my 3-day juice detox review and why we should be detoxing all the time!

detoxification.

“he ended up in detox for three months”

detoxify.

“both my mind and my body were detoxed”

a detox program can be an incredible natural cure for general fatigue and the perfect thing to do to  boost your energy and overall health. although scientific research is still in its infancy (dr. mercola has lots of interesting and very current research on this!), many dieticians, nutritionists, GP’s and therapists have been  recommending dietary and supplementary plans that enhance the body’s detoxification mechanisms for many years now.

simple dietary adjustments, supplements, and some natural therapies to enhance detoxification can ease, or even completely end your fatigue and increase your overall general health. i had a perforated stomach ulcer years ago and suffered with my stomach for years- so i’m a complete advocate that healthy living can totally turn your life around 🙂

what is a liver detox?
the term detox doesn’t refer to refraining from alcohol or drugs, nor does it mean a colon cleanse or a juice diet. It refers to the science of how your body rids itself of waste—a metabolic process involving your own liver’s natural detoxification enzyme systems. these detoxification enzyme systems convert toxic substances into non-toxic, water-soluble compounds that can be eliminated through your urine, sweat, and..well other waste matter 🙂 ! as your liver is the body’s main organ for your detoxification activity, the main focus of a liver detox is to enhance your liver’s enzyme systems.

the gastrointestinal tract is also paramount in decreasing toxic load- this is why most detox plans  also strengthen your natural intestinal bacteria and enhance colon function.

what are the main goals of a liver detox?
• to increase your intake of certain nutrients (vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals) required for detoxification-related biochemical processes.
• to minimize ingested allergens, toxins, and chemicals to reduce your exposure. (allowing your intestinal tract a chance to repair itself and allows it to process waste and harmful compounds more efficiently)
• to increase bowel function and bile flow for quicker elimination of waste and toxins, minimizing  your toxin exposure.
• to optimize alkalinity by increasing your intake of vegetables to encourage urinary excretion of toxic compounds.

the dietary portion of a liver detox program, however, is so important! you can’t just start eating loads of fruit and expect to see results. certain foods trigger acid formation in your digestive system so you need to be clever about your methods of detox to reap the benefits!

your focus should be on natural, organic if possible, vegetables to minimise potential exposure to antibiotics, pesticides, any artificial chemicals, corn syrups or preservatives.
whole, natural vegetables along with adequate fluids- ie: lots of filtered water, is the premium option for anyone seeking a leaner, cleaner body for the new year. i also supplemented my detox by body brushing each day and drinking lots of green tea. i did yoga on one of the days and a small at-home workout on one of the other days too.

my  3 day juice cleanse
i chose to do a 3 day juice cleanse with bodyfirst nutrition and bubblicity. the program costs €75 and was delivered to my front door just one day after making the call!
i received 12 juices in total, so that was 4 juices per day, which i was recommended to try and have one every 3-4 hours to keep any hunger pangs at bay!
the weirdest part for me was, of course, not eating…for anyone who knows me i’m a huge eater and tend to snack every two hours so the habitual part of eating and snacking suddenly gone from my day was very strange at first.

i wasn’t exactly staaaarving hungry at all really- well the second night i found a little difficult as my boyfriend decided it would be a great idea to cook some sausages- so it was the smell that killed me! i felt like a vampire not allowed my allocation of blood haha! 🙂

the juices themselves were really tasty- especially the carrot, lemon and ginger one called ginger tonic and the one called enerjuice- i actually craved it when i had finished my 3 days! i’m not a huge celery fan though so i found the one with celery, brocolli and courgette quite hard to palate, but a few friends who have since done the same plan actually really like it!

they are actually quite filling too and it’s suprising how quickly your body gets used to eating smaller amounts and how ‘full’ you feel after the juices. now don’t get me wrong- you are hungry before each juice but i found that my last juice of the day i didn’t even feel i really needed until quite late at night. however, the later i had the juices at night, the less i slept so that’s something to be mindful of!

i didn’t get any headaches or big mad side effects either, which some people have mentioned they find happens, but i do eat quite healthily and don’t drink a huge amount or eat that may carbs so that may be why!

when i woke up on day 4 it was sunday morning and i hadn’t eaten anything since wednesday at 9pm so it was a bit of a shock to the system to be able to eat again-
my first meal was two poached eggs, 1/2 an avocado, one sausage, some black pudding and some fennel bread toasted with natural butter- and of course a big mug of green tea…
i felt great straight after the meal and still hungry but when i got home a while later i had quite a sore stomach so it might be best to start small once you are done 🙂 i’m a greedy pig when i’m hungry though!
i didn’t have any dinner last night either as was still quite full after lunch on sunday- steak with steamed vegetables and a little peppercorn sauce- so i had a hot chocolate as a treat and had some green tea before bed…

if you are thinking of doing the detox, i would definitely recommend it- i feel lighter, brighter and leaner after doing it, which is the perfect way to kick start a new year’s diet or exercise program.

the following are a few recommendations i would have for anyone thinking of doing the juice diet:
do it do it do it- you will feel better afterwards 🙂

• before you do it- say 3-5 days before, cut down on your carb and sugar intake and ease off the coffee too
• when you start, you will be thinking of food all of the time, as is normal, so keep yourself busy and drink lots of water and green tea in between your juices.
• try to go to bed early each night- your energy will be lower than normal- i went for lunch with the girls and found it hard to follow all of the conversations- i felt a little tired and groggy but after my mid-afternoon juice i was back on track 🙂
• stick to it- even if you feel hungry, tell yourself it’s just three little days and your body will get a nice rest from all it’s hard work for a few hours, and will be ready to bounce back again!

as a final word- our bodies are well capable of detoxing themselves but with the amount of chemicals we consume- makeup, perfume, food, antibiotics, contraceptive pill etc…our bodies are constantly in a state of inflammation. we are eating more sugar than ever before so it’s nice every once in a while to take a break and let your body rejuvenate itself and clean out any nasties!

equally it’s very important to enjoy life and give yourself a break too from time to time and eat whatever makes you happy 🙂

if you are interested in doing the juice diet, email info@bodyfirst.ie or call (01) 537 9394 and ask to speak to Ray- oh and tell him gymbunny says hi 🙂

p.s if you have any personal questions for me while you are doing the detox, give me a quick mail through my facebook page here!
good luck
xx