Stuart GouldenWhen I contemplated my resolutions for the year ahead I opted to err on the side of caution. On the back of many years’ broken promises, keep them simple and achievable was my motto. So when I caught wind of the Xing 7-day juice detox it seemed to offer a welcome shortcut to cure the inner-piglet in me.
For those of you not yet acquainted with Jason Vale’s 7lbs in 7 days juice detox that inspired the Xing-version, it is a strict regime of nothing but five fresh juices a day, for seven days. It’s a 168-hour goodbye to the reassuring ‘ping’ of the microwave and all processed foods, sugar, fats, refined carbs and (almost all) diary that comes with it. Now a week’s worth of blended fruit and vegetables might not sound that appetising at first but this is where Xing and their tasty concoctions come in.
I’ll hold my hands up and admit I would be hopeless at any ‘no eating’ diet. It just wouldn’t appeal to me in the slightest. Instead, I was told that over-indexing in my five-a-day would leave me feeling re-energised and with a new found appreciation for feel good food. In Xing’s own words: “The health benefits are far reaching. Some you can see clear skin and the weight loss. Some you feel like the extra energy and enthusiasm from the Iron and B Vitamins. Others you can’t see like the boost your immune system gets. Overall, everything combines to give people a huge confidence boost. They look and feel much better in just a few days. That’s because this isn’t a starving diet. You get more natural vitamins and minerals than you can shake a straw at.”
Reassured that 90 others had already successfully undertaken the same challenge since Xing introduced it to their menu, I had my first juice at 8am last Monday.
I’d be lying if I said I could recall what the ingredients were, but I did take a picture:
It tasted every bit as green as it looked, which is precisely the introduction I expected. (Note: I’ve been told the juice in question was the ‘Super Juice’, containing: 2 apples; 1/2 lime; 1/4 pineapple; 1/4 cucumber; 1/4 avocado; 1 shot wheatgrass; 1 tsp spirulina; 1 capsule friendly bacteria).
My daily dietary routine over the next week would see me drink a different juice every 3 hours, interspersed with a lot of water and the occasional fruit tea. I also decided to put aside any thoughts of exercising during the detox given my lower calorie consumption. I soon discovered that hardest part of the detox – the need to break my usual eating habits and desire to continuously snack – would also be the first to disappear. It’s surprisingly how long a well-balanced, tasty drink can keep hunger at bay.
It’s not to say there weren’t side-effects (I was tired in the early stages, had a mild headache during day two, and vivid dreams until day three) but I did find they were heavily outweighed by the benefits. In fact, it was on day three that any complaints and usual temptations completely faded away and the benefits became clearer.
Now I didn’t visit a doctor either before of after the detox so I have no scientific proof of my enhanced wellbeing, only my inner belief that I feel remarkably better. Nor did I step on a set of scales at any point during the week, so you’ll have to take my drop in jean size and the observations of others over any empirical measurement of the loss in weight. The strict dietary regime means that weight loss is inevitable and welcome, but it was never my main aim. That said, it is the first and most prominent change you’ll encounter, and as such is the one that keeps you going in the early stages. Having put on and subsequently lost half a stone many times before (as we all do), I’d say that it is an accurate estimate of how much I managed to shed over the week. Gone with it are any uncomfortable feelings of bloatedness and the caffeine and sugar comedowns that used to frequent my day.
It’s fair to say I’m over the moon with the results and I honestly believe it will lead to a few new positive eating and drinking habits in the future. After all, the old ones are getting a little tired now.
In a similar vein, I’m not sure I would have had the will-power to follow the plan to the letter had it not been for the ultra-convenience of having five freshly-prepared juices waiting for me in flasks at Xing every morning. Their role in this is worth every penny.
So if, like me, you have set yourself a health-related resolution but aren’t graced with a lot of patience then it’s good to know there is a solution only 7-days away.
For those interested in the Xing juice detox, it costs:
7 days = £175
5 days = £133
3 days = £91
More information is available on their website or by popping in to see them on the Shambles.
