Welcome to Juice-uary! To celebrate the new year (well, kind of) the Healthista team are doing a seven day juice fast and blogging about it each day with recipes, tips and what really happens on a juice fast
What have we signed up for? In the run up to Christmas, the girls at Healthista Towers must have been pretty high on cheap Advent calendar chocolate because someone suggested we all do a joint juice fast come January 5th. And we all chimed in and said ‘What a great idea!’ Of course at the time, January 5th seemed many days – and many more mince pies, brandy butter slurps and leaps into the Selections box – away. But now it’s here, our tummies are rumbling and we’re signed up to do a seven day juice fast and blog our way through it, as it happens.
So, meet the juicers on the team and find why they’re doing it then follow us daily for recipes, tips and the reality of what we’re going through.
THE SKEPTIC
Anna Magee, 45
Why I’m doing it Over the last few months I have been experiencing a worrying drop in energy. I tend to push myself quite hard and work long hours but lately, in the evenings I have wanted to do little more than drop onto my sofa with my Sons of Anarchy box set and a bag of Walker’s crisps. This is not good.
I exercise most days and eat a paleo or caveman diet (find out why here) and that tends to work for me. But recently I have had cravings for pasta, butter on everything and mountains of said Walker’s crisps which have become more and more difficult to not indulge. Heck, they’re only crisps. But every other night, they’re at risk of fast turning into jeans that don’t fit. I mean, I don’t need to lose weight per se, but my comfortable weight is about 53 kilos and when I weighed myself this morning – thanks to a mini-break in Athens and all the festive indulgence – I was nearly 58. When you’re only five foot three, that shows. So a teeny bit of weight loss if I am honest, would be welcome.
Still, I have always pooh-poohed the idea of a juice fast. I can just about manage one juice a day added to my regular diet but I always thought juice fasting was pointless, given the fact that any weight loss is usually water weight that often goes back on after you stop (or so they say). But recently my interest was piqued by two things. First I met Natasha Davy, the former model who founded Raw To Door, a juicing delivery company. With her glowing skin and perfect figure, she also mentioned that she rarely gets ill, which is hugely appealing to me as the more stressed I get the more I tend to catch any old bug going. I also watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead with juice man Joe Cross who lost a tonne of weight and turned his health around after a 90 day juice fast. More than anything though, I want to know what all the fuss is about with juicing, will it really make any difference to my health, weight, energy, skin and general mood or is it really just a waste of time and money?
How I’m doing it At the weekend, I read The Reboot with Joe Juice Diet and am following some of Joe’s recipes, along with some of his advice. It’s fine to drink coconut water so I have stocked up on that. He’s also quite flexible with people wanting to add things to their juices. I am terrified of feeling starved and narky so I this morning I blended a half a banana and half an avocado with my juice to keep me going until lunch, which Joe says is fine. I have also bought big on miso soup and herbal teas as I am always cold and this fast will no doubt make it worse, as my temperature drops though lack of warming food.
What will be getting me through: My trusted Philips Viva Compact Juicer ( I love it so much I have one at the office and one at home). Clearspring Hearty Red Miso Instant Soup with Sea Vegetable 4 x 10g (Pack of 4, total of 16 sachets)
sachets, Tesco delivery fruit and vegetable shop, Cocofina 100 Percent Coconut Water Tetra Pak 1 Litre (Pack of 4)
coconut water, The Reboot with Joe Juice Diet by Joe Cross
and long walks.
THE CONVERT
Christina Paugger, 24
Why I’m doing it About six months ago my eating habits were appalling, my diet consisted of a bag of gummy bears for lunch and instant noodles with cheese slices for dinner. I constantly felt tired, my skin was dry and I had to battle a few nasty colds in a row. And all of a sudden it hit me, I am 24 and feel terrible. So I decided to go on a seven day juice fast back in August 2014, inspired by the films Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead and Food Matters. The week was tough, hunger pangs were a permanent part of my existence. Also, I was suffering from sugar withdrawal, constantly feeling low on energy. However, I pushed through it and ever since I have felt great, have cut out processed foods from my diet and only eat fresh food and drink one juice every day. My skin improved massively and I haven’t been ill since.
