What do Gwyneth Paltrow, German scientists, and my bodybuilding aunt have in common? Not much… but they are all proponents of the “juicing” movement. For those of you who have not observed ads for this phenomenon on tv or slapped across the covers of fitness magazines, “juicing” (a.k.a a “juice cleanse,” “juice detox,” “juice fast,”) is a method of weight loss and expelling toxins from the body that has experienced a recent surge in popularity, thanks to celebrity endorsement. In essence, it requires the participant to subsist solely by guzzling down large quantities of fruits and vegetables that have been juiced in a blender or juicer for a designated period of time. Supposedly this “resets” the body’s metabolism, and floods one’s system with vitamins while stripping it of bad things like toxins and free radicals. Intriguing? Yes. Crazy? Perhaps. Works? Let’s find out! In order to get the REAL low-down on the juicing trend, I will be trying it out myself for one day.
But first…
A Brief History on Juicing
It turns out that juice cleanses were first prescribed by Dr. James Lind during the 18th century to treat scurvy. Not surprisingly, they worked extremely well for this purpose, and were thus brought into the medical world as a real health practice. This was further developed by German scientists and became known as Gerson Therapy, a method used to expel toxins from the body. Today, juicing is the latest health craze to have swept the nation. It is both balked at and endorsed by doctors; some credit it with extraordinary health benefits, like revving the metabolism and cleansing the body, while others call it a starvation diet masked as a legitimate health practice, and criticize its lack of calories and fiber.
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The Verdict
After hearing so much buzz about juicing, I knew I had to give it a try myself. I set aside a Monday during my break to do it, because at home I had access to a blender and plenty of fresh produce. For my juice cleanse, I drank three square “meals” consisting of juice blends throughout the day. Two were fruit-based, made with apples, mangoes, berries, and bananas, and one was vegetable-based, made from spinach, bell peppers, carrot juice, and celery. In all honesty, they tasted pretty good (however, the vegetable one didn’t look very appetizing). You know that feeling you get when you are on the verge of stomach-growling hunger, but you can probably last another half an hour or so without a snack? That’s how I felt all day. It was not nearly as bad as I expected, and by no means torturous. But it becomes uncomfortable after a while.
I would “juice” again, but I felt like my body was in dire need of some real food! But I still don’t understand all the hype over this trend. Drinking my meals was so much less satisfying than enjoying a real meal! Bottom line: if you’re trying to eat more healthfully, just make better meal choices – juicing is meant to act as a little boost, not as a sustainable lifestyle.