The Juice Diet: surviving on just juice for five days
Drinking only homemade juices for five days will give you a healthier mind, body and soul...or so they say. Rebecca Rutt decided to try it out.
As a self-confessed cheese addict, the idea of drinking juice and only juice for five days was not a welcome one. Along with cheese I’m also partial to cakes, biscuits, and any other kind of sugar-based product. They can be found on my desk, in my kitchen cupboard, or, most likely, in my hand. Add to that the fact my beloved eight cups of tea a day were out of the question, and I went into this challenge with little hope of succeeding.
But, seeing as I feel the need for a nap most days, and I’m subject to epic highs and lows in terms of energy, I hoped that this detox would give my body a much-needed New Year recharge.
The juice detox
Anyone can do a juice detox and there are numerous diets on the internet to follow. After a quick scan I chose to stick to the five-day plan from Jason Vale’s latest book ‘5lbs in 5 days’.
Every day you’re allowed two juices and each is split into two servings, so you’re drinking one approximately every three hours. There’s an ‘alternative espresso’ shot of apple and ginger to start the day and you are allowed to break into ‘SOS’ food such as a banana or avocado if you get desperate.
To start, you’ll need a good juicer. I’ve got the Philips Viva Collection juicer which works well and is quick to clean – a major plus when you’re making this many juices. You’ll also need to be extremely organised. I made all of mine the night before. You can either buy all the fruit and vegetables beforehand (handy if you live near a good greengrocer), or you can get the whole box for the five-day plan delivered to your door, but this comes with a price tag of £69.99.
Day one – foggy
I started the day with my ginger apple shot, which was strong enough to snap me into reality and blow away the weekend’s cobwebs. Arriving at work I had peppermint tea and a glass of water, and by 9am I was feeling positive and ready for the challenge.
The first juice (ingredients pictured left) was a blend of Golden Delicious apples, pineapple, spinach, lime, cucumber and celery. The mental high of consuming so many vegetables in a sweet and refreshing juice was great.
By 11am my head was banging, my brain was foggy and my work productivity was slowing as my body cried out at the lack of caffeine. My good mood had completely worn off, as by this time I’ve usually had at least three cups of tea.
Lunchtime rolls around and it’s time for another juice. It includes an entire lime (with the peel) and tastes bitter and pretty unpleasant. I spend the rest of the afternoon complaining about my lack of food and fantasising about the amount of Stilton I’ll be able to consume once it’s over.
The afternoon drags on forever and my head reaches a new level of pain by the 4pm juice, which does nothing to life my spirits. After my last juice of the day I force myself to make Tuesday’s juices and fall into bed by 9pm exhausted, damning the diet and cursing myself for signing up to it.
Day two – ratty
As I’m currently marathon training I’d planned a 4.5 mile run today. Slightly dubiously I down the ginger shot and head to the gym. Training goes well, despite the lack of food, and the first juice (pictured left), largely made up of green vegetables, feels restorative as I drink it at work. This one also uses sugar snap peas, fennel and courgette and it tastes good and satisfies my hunger. I didn’t expect this, given I normally eat substantially at meal times and snack throughout the day.
By 10am the headache is back and raging. I’m also feeling ratty, irritated and angry with life. For inspiration I check out Jason Vale’s online video but instead of feeling motivated to carry on I feel like throwing my computer out of the window.
He’s far too optimistic and chirpy for my sour mood so instead I eat a banana which temporarily makes me feel better. My 1pm and 4pm juices are made up of beetroot, carrot and red berries. The taste is sweet and well balanced but the texture is lumpy, and slightly sick-inducing.
Walking home I toy with the idea of stopping off at the chip shop but force myself home for the final juice and again an early night due to exhaustion and a desire to eat everything in sight.
Day three – high spirits
It’s hump day, and I wake up resenting the diet and seeing no good in it whatsoever.
Things change after my first juice – filled with fresh berries, banana and yoghurt. Its similarity to real food gives me a welcome energy boost. By midday my three-day headache clears and I’m starting to get used to herbal teas.
The ‘Green Refresher’ juice is the best yet, made up of an apple, a pear, one lime (peeled this time), two handfuls of spinach and a quarter of a cucumber. It immediately lifts my spirits and energy levels and I power on through the rest of the day hardly noticing the lack of food.
As evening comes around I head out with my friends and am able to largely stick to soft drinks and a few (very small) edible snacks before heading home.
Day four – pond water
I’m out of bed at 5.30am and off to the gym – something I’ve almost never achieved before, especially without the help of several strong espressos. My run goes well and I bounce into work in an ever-so-slightly smug mood, which disappears as if I've been slapped in the face when I try my morning juice (pictured left). It’s a green one but also includes carrots and a pepper, which makes it a colour close to mud with the flavour of gone-off soup. It’s unappetising and my 1pm and 4pm juices of carrot and orange, which I almost definitely should have sieved first, do not improve things.
I can’t bear to drink the first juice again, which is now resembling pond water with something dying inside, so I head to bed early hoping the whole thing will soon be over.
Day five – skinny minny
I weigh myself first thing and I’ve managed to lose the requisite five pounds as promised. Therefore instead of spending another day on liquids I congratulate myself and celebrate with a feast of cheese loaded onto thick, crusty white bread – it’s brilliant. The one part of my detox lifestyle that I decide to stick to is ‘no caffeine’, purely because my body isn’t craving it anymore. I’m not feeling tired or dozy, which I normally do without the caffeine hit.
Is it worth it?
I can’t lie – four days with no food is mind-numbingly boring, and along with nearly 99% of diets around it’s hard to stick to and has almost no enjoyment factor. However, it had the desired effect and I did lose five pounds, despite breaking it a day early and cheating (slightly) on Wednesday night.
The juice detox isn’t sustainable long-term, as your body needs food in order to function. But it is a good way to take a break from your normal diet, and give your insides a respite. After Christmas I was crying out for some rest and recuperation, and the juice detox gave me a natural boost I never thought possible without caffeine.
To succeed you need to be ultra organised and have the time to pre-make your juices, unless you’re willing to get up at the crack of dawn to do it. ‘Putting your body on charge’, as Vale calls it, for the five days is worthwhile and it will make you feel better in the end. Just don't expect a fun five days.
You might also like
Comments
Be the first to comment
Do you want to comment on this article? You need to be signed in for this feature