enough. In all honesty, I was pretty hungry during the 2nd day. And by hungry, I mean HANGRY. My monthly "friend" was visiting, so maybe that was not the best time to choose to do a cleanse, lol. But I wasn't hang from the ceiling crazy, just kinda bitchy. As far as the Husband, he had no issue whatsoever. It was actually a running joke throughout the weekend because this was his first cleanse, and it was not mine, yet he was coasting right through.... so he reminded me several times! ; )
- The juices: Ok, as far as taste goes, I'm not going to lie.... They are just a teensy bit bland added with water only. But there is a great recipe page that gives you some great ideas as far as tasty add-ins with juice etc My favorite as far as taste alone was the Strawberry blend and then the Mango blend. We chose to add a few pieces of frozen, organic fruit to our smoothies and were just mindful of what we were eating as far as raw foods went. They both tasted great with a couple pieces of pineapple, mango and a couple strawberries. Because this increased the sugar content of the smoothie, we just made sure to eat veggies in our meal (like a nice raw salad) and if we had a piece of fruit, we ate a fiber-rich apple, no banana's etc. This seemed to work just fine. But I will say this, I LOVE the fact that this cleanse includes a whopping 15g of protein! You don't see this in cleanses and I really loved this, as it kept me feeling full for the most part. It also contains plenty of fiber (necessary to eliminate those toxins), Vitamins, and my favorite.... PROBIOTICS! I'm big into probiotics and gut health. Your gut is your "second brain", did you know that? Well it totally is!
- Hunger: As I had mentioned above, I had a bit of a hunger issue. In hindsight, I would have increased my raw veggies a little. I think I was a bit stingy as far as how much I ate and could have added a little more. Husband had no issue with this at all.
- The side effects: No side effects for me or Hubby!
- The experience & Results: I thought the overall experience was great for both of us! It was really convenient and I loved the ingredient profile of the packets. It was a HUGE plus that I didn't have to worry about taking any additional supplements to support my system during the cleanse, and I had no side effects at all. I personally lost 5 lbs. I think I could have lost more if I was a first time ever cleanser. Because I already lead a Holistic type lifestyle, I think that impacted my results. But I was having some skin issues and I think this cleanse kick-started them clearing up for me, which was great! The Husband on the other hand started prepping for the cleanse the week before by making some minor changes and lost a little weight prior, but he lost a total of 11 lbs!!! This was an amazing start for him.
My Advice for a Successful Kaeng Raeng Cleanse....
~ Prep yourself the week before! Especially if you are a first-time cleanser!!! I cannot stress this enough. Work on eliminating crappy foods from your diet. Be mindful of your portions. Add in fiber-rich foods so that you don't get clogged up during your cleanse (this might happen because this cleanse contains a good amount of fiber ). In other words.... DO NOT eat a super fatty, junkie meal the night before you start! Prep yourself before you wreck yourself!!! You WILL absolutely regret it if you do this and you may even sabotage your cleanse.
~ Work on increasing your water intake the few days leading up to the cleanse, especially if you are not a water drinker! I personally drink a ton of water normally. I have some coconut milk in my coffee in the morning, but that's pretty much it. I rarely drink juice and absolutely do not drink soda. So for me, this was not a problem. But drinking lots of water to help flush out those toxins and keep you regular during your cleanse time is absolutely crucial!
~ Don't be stingy with your raw meals. If you're hungry, eat some bell peppers or celery sticks. For dinner have a leafy green salad with some bell pepper, carrots, cucumber, etc and a delicious detox-friendly ACV dressing. I make mine with a teensy bit of raw honey and organic dijon mustard. Yum!
~ Take note that depending on where you're coming from before this cleanse, you may or may not have detox symptoms. This is perfectly normal, unless they are alarming in nature. If you have them, it simply means that it's working. Just like if you do not, it doesn't necessarily mean it's not working. Just be mindful of what you're experiencing and try to keep in tune with the symptoms. You may need to drink more water, eat a serving of veggies etc.
I hope you enjoyed my review and found it helpful!!! Make sure to check out Kaeng Raeng on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram to stay up to date!!
DISCLAIMER: For review purposes, Kaeng Raeng generously sent me both the soy-based and soy-free versions of the 3 day cleanse to review. I was not compensated financially in any way. All opinions stated are my own.