It was easy to stick to a healthy lifestyle between August and November, but December is my worst enemy. Homemade christmas cookies, mulled wine and gingerbread, not to mention the daily piece of chocolate from the advent calendar, have made me feel a little sluggish and low on energy all throughout December. Having a few sweet treats over Christmas can be absolutely fatal for a hardcore sugar addict like myself. In order to make sure that I don’t fall back into old habits, I decided to go on another seven day juicing trip.
What I want out of this week This week will hopefully help me to stay on track back to my new healthy lifestyle. I want to feel just as energised and great like I did after my first juice fast.
What will be getting me through The main two things that will get me through this juice fast are herbal tea and a good juicer, I’m using the Sage by Heston Blumenthal the Nutri Juicer which I love because you don’t have to cut up anything as it has a big feeding tube and allows me to gunk whole vegetables into it. Only drinking juice for a week is not easy and it helps to have a juicer that will transform all that delicious fruit and vegetables into a drink quickly before you get tempted to eat it.
THE VIRGIN
Cassie Stylianou, 26
Why I’m doing it I’ve always been interested in trying the juice diet simply from what I’ve heard and seen from friends and colleagues, (you’ve all seen the pics on Facebook and Instagram). After trying a few juices at work, I was surprised to find how tasty they can be. I’ve wanted to up my intake on fruit and veg because, like so many people, I don’t usually get the recommended daily intake, instead stocking up on biscuits or chocolate. Juicing seems like such an easy option that I keep questioning why I haven’t done it before. When I’m tired, I tend to go for fast, processed foods which obviously makes my fatigued state worse but sometimes I can’t be bothered to stand around chopping, cooking then clearing up (again, I’m sure many of you find yourselves in this situation). Juicing would be a quick fix and nutritious meal. I like to challenge myself too and considering the stories I’ve heard (the hunger pangs, the moods), I’d like to see how I cope with it.
What I want out of this week I’m hoping that juicing will stop me from going back for second helpings because, after all, if I can survive simply on raw juice for breakfast, lunch and dinner for seven days then one bowl of pasta for dinner (after a good sized breakfast and lunch with snacks in between may I add) is definitely sufficient. I’m hoping I’ll feel more energised after the Christmas sluggish feeling that has overcome me and that my skin clears up as I’ve become a bit blotchy. A little bit of weight loss would also be great after all the takeaways, cake, chocolate and alcohol that December bought.
What will be getting me through Lots of water to help fight the hunger pangs and herbal teas. I don’t think I could go through a week in the winter season with only cold drinks.
HOW’S IT GOING TO WORK?
We’ll each update the blog daily for the next seven days with what we ate (well, drank) that day, the recipes we used and exactly how we’re feeling.
DAY 1:
Anna says:
How am I feeling? Headachy and a bit over it to be honest. There’s a symphony of grumbling tummies in the office and the thought of not actually really eating anything for the next week is slightly terrifying – it’s kind of emotional too as I realise how much of the day I spend fantasisng about where I’m going too have lunch or what I’m going to eat for dinner. I am also really cold, which according to juicing guru Joe Cross, can often happen on a juice fast because the calorie restrict can lead to a drop in body temperature. I have had how to say, a ‘cleansing’ effect and have been ‘going’ three times as much as usual, with the odd tummy cramp.
How I’m feeling The strangest feeling during the day was realising how much I think about what I am going to eat for dinner, a gorgeous warming stew and how lovely it will feel to eat it. I felt kind of peeved that I wasn’t going to be able to have any of that and would instead be facing nothing but juice. I am getting irritated more easily (and I was pretty irritable to start with) more at the thought of not being able to eat than actually being hungry, which is an emotional not a physical need, I know. It didn’t help that Himself sat down to yesterday’s chill mince stew and gasped at how much better than yesterday it tasted. Still, last night I actually loved my juice (see recipe below) and though I was worried I wouldn’t be able to sleep because of hunger (I hate being hungry) I was asleep halfway through my evening murder programme (orphan Black, if you’re wondering) and in bed by ten past nine. Some first day effects for you: enthusiastic bowels (about four movements) and a rather stale-tasting mouth.
