With x3 holidays and a wedding imminent the dieting in the office has really gone up a level and to be honest we’re at the point where we’ve got Closer, Heat and Woman’s Own fighting it out for our summer body tips but luckily for you, we’re going to let you in on our secret without the £2 price tag!
Since January it would be fair to say that amongst the females in the office we’ve tried almost every diet fad under the sun from no carbs, to diet chef, the 5-2 and most recently the dreaded “Juicing” and all the while we’ve endured it with the scoffing of the guys in the office who are always far too forthcoming with their opinions! It is fair to say that the Juicing diet has been an interesting one; nothing will test your mental strength quite like only consuming liquid for 5 days or if you’re not on the diet, constantly hearing x4 girls moaning about how much they miss food every working hour of the day!
Here’s a look at the Jason Vale Juicing diet we did and to be honest I think we’d all recommend doing it, particularly for a quick fix before a holiday or an event as we all managed to lose 7lbs in 5 days- although top tip, don’t go down to the pub following it, you will get drunk and stop by anywhere greasy and ruin all of the hard work…
Day 1:
Turbo…with a kick!
Golden Delicious Apples x 2
Pineapple x ¼ medium (depending on your juicer, with or without the skin)
Spinach x 1 handful
Lime x ½ (wax free and peeled)
Celery x ½ stick
Cucumber 3 cm chunk
Ginger x 1 cm chunk
Avocado x ¼ medium
Ice Cubes x 1 small handful
How to create this creamy Juice Master piece
Juice all the ingredients except the avocado and ice. Pour the juice into a blender along with the avocado flesh and ice and blend until smooth.
The Natural Energiser
Pineapple x 1/4 (medium with or without the skin, depending on your juicer)
Spinach x 1 large handful
Cucumber x ¼ medium
Courgette x ½ medium
Fennel x 1 cm slice/chunk
Sugar snap peas (or beans) x 15
Lime x 1/2 (with the skin on)
Ice Cubes x 1 small handful
Simply Juice all the ingredients and pour over ice
Day 2:
Veg Power Kick
Golden Delicious Apples x 2
Kale x 1 large handful
Spinach x 1 handful
Lemon x ½ (wax free and skin on)
Celery x ½ stick
Cucumber x ¼ medium
Broccoli stem x 2 cm chunk
Avocado x ½ medium
Ice Cubes x 1 small handful
Juice all the ingredients except the avocado and ice. Pour the juice into a blender along with the avocado flesh and ice and blend until smooth.
Ruby Tuesday
Pineapple x ¼ medium (with or without skin, depending on your juicer)
Carrots x 2 medium
RAW Beetroot x 1 small bulb
Fresh Ginger Root x ½ cm chunk
Fresh Basil x 4 sprigs with leaves
Juice all the ingredients but make sure you sandwich the basil and ginger in between the other ingredients to ensure maximum juice extraction.
Day 3:
Berry Banana Crunch
Golden Delicious Apples x 2
Blueberries, Blackberries, Raspberries, Strawberries x 2 handfuls in total (fresh or frozen*)
Natural Yogurt x 2 tablespoons (use soya if vegan, or leave out altogether if you prefer and use a whole banana instead)
Banana x ½ fair-trade
Mixed Seeds x 1 tablespoon (these usually come in a mixed bag containing sunflower, pumpkin, sesame and linseed, but any variation on this will be fine)
Ice Cubes x 1 handful
Juice the apples and pour into the blender. Add all the berries, natural yogurt, banana, seeds and ice and blend for a just a few seconds. Top Tip: if you use frozen berries there is no need to add extra ice to the blender.
The Green Refresher
1 x pear
1 x apple
1/4 medium cucumber
2 large handfuls of spinach
2cm chunk broccoli stem
1 x lime (peeled, but keep the white pith on)
Simply juice ingredients and pour over ice
Day 4:
Nature’s Super Blend
Apples x 2 (Golden delicious or any of your choice)
Spinach x 1 large handful
Courgette (Zucchini) x ¼ of medium
Lime x 1 (wax free and peeled)
Organic carrots x 2 medium
Cucumber ¼ medium
Broccoli Stem x 2 cm chunk
Celery x ½ stalk
Green Bell Pepper x ¼
Avocado x1/2 medium
Ice Cubes x 1 small handful
Juice all the ingredients except the avocado and ice. Pour the juice into a blender along with the avocado flesh and ice and blend until smooth.
Minty Sunshine
Juicy Oranges x 2 (peeled but with the white pith on)
Dark Carrots x 3 medium
Fresh Ginger Root x ½ cm chunk
Fresh Mint x 4 sprigs
Ice Cubes x 1 small handful
Juice all ingredients and serve over ice
Day 5:
Pear ‘N’ Parsnip
Juicy Ingredients
Apple x 1 (preferably Golden Delicious)
Pears x 2 (conference pears make a lovely juice, but any will do)
Parsnip x 1 medium
Lime x 1/2 (peeled, but keep the white pith on)
Fresh Mint x 4 sprigs with leaves
Ice Cubes x small handful
Juice the ingredients by placing the lime and mint in between the pears and parsnip to ensure maximum juice extraction. Pour over ice and enjoy.
Sweet Juicy
Apple x 1 (preferably Golden Delicious, but any will do)
Carrots x 2 medium
Raw beetroot x 1 medium bulb
Blackberries x 1 large handful (or you can use other dark berries fresh or frozen)
Ice Cubes x 1 small handful
Juice all ingredients and serve over ice