Where juices can be beneficial
Squeezing in the two and five
In a society where convenience often
trumps health, it’s nice to think we can
combine the two. Plenty of convenience
food is void of nutrient-dense fruit and
vegetables, but juices are a quick way
to boost your two and five. “Juices are
a really easy way to get in nutrients
that you wouldn’t normally have at
that particular meal,” Maston says.
“For example at breakfast, it’s not
normally the time people would eat
vegetables so of course if they have a
juice, they’re more likely to do that. I
always recommend choosing at least
one vegetable to help get your numbers
up. Everyone can add a green juice to
their diet without gaining weight and
providing yourself with extra nutrients
and fibre or if you like some fruit in
your juices, add some nuts and then you
can replace a meal with one.”
Giving your health a reset
While the body is very good at
detoxifying itself thanks to certain
hardworking organs, there are certain
times of the year where the liver and
digestive system could do with a break
or at the very least, an additional serve
of concentrated micronutrients. A
one- to three-day cold-pressed juice
cleanse can be both a physical and
mental reset. “If we overburden the
system, like the stomach and liver,
and constantly feed it toxins, it puts a
lot of stress on the body,” Tuck says.
“The body really needs a good twelve
hours a day of fasting, which is why
you’re not meant to eat too late at night
because it’s good to use that time to
rest the digestive system. So a juice
cleanse for, say, three days, can support
the digestive system. When you take
out the junk food, the overeating and
all the other toxins and just drink the
juice with a concentrated amount of
nutrients and antioxidants, it takes the
pressure off the digestive system.”
Bird says clients commonly report
a boost in energy levels after a juice
cleanse, which has helped create a
platform for eating more consciously
and healthfully. “For me, if I want to
start a health kick and better, cleaner
eating then I’ll do a three-day cleanse to
reset everything and then from there, I
find I tend to make healthier choices,”
Bird says.Where juices don’t work
Correcting blood sugar imbalances
Those with low or high blood sugar
levels should toss the trend of juice
cleanses aside. “A juice cleanse isn’t
right for everybody and particularly
people with sugar imbalances,” Tuck
says. “When you have a juice your
blood sugar spikes and because there’s
no fat, fibre or protein in the juice,
there’s nothing to maintain the bloodsugar level so it rapidly drops again
and you get real swings in blood sugar.
Those with low or high blood sugar
levels may feel faint, get very shaky or
feel nauseous.”
Those who have an intense exercise
schedule or a manual labour job also
lower their blood sugar level and are
likely to experience the same symptoms.Long-term cleansing
The results from the documentary Fat,
Sick and Nearly Dead were impressive,
as Joe Cross spent 60 days drinking
only fresh fruit and vegetable juices, and
completely turned his health around
while inspiring countless others to do
the same. However, the downside tonaturalhealthmag.com.au AUSTRALIAN NATURAL HEALTH | 57