What I learned today Walking is my friend. There’s nothing better for the irritation I am feeling than going for a walk, it cleared my head and got my thoughts away from my rumbling tummy. Miso is my friend. It helps keep my hunger pangs at bay (not strictly allowed on Joe Cross’s fasts but I am nothing if not flexible).
On today’s menu:
Breakfast – Hearty Green JuSmoothie (find out what JuSmoothie is here) two sticks celery, one cucumber, two small apples, one lime, one two inch slice of ginger all juiced and then blended with two handfuls of kale, half a banana and half an avocado with a pinch of cinnamon.
Mid-morning – hot miso soup, rooibos tea, Vanilla Chai.
Lunch – Sweet and Tangy Green Thing Half a cucumber, one celery stick, one lemon, 1 pear, three kale leaves, two apples and pinch cinnamon.
Mid-afternoon snacks – hot miso soup, rooibos tea, vanilla chai
Dinner – Big Red JuSmoothie Half a beetroot, eight carrots, two inch piece of ginger, one lime and two apples blended with half an avocado.
Christina says:
The night before the first day of our juice fast I had trouble sleeping because I knew how challenging this week is going to be for me, especially after the holidays. Last time I did a juice fast it was summer and I was on holidays which meant that I could simply have a nap whenever I felt tired. Doing a fast whilst working full-time is a completely different ballgame. I am happy, however, that we are doing this as a team, because I think that it will motivate me to be around people who are also starving.
On today’s menu:
Breakfast – Morning Glory one third of a cucumber, two carrots, two celery sticks, one lemon, 1 pear, one apple, ginger and one orange.
Mid-morning – Apple and Mango tea, leftover from my breakfast juice.
Lunch – Sweet and Tangy Green Thing Half a cucumber, one celery stick, one lemon, 1 pear, three kale leaves, two apples and pinch cinnamon.
Dinner – Broccoli In A Glass small bowl of broccoli, 1 orange, 1 apple, 2 celery sticks, 1/3 cucumber, ginger and one lemon.
How I’m feeling: It’s the end of day one and I actually felt alright, just a little bit hungry throughout the day. But it was in the evening when the hunger pangs hit me the worst. Watching my boyfriend eating a big plate of pasta next to me while I was sipping my liquids was extremely challenging.
What I learned today: Distraction is key, I ended up washing the dishes to escape the sight and smell of actual food.
Cassie says
I too had trouble sleeping because I kept thinking – You can’t eat a single thing this week! I also realised how much my social life focuses around food or drinking as I’ve had to reschedule dinner and cocktails simply due to the juice diet. Today, I have been hungry. My stomach keeps rumbling and I keep thinking I’m going to go home and make myself a large meal but oh no, a tall glass of juice instead. I’m glad Anna and Christina are juicing as well as it makes it a bit easier to deal with it. At least we can laugh (and whinge) about it together. If someone was eating right infront of me, it would be even more challenging.
On today’s menu:
Breakfast – 3 lettuce leafs, one carrot, one third of a cucumber, half a beetroot, half a lemon, a handful of strawberries and blueberries and a dash of cinnamon.
Lunch – Sweet and Tangy Green Thing Half a cucumber, one celery stick, one lemon, 1 pear, three kale leaves, two apples and pinch cinnamon.
Dinner – One sweet potatoe, one carrot,one celery stick, one red apple, half a beetroot, half a courgette, and half a lemon.
How I’m feeling: I was so hungry last night. It’s not fun smelling food being cooked and hearing everyone else talking about dinner. I had to shut myself up in my bedroom when it came to `dinner` time. No-one was envious of my juice but I was ridiculously envious of their chicken curry. Even though I was tired, I had trouble going to sleep because of my hunger pangs. It can only get easier…I hope.
What I learned: Move away from temptation. When everyone was eating, I went upstairs and had my shower. It got me away from the smell of the food, which helped.
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