As I scroll down my news feed in January it is littered with ‘I must lose that stone’, ‘got to get running’ and ‘need a major health kick’. So, it is no surprise that also our TV Screens are full of fitness DVDs and weight loss programmes. However, there is one health craze that is taking the world by storm: JUICING! The champion of juicing is Jason Vale, and between 13-17th January, he is hoping that the world will join him in the World’s Biggest Juice Detox.
Back in August, our very own Penny undertook the 5 day juice challenge (see here). Her journey was amazing: Not only did she lose 8lbs in five days, but her energy levels soared, her skin began to glow and her sugar cravings for chocolate dramatically subsided. By day 5, Penny was craving a prawn salad rather than a slab of chocolate!
Juicing also strikes a personal note with me – why I am getting into this January, is not just because I am a little overweight, but also as I’ve seen my friend Milly turn into a juice junkie! She is a lean, mean fighting machine with juicing and exercise two very big parts of her life. Quite frankly, I want a bit of what she’s got! (she actually works for Jason at his retreats in Portugal and Turkey for part of the year, but when she’s back in the UK she works as a freelance personal trainer and also gives group workshops on juicing).
I had a quick personal workshop today and she gave me her top tips into becoming a juicer. First of all you are going to need a juicer! There are basically two types: A masticating juicer or a centrifugal juicer. When I asked her what type of juicer was the best she said “there is no BEST juicer out there. It all depends on what you are after. If you want speed, and you can’t be bothered to chop up your fruits and veg, then go for something like the Philips HR1861 it’s on Amazon for about £70 (centrifugal). If you want quality and quantity, and want to juice lots of green leafy veg like kale, herbs, wheatgrass then you’re better off getting a masticating juicer, something like a Samson 6 in 1 for about £179. It’s twice the price of the Philips, but it also makes loads of other stuff apart from juice.”
Milly has a personal preference for a masticator as you tend to get a little more juice and in the long run it probably works out at better value for money, but if you have a family and time is of the essence, then she highly recommends the Philips.
Secondly – get the 5lbs in 5 days app! The app is £4.99 and provides you with comprehensive shopping lists for each day of the juice detox which you can handily get emailed to your account. Also, it contains motivational video clips from the Juice Master himself.
Thirdly you’ll also need a blender, so that you can add things like berries, avocado and banana to your juices and turn them in to thicker smoothies. Oh, and you’ll need something to store them in. In an ideal world you want to make your juice fresh, but who lives in an ideal world? In the real world, a lot of people have to make their juices the night before, for the whole day. So that’s where something like a SIGG flask comes in handy. It slows down the oxidation process and keeps them cool too.
Finally, you need a support network of friends who are going to do it with you. It’s so much easier doing it with other people, than doing it on your own, even if they are only online. Apparently it’s not as hard as you think it will be. Milly tells me it’s about focusing on what you can have (lots of yummy tasting juices and smoothies) rather than what you can’t have. You just have to think: “For the next 5 days I’m choosing to be kind to my body, and feed it with lots of raw, nutritious fruits and vegetables. Plus it;s only for 5 days of your life. Jason did 3 months on nothing but carrot juice once! Now that’s hardcore”.
So, who’s in?! This isn’t just a diet, it seems to be a way of life that you change your habits forever.
PS) The lovely Milly, our juice junkie, has offered to answer any questions you may have on juicing. She will be guest blogging on Friday ahead of the Worlds Biggest Juice Detox, so you can be ready to go on Monday morning.
Milly, our juice junkie
