Juice. Everyone's talking about it. From super bods Miranda Kerr and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley to the stream of apple and kale concoctions hijacking your Instagram feed, it appears everyone is extolling the virtues of juice. But does it really have the health benefits all these juicing devotees suggest?
According to juice aficionado Jason Vale - aka the Juice Master whose celebrity fans range from Sarah Jessica Parker to Katie Price - the payback can be life changing. Juicing, he claims, comes with a plethora of benefits. Describing a juice diet as like "pressing restart", utilising the power of freshly extracted fruit and vegetables is claimed to give you increased mental focus, clear skin, better sleep and incredible energy - just the thing for a bride-to-be who needs to be firing on all cylinders. And then, of course, it can help you shed a few pounds.
Based on Jason Vale's book 'The Juice Master Diet: 7lbs in 7 Days', Elixir Soup and Juice in Falmouth has created the 'Elixir Diet and Detox Package', which has been trialled by Cassie Lawrence in the run-up to her wedding. Here, she shares her juicing experience with us...
"Ever since I was a little girl, I had visions of the day I would don a white dress and marry the man of my dreams. So, it was no surprise that with my wedding fast approaching, how I looked in my lusted-after dress was starting to get pretty high on the agenda!
As a self-confessed yo-yo dieter, who has swung between a size 6 and 12 over the last few years, I knew exactly what I wanted to weigh on my big day. I was set on 8 stone and a small size 6-8 - the weight I felt happiest, healthiest and most like 'me'. It was a sensible goal for my 5ft 3.5 frame, and I knew I could do it. However, with only 9 months until my wedding date, I was weighing in at 10 stone 8.6 (146.8lbs), with an overweight BMI of 26.8 and a waistline akin to mid-term pregnancy! I knew I had to start making some healthy and dramatic changes to my lifestyle.
I started my new healthy diet and exercise regime in September and seven months later, I had lost 26.8lbs, and weighed in at exactly 120lbs. Through a combination of a low calorie diet and up to 14 workouts a week, I had shed the majority of my excess weight, and although my size eight shorts were now sliding on with ease, I was still 8lbs away from my goal weight of 112lbs. It was time to up the ante if I wanted to burn off the last half a stone in just six weeks - the clock was ticking and I was determined to reach my goal before my final wedding dress fitting.
So, when I heard about the '7lbs in 7 days' plan being offered by Elixir Soup and Juice in Falmouth, I wanted in. Elixir freshly prepare and then freeze every single juice and shot needed for the full seven day plan, following the book exactly, so that you don't have to lift a finger. All you do is simply defrost your required juices the day before, and drink them at the advised times. No mess, no expensive juicer, no wasted time, and no shopping trip spent searching the shelves for Spirulina! I was already mentally prepared for the programme, so I was confident I could sustain the determination needed to embrace juicing for seven days.
However, the plan is not as simple as just sipping the juices - Jayne Cornish, owner at Elixir, highly recommends that you read Jason Vale's '7lbs in 7 days' book before commencing. The plan comprises a combination of juice and exercise; not only is solid food out, but tea, coffee and alcohol are all banned on the plan, as you give your body the complete detox it needs to flush out the toxins and let the juice power do its thing!
The verdict: What a great experience! I'm not going to lie, the week was tough in some places and I found it a very up and down period in terms of hunger and energy levels, but I must say, I did not have extreme cravings for fatty foods - it was more just the feeling of wanting more juice that I battled with. I found herbal teas helped with this. So, if you think you'll spend the week trying to suppress chocolate cake or hot chips cravings, you have nothing to worry about - the juice will convert you and the only craving will be your next blend of fruits and veggies! I was also impressed with an additional 'side effect' that came with the plan: white teeth. From somebody who drank up to four cups of coffee a day, cutting this out really made my pearlies white!
So, the real question is, how much weight did I lose? The total loss when I stepped on the scales on day 8 was 4.6lbs. Jason Vale has claimed that nobody has ever lost any less than 7lbs, (with most losing more), but I know that I did over and above the exercise recommended and nothing but fruit and vegetables passed my lips, so I did give it 100% commitment and am therefore very pleased with my result. As I was already a slim 8 stone 8lbs and had been dieting for seven months, my body wasn't shocked into fat burn mode to lose an extreme amount of weight, in the same way as somebody who went straight from burgers and pizzas to juice would. Considering I was so close to my goal weight, losing 4.6lbs was a great achievement.
Jason is adamant that you should not return to your 'normal' diet as soon as the seven days end. I still had additional weight to lose, so 'normal' for me would have been a low calorie diet anyway. However, Jason recommends a breakfast and lunch of juice for the first few days, with just one 'solid' meal for tea. Following these days of introducing solids, I lost a further 2.4lbs, taking my total loss to 7lbs in ten days.
So, it may have been tough at times, but it was a lot easier than you might think. Consuming nothing but fresh, natural and healthy juices for seven days felt great! The taste of the juices was amazing, and there is something really empowering about nourishing your body with what nature intended, whilst detoxing all the nasties from your system as you take the journey to a slimmer and more cleansed you. Now, show me the wedding dress!"
Remember, this isn't about putting undue pressure on yourself to lose weight. There's a fine line between obsessing over your wedding day weight and wanting to look your very best on your big day. If you want to shed a few stubborn pounds or give your body a good clean out and kick-start a new, healthier lifestyle, there's nothing like a wedding to motivate you - and a juice detox just might be a good place to start.
CASSIE'S TOP TIPS
Download the app even if you've read the book. It's good to have an instant 'go-to' guide in your pocket, showing you what you will be drinking for the day, and giving you the motivation required when you need to hear a friendly voice to help you through.
Make sure you are adequately prepared and have an early night the day before you start. The juices do give you lots of energy, but you aren't going to feel the full benefit if you don't take care of your body too.
Falmouth-based Merchants Manor and Elixir Soup and Juice have teamed up to offer some discounts on their health and fitness services. Any new member signing up to the Wellness Centre at Merchants Manor, which includes a state of the art gym, will receive a voucher to purchase a complimentary juice or soup from Elixir as well as 10% discount on all future Elixir purchases.
The Manor will be giving a free seven-day gym membership pass, as well as dedicated personal fitness advice, to anyone that signs up to one of Elixir's complete five or seven-day diet and detox programmes. Merchants Manor's Wellness Centre is open to non-residents and features top specification training equipment and the innovative fitness technology, mywellness cloud. Elixir Soup and Juice serves nutritious and fresh juices, soups and smoothies as well as sandwiches and hot drinks.
www.merchantsmanor.com
www.elixirsoupandjuice.co.uk
words Rebecca Matthews
Copyright Wed magazine 2014
