Juice detox recipes for a healthy New Year

December 28th, 2012

Ovens & Cooking Recipes Small Appliances

Do you feel like this?

December, you fiend! I was once a young nymph, floating golden-skinned through fields of barley – but now I am a corpulent old woman, lying alone in a dumpster full of empty Dorito packets and feral cats, reflecting bitterly on my wasted life. *sobs reproachfully*

…Strangely enough, my diet of butter, ham, and brandy has not produced the trim, toned body I had hoped for – quite the opposite, in fact. And so as the year draws to a close and my breathing becomes increasingly laboured, I’ve started to think seriously about cleaning up my diet.

That’s right folks. Today we’re talking about New Year’s resolutions – specifically those to do with getting healthy. Loathe as I am to use a word like ‘detox’, there’s no better way to describe a process of eliminating unhealthy substances from one’s life. And so, without further ado…

What is a juice detox?

As the name suggests, a juice detox is a diet plan that involves drinking freshly squeezed juice as your main source of nutrition.

There are many variations of juice detox diet – some allow you to eat certain foods as well as drinking juice; others do not. (Of course when planning any kind of diet we recommend that you talk to your GP first).

Joe Cross (pictured above) is an Australian entrepreneur who woke up one day to realise that he was ‘Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.’ Battling obesity and an autoimmune disease, Joe decided to embark on a 60 day juice detox (using a Breville juicer!) in which he lost 37 kilos and gave his body an opportunity to heal itself:

Another public figure who revolutionised his lifestyle with juice is Jason Vale (known as the “Juice Master”). Dubbed “The Jamie Oliver of Juice”, Jason once suffered from chronic asthma, psoriasis, eczema, hay fever and obesity – as well as struggling with a 40-a-day cigarette habit. But now look at him!

By incorporating freshly squeezed juice into his daily diet, Jason was able to overcome his health problems and create a positive new life for himself. As he puts it:

“More and more of us are starting to realise that one of the best kept ‘secrets’ to optimum health, mental sharpness and life-giving energy lie in the pure natural and organic liquid that flows within every single fruit and vegetable designed for human consumption.”

What type of juicers are best?

Generally speaking, freshly squeezed juice is healthier than store bought juice – it’s fresher, contains no added sugar, salt, preservatives, or artificial colours and flavours. Additionally, fresh juice has a lower carbon footprint as it does not need to be stored in plastic bottles and shipped by trucks.

Not all juicers are the same, however. To make the process of choosing easier, Appliances Online recommends:

Breville ikon™ Frooji™ Juice Fountain®

“Great value for money. Absolutely loving my juices and also fairly easy to clean.”
-Doroteja, Rosehill, NSW

Philips QuickClean Juicer

“Loving my Philips juicer. It doesn’t take up a lot of bench space and is very easy to clean, and it is very good looking!!”
-Tracey, Jamestown, SA

Coway JuicePresso Juicer

“Very happy with the product, I have used other juicers but the quality of the juice and the processing method is superior to anything else I have used.”
-Odile, Lota, QLD

Oscar Neo Juicer

“Best juicer ever!!! And quietest!”
-Mary, Parkerville, WA

Juice detox recipes

Different types of juice serve different purposes. For instance, if you wanted to cure a hangover (not that we’d know anything about that sort of thing), you should go for a refreshing juice of watermelon, kiwifruit, grapefruit, pineapple, lime and strawberries. Alternatively, if you wanted to settle your stomach, a juice containing ginger, pineapple, fennel, lemon, pear and mint should do the trick.

Take it from the Juice Master:

“If you remove the ‘toxicity’ and replace the ‘deficiencies’ the body usually finds its balance and equilibrium of natural health. In other words, if you stop flooding your body with rubbish foods and drinks and furnish it with the finest liquid fuel containing all of the essential vitamins, minerals, amino acids, carbohydrates, essential fatty acids, enzymes, and co-factories – 90% of ailments seem to improve or go away completely.”

Lemon Ginger Zinger

Rich in vitamin C, this juice is great for eliminating toxins from the body. It can also aid digestion.

Mean Green Juice

This is the juice that got Joe Cross started on his epic juice detox in the documentary ‘Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.’

Super Chute Juice

This juice is full of calcium, iron, potassium, selenium, folic acid and chlorophyll. Additionally, beetroot is rich in carotenoids – which is good for your blood! Described by Jason as “a true anti-cancer king!”

Breakfast on the Go

There’s no better way to start the day than this! Certain to have you running laps across the beach while fist-pumping the air in no time.

For more super juice recipes, check out Juice Master Australia.

Happy detoxing, and good luck! Until 2013, my friends…