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Weight loss: How to detox in a day

Take time out to detox for just 24 hours works wonders says health expert Christine Bailey

Take time out to detox for just 24 hours works wonders says health expert Christine Bailey
Our liver, lymphatic system, gall bladder, bowel and urinary system are all involved in the processing and elimination of toxins. These vital processes rely on a healthy diet and lifestyle – which can often be difficult to maintain. By putting aside a day for a juice detox you can keep your diet on track and help the body deal with those excesses more effectively.

A juice detox works in two main ways. It helps to clean up your diet, reducing the amount of toxins your body is exposed to as well as helping your digestive tract and liver to function optimally by giving it the essential nutrients it needs. Juices are packed with nutrients for rapid absorption and assimilation and their high antioxidant content protects the body against damaging free radicals. Fresh juices also have remarkable cleansing powers – their high water content is essential for hydrating and cleaning the body of waste and they contain a range of compounds such as citric and malic acid, pectin and chlorophyll known for their ability to absorb fats and toxins from the digestive tract.

Getting ready to juice

The day before your detox day eat lightly: avoid all animal protein and stick to a light diet with plenty of vegetables, fruit, fish and eggs. Drink at least 1.5 litres of water and cut back on coffee and tea. At bedtime the night before take one tablespoon of flaxseed with a large glass of water to boost elimination. The juice detox day is designed to be a ‘juice only’ day but if you wish you can add a raw salad at lunchtime or dinner. In addition to juices, drink four or five glasses of water or herbal cleansing teas through the day. For maximum benefit include a little gentle exercise and treatments such as massage, skin brushing and Epsom salt baths. Read the recipes opposite and make sure you have all the ingredients to hand before you start – and don’t forget you will need a good juicer and blender!

Your 24 Hour Detox

Once you’ve got all the tools and recipes, it’s time to get started!

On waking drink a large glass of hot water with juice of half a lemon and a glass of water or cup of nettle tea.

Breakfast

Lemon Green Cleanser

Mid morning

Large mug of chamomile tea

Beet & Orange Crush

Lunch

Lemon Green Cleanser

Early afternoon

Glass of hot water with juice of half a lemon or fennel

Early dinner

Deep Root Cleanse Herbal tea

Evening

Lettuce and Apple Sleepy head

A great way to end your detox day is to take a warm bath, add one cup of Epsom salts and soak for 20 minutes. Wrap up warm and have an early night

Choosing the right juicer

Nick Ledger of UK Juicers advises on choosing the right juicer for your health regime

Juicing machines are split into two main categories:

Centrifugal juicers are the high speed juicers that extract juice by shredding the raw matter on high-speed, rotating blades, before throwing it against a wire mesh to eliminate pith and squeeze out the last drops of juice. These juicers are fast and perfect for hard fruit and vegetables such as ginger, apples and carrots. Look out for centrifugal juicers that have large feed chutes like that found on the L’equip 215 XL (£109 from ukjuicers.com).

Masticating juicers enable you to access the nutritional benefits of softer fruits and vegetables, such as spinach and grapes, as well as the harder varieties. These juicers chew and press the raw matter so that juice is squeezed out in a more gentle process, ensuring the release of locked-in nutrients. Opt for a faster version such as the Omega VRT 350 HD (£379, from ukjuicers.com).

Recipes

Lemon Green Cleanser

Kick start your detox day with this super cleansing juice. Bursting with chlorophyll, potassium, pectin and vitamin C this amazing green cocktail will speed up the body’s elimination of toxins to help blast that stubborn fat. Adding fresh lemon to the juice gives not just a great burst of flavour to the juice but is a superb liver aid with anti-viral, anti-bacterial properties.

Makes 2 servings

4 sticks celery
6 large handfuls kale
4 apples
2 lemon, peeled

1. Juice all the ingredients.

Beet and Orange Crush

This delicious sweet juice is the perfect pick me up when your energy levels are low. Blending in mango and psyllium at the end increases the fibre content which boosts its cleansing power. Packed with vitamin C, which can become depleted during times of stress.

Makes 1 serving

1 raw beetroot
2 oranges
50g / 2oz mango flesh
½ tsp psyllium husks

1. Juice the beetroot and orange.

2. Place the juice in a blender with the mango and psyllium and process until smooth.

Deep Root Cleanse

This is a sweet tasting juice that will help you feel lighter and healthier instantly. The addition of sweet potato provides a source of complex carbohydrates to boost energy levels plus B vitamins and iron to raise your spirits.

Makes 1 serving

2 small carrots
½ sweet potato
2 apples
½ cucumber

Place all the ingredients through the juicer.

Lettuce and Apple Sleepy Head

This is the perfect drink to help you unwind and sleep soundly. Rich in pectin from the apples and digestive enzymes found in pineapple it can also help your body continue to cleanse and eliminate toxins during the evening. Sip this slowly or dilute with water to drink before bedtime.

Makes 1 serving

1 apple
115g / 4oz romaine lettuce
125g / 4 ½ oz fresh pineapple
Water to dilute – optional

Place all the fruit and vegetables through a juicer.
Dilute with water to serve if you wish

Is a juice day right for you?

While a juice detox day is safe and nourishing, it may not be appropriate for everyone, particularly if any of the following apply.

Pregnant or lactating women • Children and teenagers
Pre and post-surgery • Diabetics or those with metabolic syndrome
Wilson’s Disease
AIDS
Disordered eating patterns – anorexia and bulimia. It is important to check with your G.P or health practitioner if you have any long term illness or are on medication.

5 of the best detox foods

Try these top cleansing foods from nutrition guru Patrick Holford

Seeds

Packed with minerals such as calcium, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, zinc and selenium, which are essential for detoxification. Zinc, in particular, is essential for the first stage of detoxification of alcohol. Just don’t buy roasted seeds as you will lose much of their benefit.

Dark greens

Packed with vitamin C, folate and chlorophyll all of which are exceedingly good for you. They also contain bioflavonoids which are special antioxidants that help your liver to detox your body.

Cruciferous vegetables

Vegetables whose leave grow as a cross (cruciferous) are part of a food family that enhances the liver’s capacity to detoxify. This includes cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and kale. They contain glucosinolates and D-glucarate that help a critical liver detox process called glucurodination.

Onions and garlic

Excellent food sources of sulphur-containing amino acids. Sulphur drives a critical liver detox pathway, called sulphation. The amino acids in these foods also give the body the raw ingredients to make glutathione which drives another critical detox pathway that detoxifies paracetamol and caffeine.

Berries

The best all-round foods for anti-ageing antioxidants compared to other fruit. Best of all are blueberries, which are especially rich in a type of flavonoid called anthocyanidins and proanthocyanidins.

Article by

Christine Bailey

Health Expert

Christine Bailey MSC MBANT is a well-known nutritionist, chef and journalist and author of numerous recipe books including The Juice Diet Book (Duncan Baird Publishers) and The Raw Food Diet...

Discover more

Article by

Christine Bailey

Health Expert

Christine Bailey MSC MBANT is a well-known nutritionist, chef and journalist and author of numerous recipe books including The Juice Diet Book (Duncan Baird Publishers) and The Raw Food Diet...

Discover more