Initially I was skeptical of doing a detox, no particular reason why, but perhaps a bit of me thought it’s just another trend of eating to add to the rest that are already out there, and are already confusing people with what’s good and what’s not when it comes to food.
There is a lot to say about food manufacturers and adding of sugars, preservatives, chemicals to make food taste and sell better, and the advertising that support’s this, but that’s another post perhaps, however I did know that a detox only used natural whole foods so decided just to try for myself.
I quickly discovered the owner Danni, of I Zumo, Tarifa, to be very knowledgeable, and genuinely passionate about what she does and creates. She runs a very busy shop at the kitesurfing spot of Valdevaqueros, Tarifa.
She questioned why I wanted to do it, what to expect, how to prep, and expected benefits.
Personally I just wanted a reset / reboot of my body after some pretty bad eating habits, drinking a lot of alcohol, not enough sleep, and a lot of bread (a month in Morocco where bread is compulsory with everything….mmmm bread!!!!)
I started with 3 days, then after 2 days extended to 5, and felt so good on the 5th that I extended to 7. By this point I was over it, and was ready to eat again!
How it worked:
- No caffeine, alchohol, or heavy food for a day or two before you start. Lots of water.
- Danni prepped 6 x 600ml of a variety of juices (mix of fruits / greens / milks) for you on a daily basis.
- Start the day with hot water and lemon, and drink the juices every 2 hours throughout the day, finishing with a milk based one to help sleep.
- Drink as much water as you can through the day, minimum 3 litres.
- The juices become more green through the programme.
- Observe your body and see what happens….things get VERY green 🙂
Disadvantages
- I suffered bad headaches for 3 days, apparently this was caffeine withdrawal, considering I was drinking at least 4 STRONG coffees a day, I am not surprised.
- Tiredness at first.
- Hungry – but only every now and again – this I was really surprised about.
Advantages
- Once adjusted to the juices, I found steady energy throughout the day.
- Weight loss – I am not sure if this is due to water retention being released, or just lack of solid food, or I was eating badly before, but I have definitely lost weight.
- Easy routine to follow, and you look forward to your juice so much!
- It’s kicked my caffeine habit.
- Better sleeping.
- Less cravings for sugar, coffee, random snacking (routine helped me here).
- Skin just looks healthier.
- A very good way to just get anixodiants and other good things into your body fast and easily.
- Self esteem from following a programme and sticking to it and seeing the benefits.
Something else I did notice when I went out to a restaurant and wasn’t eating, was that the food that was served did not look that appealing…..I found this strange.
I took some photos afterwards and compared to some others I had on my phone (they were not taken the exact day I started, but I wasn’t much different).
Results are in:
So thats it, I hope its helpful, it’s just my experience and it worked for me, perhaps its for you, perhaps not, I would say give it a trial and see!
I do know this is something I will continue for the future though, perhaps a week every 3 months depending on what I have going on.
Now where is my juice…..DANNI !!!!
John Alex Clarke 