The reality of a juice detox

The sun is shining, Santa didn’t give you the summer bod you wished for back in December, and you’re going on holiday soon. Perhaps it’s time to panic.

But the “miracle” Juice Detox is a new hype claiming to offer a solution to everyone’s problems.

The Juicetox is a form of fasting that would seem to include buying ludicrously overpriced drinks and consuming only water and five mixed juices made of purely fruit and vegetables a day. A three day cleanse pack costs £145.

The Detox’s can vary in time depending what effects you want from them, the shortest being three days, and the maximum recommended being 10 days.

Many people may be sceptical about trying out one of these detoxes. It seems unlikely you can get a summer bod of a Victoria’s Secret model, in only a short number of days. And at that astronomical price, is it worth the risk of trying?

This hype comes with health risks due to the lack of protein and calories in the diet that could cause side effects such as headaches, tiredness and stomach aches. Despite this, Juice Detox’s are often promoted for their positive health effects. Jason Vale author of Lose 7lb’s in 7 Days claims the diet means you will “have higher energy levels, clearer skin and be set free from the dieting trap forever”.

I decided to test out the hype and find out if it is really worth it.

At 5″4 and 9st 9lbs, I chose to test out the Juice Detox for five days – the average amount of time suggested for the diet – and probably because I couldn’t manage anymore. Obviously, I’m not going to spend over £100 so I made the juices by simply blending fruits and vegetables, which is not only a much cheaper alternative but also means I can choose the ingredients and flavours that I like.

Day one

After a beer and munch fuelled weekend with some friends in Wales, a day on the go or travelling was the perfect time to start the detox, as it avoids the temptation of bored-eating and unconsciously walking over to the fridge.

While my friends had scrambled eggs on toast for breakfast I kickstarted the Detox with a mug of hot lemon water. Though my stomach rumbled whenever I looked at the food, I was pleased to find that the hot Lemon water is surprisingly filling.

 

While on the train home my mum texts me asking if I want to go to Wagamamas for dinner.

I finally arrive home after a long day of sitting on the train not eating or doing anything, so for dinner I made a juice out of frozen berries and banana. The frozen fruit makes the juice taste a bit like a healthy frozen yogurt, which is delicious. The lack of solid food also made me feel a lot lighter, although I was yet to feel more energetic.

At the end of day one, I weighed in at 9st 8lbs.

 

Day two

Orange and Carrot juice was on the menu for breakfast this morning, as well as a hot lemon water which I thought would give me enough energy for a lot of walking that day.

But when I got back home I felt tired, nauseous and had a headache. This may be because of the lack of food rather, but after a filling mango, banana and orange smoothie I felt a lot more alert mentally and felt normal again.

 

For the first time ever I craved vegetables, as I needed a change from the sweetness of the fruit smoothies. I decided to blend carrots, tomatoes, and celery and heat them up to make a soup alternative.

I thought this sounded like a great idea at the time, but it just made me realise I am not Nigella and you should not try it at home or anywhere. It was disgusting and looked like chunder. Going to bed hungry and in a strop at the soup, I started to question the worth of this diet. I’d lost one pound by the end of day two.

 

Day three

I woke up feeling really energetic and the hunger cravings I had on day one had been long forgotten. I knocked back a berry smoothie because they are the best ones in terms of taste and colour.

 

As the juice detox had already started making me lose weight, I went shopping and not only had plenty of energy, but felt so much better in myself that I bought loads of new clothes. The Juicetox diet isn’t kind on your bank account.

While my friend had a coffee and a delicious looking scone, I stuck to my guns with a sparkling water, and later a Green Juice from Pret a Manger, which was made out of apple, cucumber, celery, spinach, lime and ginger.

Despite looking like swamp water, the juice was somehow enjoyable. Perhaps the lack of food has numbed my taste buds, but I am considering implementing this in normal day to day life.

 

Having felt miserable after day two, day three had been much more rosey. I made a “happy juice” for dinner, out of mango, banana and orange. Although I was still hungry, so I pinched these cravings with some more hot lemon water – it didn’t stop me wanting popcorn.

After three days, I’d lost a total of two pounds, weighing in at 9st 6lbs.

Day four

To start the day I had another green juice made from apple, cucumber, celery, spinach and lime. Though it looked like I had put Shrek in the blender, it tasted surprisingly good.

Being out for the rest of the day meant I didn’t have time to eat anything until dinner. I tried to satisfy those hunger pangs with a berry, mango and banana smoothie.

I felt a tad hungry looking at the fridge full of cookies, cheese and chocolate, but a mug of hot lemon water soon sorted that out.

Another day gone, another pound shed. Weight: 9st 5lbs.

Day five

For breakfast I had another apple, lime, cucumber and celery juice with a bottle of water. It was becoming my standard go to breakfast, and I was getting a bit bored.

Later I had some Cawston Press Sunshine Blend juice which was made of pure carrot, orange, apple and celery. This was ok but not especially tasty, and would probably have been better if I had blended it from scratch.

I feel very healthy and have plenty of energy, although I can’t say I’d felt very happy the entire time. If anything, it was a bit of a rollercoaster. After five days toiling with liquid food, I’d lost four pounds. Final weight: 9st 4lbs.

My ordeal was over. And even though I’m looking forward to having solid food for the first time in five days, I will almost be sad to finish the Juicetox. Despite having to miss a night out and going out for dinner, it has been worth it.

Not only have I lost a lot of weight very quickly, but I feel more energetic, lighter and my hair is noticeably softer. I will definitely do this again before I go on holiday, and would recommend it to anyone who wanted to lose weight fast, or kick start a healthy eating regime. After feeling slightly ill after the second day – which may have been the release of all the bad toxins in my body after a heavy weekend – I felt a lot healthier for the rest of the detox once my body had adjusted to it.

Although some of the juice concoctions were disgusting, the majority tasted pretty good. I felt great, lost weight and still ate. What is so great about the Juicetox is there are no limits, you can choose what you want to juice, how many days you want to do it for, and wether you want to eat alongside it. You don’t have to spend too much either – don’t be fooled by the £100 bill.

Having said that knowing that you don’t have to eat like this forever and it will soon be over, definitely gives you the morale to keep going. I may have lost five pounds, but it was the mental effects, the healthy feeling, that was the greatest benefit.