In the most basic of terms, a juice detox is where you only consume fruit and vegetable juice that has been freshly extracted. A juice detox can last from anything in-between 24 hours and up to seven days - this being said many juicers will enjoy a juice detox for a week, with the first three days being the period of detoxification and the remaining rebuilding a solid foundation.
What happens during a juice detox?
Your body preserves energy during a juice detox through not having to digest foods, as the nutrients are being passed directly to the gut, and the fibre being removed. This means that your body can focus on removing toxins from your body while also resetting the bacteria in your gut while repairing any damaged cells and tissues in your body. Undertaking a juice detox can be difficult, even with the best intentions, especially if it is undertaken over a number of days, but there are a number of benefits that come with undertaking a juice detox (despite the mass conflicting expert advice).
Some of the most commonly cited benefits include:
- Weight loss - some of our clients loose up to 10lbs within a week.
- Identifying any food sensitivities or allergies - something that is rarely done.
- Improving a person's mental and physical well-being - by clearing out stimulants.
- Increasing your energy levels - reducing stress and supporting rest.
- Removing mucus and discharge from your body - cleansing through waste.
- Providing you with focus and mental clarity - hitting the rest button.
- Aiding with depression and anxiety - having the ability to breathe.
- Providing an ideal starting point to re-examine the way that you live and eat - changing your lifestyle.
Depending on your outlook on life, your circumstances or your ambitions, you may find that some of these benefits to be more attractive than others. There is no denying that many people enter into a juice detox with the intention of losing weight and it can be a great starting point to kick-start a weight loss programme. However, it is best to combine this period with a re-examination of your diet so as to not slip back into bad habits after you have completed a juice detox.
Juice detoxes can provide quick weight loss for people who are focusing on a particular event but there is also a lot to be said for using it as a way to overhaul your current lifestyle - we work to help you change your life for the better by appreciating the value in healthy lifestyle choices.
What can you expect?
In the opening days of a juice detox, it is entirely natural to feel tired. This is because the body is still trying to digest foods that had already been consumed before the cleanse began, but it is also cleaning up toxins and waste that are being pushed into the blood stream as part of the detoxification process, it's because of this that many people opt to sign up to a juice retreat, where they will be guided and supported through the whole process.
Many people try to aid this process by minimising the amount of bread, dairy, meat, alcohol and consume they consume in the three days before they officially begin the juice detox. This pre-detox routine tailors your body to get ready to the process while also ensuring that you won't feel as tired during the detox process.
Whole many people undertake this form of detox to lose weight, it is important to be aware that the amount of weight you lose will depend on the start weight and what your aim for the cleanse is. If you start off with a large weight, it is possible to lose around two to three lbs a day, but this will eventually slow down to a level of one to two lbs every two to three days.