What
A detox diet is a food intake plan that aims to remove accumulated toxic substances from the body (N.B.: in the context of alternative medicine, the term “toxin” refers non-specifically to any substance that can potentially cause ill health, ranging anywhere from trace amounts of pesticides to common food items like refined sugar or additives like artificial sweeteners and MSG; it is a loose and unscientific term). Detox diets are commonly done after periods of over-indulgence or the consumption of non-nutritious or processed foods. These diets usually suggest that water, fruits and vegetables (in their most unprocessed and un-genetically modified form) compose a majority of one's food intake, eliminating stimulants and alcohol completely.
Juice fasting is a type of fasting in which the practitioner consumes only fruit and vegetable juices, anywhere from several days up to two weeks. Proponents believe that abstaining from solid food allows the body to recover from damage and fatigue caused by the relentless stress of digestion. They hold that, while fasting, less energy is expended on digestion of foods, so there is more energy available for the rest of the body to expel toxins. Because this is an arduous and rather painful process, juice fasts are often marketed together with supplements and support groups.
Why
In addition to a general “clean out”, other common reasons for undergoing juice fasts include the pursuit of religious/spiritual goals, weight loss and attempting to wean one’s self from unhealthy habits, such as smoking, soda, overeating, caffeine addiction, etc. Some more serious practitioners use juice fasting as an alternative to conventional medical practices, such as a healing technique for pain, cancer, depression, arthritis, severe infections that failed antibiotics, autoimmune diseases and many other diseases. They are often conducted on a regular, often monthly, basis.
However, medical experts generally regard juice fasting and detox diets as a fad that is less effective than drinking a glass of water. They are generally harmless (so long as no nutritional deficiency results), but a waste of money. The idea that an avalanche of vitamins, minerals, and laxatives taken over a short-term can have a long-lasting benefit for the body is viewed as a marketing myth that lacks factual evidence. Furthermore it is generally held that such cleansing is unnecessary, as the human body is naturally capable of maintaining itself, with several organs dedicated to cleansing the blood and the gut.
How
As toxins are believed to lie within many of the human body's glands and organs, some practitioners, when devising their juice diet, attempt to target the liver, the kidneys, the urinary tract, the skin, the gallbladder, the brain, the immune system, etc. The length and frequencies of fasts also vary: some take part in annual week-long (or longer) periods of fasting, some take monthly, shorter (two or three days) periods of fasting. Some fasts even involve trips to spa resorts (people are making some good money off of this fad in Thailand).
How do you do it? Get out your juicer, block off a few days for inactivity, and get creative with the following (most commonly used in juice detoxes):
1. Vegetables - celery, cucumber, tomato, bell pepper, broccoli, cabbage
2. Greens - parsley, kale, beet greens, chard, spinach, dandelion leaf
3. Root vegetables - carrots, beets, sweet potatoes
4. Fruit - grapes, apples, citrus, açai berry, cranberry, pineapple
5. Herbs- yucca root, fennel, spearmint, peppermint, basil, ginger, garlic, green onion, chili pepper, fresh turmeric root, milk thistle, cayenne
6. Wheatgrass & spirulina
Fasters must take care to maintain their intake of vitamins and nutrients. Additionally, the juices from highly acidic fruits can upset the body's natural pH balance, so first-timers should be wary. Because pure juice contains little to no fiber, elimination may become difficult.
Some individuals should be careful before performing juice fasting. These include the malnourished and underweight; pregnant or lactating mothers; advanced cancer patients; individuals with poor immunity; individuals who have recently undergone surgery; individuals who suffer from stomach ulcers, low blood pressure, excessive fatigue, or diabetes; and children. It's also possible for a juice such as grapefruit to interact badly with certain prescription drugs.
My account
So, I did my research and decided to give it a shot – get past all the glossy women’s magazine rhetoric. Initially I set out to do 3 days but after 2, I decided enough was enough (going to bed hungry = no fun).
Day 1- Breakfast: Spinach/celery/carrot. Snack: Pomegranate. Lunch: Carrot/apple. Dinner: Grape. Craploads of water.
Day 2 – Breakfast: Grape. Snack: Radish. Lunch: Cabbage, Broccoli, Mint. Snack: Apple. Dinner: Apple/peach/pomegranate. Craploads of (unsweetened) herbal tea.
Generally, though more towards day 2, I was pretty tired, grouchy and lightheaded. I missed chewing, and the sensation of having a full belly (or rather, one that stayed full for more than 15 minutes). Another thing I missed was having something to look forward to: the day is just one long, arduous process with no respites or rewards. I also had to stay at home most of the time in order to be near my trusty juicer (not to mention the bathroom). Activity-wise I generally lay pretty low, despite some light yoga/pilates sessions. Depending on where you live, this can actually a pretty expensive endeavor, since it takes a lot of fruit & veg to make a substantial glass of juice. No, I didn’t reach enlightenment; yes, my skin sort of broke out; and yes, my stomach shrunk like woah (my first solid meal afterward was delicious, but I was full before I knew it).
My two cents: at the end of it I felt pretty clean, but then – how much of that was psychological? Personally I believe that wellbeing is a matter of balanced lifestyle, not extreme or corrective measures. I'd even go so far as to say that it’s possible to be too clean: by not indulging every now and then, you'll have a much harder time coping, physically and mentally, when you do deviate from your puritan ways. Yayyy indulgence!
