Style: January 11, 2019

32 STYLE | report
How about a detox?
I’m a flexitarian kind of girl who’s welcomed paleo’s
cauliflower rice and life-changing bread (google it!), but given
that bread and cheese would be my desert-island food,
my decades-long aversion to red meat, and voluntary drug
dependency on caffeine and alcohol, I’m not going to jump
on the keto bandwagon anytime soon. In fact, Dry July, is the
closest I’ve ever come to a fad diet.
But, in the interests of research, I took up Greenroots
Juicery’s offer of a three-day Organic Juice Cleanse. Yes, that
meant no solid food for 72 hours. Replacing it with seven
liquid ‘meals’ a day allows the metabolic organs to rest and
renew, says Greenroots’ Chief Wellness Warrior Katie
Penelope. The energy the body normally expends simply
digesting food is instead focused on absorbing a huge influx
of vitamins and minerals (over 1kg of organic produce is
pressed into each of the five main daily juices). Katie says the
abnormal amount of toxins we’re now exposed to – not just
in what we eat and drink, but in the air and skin products –
means we can only flush out so much before we start storing
them. Rather than a detox, though, she prefers to describe a
cleanse as a ‘reset’ for the body once it’s emptied out the old
(think of it as a DIY oil change).
Day one of my reset went surprisingly well. The raw,
organic, cold-pressed juices, smoothies and tonics were,
without exception, delicious – kickstarting with the intensely
flavoured wellness shot of turmeric, ginger, lemon, lime, wild
orange and black pepper. So, no hardship there. Nor was
hunger a problem, as I’d feared – more than 35 serves a
day of organic fruits, veges and superfoods charging into my
metabolism kept it ticking along nicely.
I did develop a very mild caffeine withdrawal headache that
afternoon, which came and went over the next two days. I
found myself muddling words, both writing and speaking, and
putting food in the fridge rather than the freezer; I suspect for
lack of caffeine or fats. And, towards the end of the day, I got
very tired and went to bed early to experience the deepest,
longest sleep I’d had in months and even remembered my
dreams the next day – which I seldom can.
I sailed through day two and was feeling super calm and
contented, even though it was one of those dreary, wet
Saturdays that normally drive me stir-crazy. Not having to
plan and prepare meals was bliss.
However, I was falling down in one area. On top of the
prescribed three litres of juice daily, I was meant to be
drinking an equal amount of water to – believe it or not
– hydrate. Between sipping on 550ml juices (which take a
surprisingly long time to drink) and tripping to the bathroom
(very, very frequently), to imbibe a further 300–500ml of
water between each juice, as recommended, I would’ve
needed gills.
On day three I awoke from another remarkably good
sleep and switched from the Live Light to the Signature
Cleanse for a slightly different menu. Gone was my breakfast
fave, Mint Choc Chip Superfood Smoothie (raw cacao nibs,
banana, activated cashews, cacao powder, mint, peppermint
essential oil, dates), in favour of tangelo, green apple, lemon
and beetroot (still yummy, just not as satisfying). By midafternoon
I was counting how many bottles to go. I longed to
bite something. I wasn’t hangry, simply bored, and that made
me realise how often I turn to food for entertainment (and
we all know what that means: surplus calories). I made do
with two chocolate buttons (one white, one dark: you know,
balance) and with my reset metabolism it really wasn’t hard
to find the willpower to stay on task to the end.
The upshot
Did I lose weight on the juice cleanse? Maybe a kilo – no
doubt through loss of water as is the case initially with
all ‘lose weight fast’ diets. While juice cleanses halve the
normal calorie intake, the purpose of a cleanse is not
weight loss but enhanced nutrition, says Katie. Did I come
out the other side feeling healthier? Absolutely.
After all this research, I think I’ll be looking to ‘eat
everything in moderation (in moderation)’ and get enough
exercise. If I want to eat chips, chocolate and cheese, I will,
just not every day or to excess (quality chocolate contains
no dairy or the nasty trans fats anyway).
I’m not convinced there is a magic pill to losing weight
but am certain every one of us would be healthier cutting
down on low-fat, processed and sugar-dense, nutrientpoor
foods like cakes and soft drinks. And maybe eating a
bit more bacon.