Detox juices: miracle or myth?

DETOX JUICE and JUICE CLEANSE are terms that are on everyone’s lips these days. With the recent surge in the health and fitness industry and the outflow of ‘Instagram fitness’ with models, actresses, fitness gurus and even ordinary people posting their healthy diets and fitness regimes on social media, one can’t help but notice the constant use of hashtags such as #detoxjuice and #greenjuice.

Whether one is looking for a quick fix (in terms of a few days of a ‘pure’ diet to fix ones previous ‘transgressions’) or just a way of incorporating more health and goodness to their everyday diets, the detox juice is one health phenomenon that fitness freaks cannot seem to get enough of.

That being said, detox juices and juice cleanses are not without their skeptics. Some individuals insist that there is no ‘scientific’ need for a detox and that no conclusive medical evidence points to the fact that your digestive tract will heal from skipping solid food. With all these different points of view it is easy to get confused. With this in mind, we at Something Haute, spoke to some of the country’s top fitness trainers and nutritionist’s for their take on detox juices. This should help you make up your mind!

Zarmina Faisal

(Registered Yoga Teacher 300hr, Precision Nutrition Level1 Coach, Group Exercise Leader)

“Although the benefits of juicing are ‘scientifically’ debatable, I feel incorporating it into my diet has done me a world of good. I usually have a big green juice for lunch, or sometimes post my yoga class I don’t really juice actually; I just blend my vegetables and fruit together with a superfood mix. It keeps me feeling light and energetic, and at the same time fills me up. Sometimes you have to just be intuitive to your body’s needs and likes, and I personally respond well to juicing!”

Umama Riaz Ahmed

(Founder of Earth Kitchen, Certified Health Coach from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition)

“We as Pakistanis are accustomed to largely meat oriented diets or dishes that cook vegetables. Heating and cooking vegetables diminishes their nutrient value, killing essential enzymes and minerals. That’s where cold pressed juicing comes in. It allows you to reap the benefits of the produce without adding any heat to the process. It also doesn’t hurt that each bottle contains almost one kilogram of produce, making it all the more easy to consume them in a raw, liquid form.

Muhammad Arif

(Certified Nutritionist and Personal Trainer)

“As a concept, it’s brilliant to be honest, hell even genius. The idea that you can wash away your calorific sins acts as the perfect antidote to our fast-food lifestyles and not to forget our alcoholic intensive weekends. The idea that you can “flush” your system, leaving your organs clean and raring to go is nothing but pseudo-science. It’s a gimmick. If toxins did build up in a way your body couldn’t excrete, you’d likely be dead. The healthy body has kidneys, a liver, skin, even lungs that are detoxifying as we speak. My advise - save your money, get moving in any form you enjoy, eat in moderation, live a little and find the balance.”

Fuzzy Faruque

(Certified Nutritionist, Fitness Trainer and Founder of The Ultimate Detox)

“Juicing is a way of life. It’s what changed me and helped me on my journey to become healthy. When people ask me about juicing I tell them they need to try it to believe it. The juices are automatically absorbed by our body, giving us energy; our daily intake of greens strengthens our immunity and floods our bodies with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and natural sugars that come from the source itself.”