Summer Juice Cleanse: Why do it and What does it involve?

Is a juice diet the best way to prepare your body and mind for summer? We’ve often shied away from juice diets for fear that they’re just too hard or promise too much. But Polly spills all (the juice) on why she loved it 

Why do it?

In celeb-land, everyone who is anyone has been on a juice diet. Beyonce swears her cayenne pepper concoction helped her drop twenty pounds in two weeks for a movie role, while Gwynnie, Fergie (Black Eyed Peas not disgraced royal!), Olivia Wilde and Salma Hayek are just a few of the hot mamas out there crediting juice diets with helping them get red carpet ready.

Now awards season may be over (and all my invites must have got mysteriously lost in the post!) but summer is coming and I’d really like to go home for the holidays, looking and feeling my best. So when the guys at Wild and the Moon invite me to try their entry-level essential detox programme for three days, I jump at the chance.

They tell me their carefully balanced juices will help my body eliminate toxins, reboot my system, increase my energy levels and even help me lose weight. And, they promise, their juices actually taste good. Where do I sign?

Read more: Mamas Who Lunch (Healthily) At Wild & The Moon

What does it involve?

Put simply, juice! For three days, I have to cut out everything but their essential programme, which consists of a ‘bam shot in the morning and five juices to have, spaced at different intervals (they suggest 8am, 11am, 2pm, 5pm and 8pm), through the rest of the day. They also advise cutting down on processed foods and upping your intake of leafy greens in the days before you start but I’m afraid I warmed up with a McDonalds because I have a demanding four year old (and a sugar problem). Hey, if I were already a healthy eater, I wouldn’t need the programme, right?

So is it hard?

I must admit I felt totally daunted when the first delivery (yes, mamas they’ll bring them to you so there’s really no excuse!) arrived and I unwrapped five bottles of juice, some of which looked like pond water. But of the ten different juices I tried (day three’s juices are the same as day one!) there was only one that I didn’t like (and that’s because I hate pomelo). The rest were delicious and because you get to have five a day, you genuinely don’t have the chance to go hungry.

What do the juices really taste like?

See above. One of them was a bit too grapefruit-y for my liking but there’s a huge variety. I could swig on ‘better than botox’ all day long. The juices are also a mix – some are fruitier and refreshing, while the ones that you drink instead of a lunchtime meal tend to be a bit creamier (yummo almond milk) so they fill you up and make you feel like you’re having a treat.

Are there any side effects?

Other than suddenly sympathising with the dog every time she eyed up somebody’s else’s food, none! No headaches, hunger pangs or emergency trips to the loo. Hub claims that my temper was shorter than usual, but perhaps he was just being more annoying than usual. Jury’s out on that one!

Did it work?

Definitely! Not only did I lose 0.2 of a kilo in three days, but my stomach definitely felt flatter. More importantly, it made me more mindful when it comes to food. I realized how often I reach for a snack out of boredom, deal with stress by diving into the biscuits or finish the kiddos’ food because it’s there. Cutting out the crap has made me reevaluate my entire approach and I’m already planning my next cleanse.

The details…

Wild and the Moon offers two detox packages – the essential for beginners or the intense for those who’ve juiced before – for either one, three or five days at a time. Packages start from 270 AED/day. For more information click here.