Ten years ago, when Jason Vale was looking to transform his life from being an overweight chain-smoker who suffered from severe asthma as well as eczema, mild acne, hay fever and psoriasis, he did not resort to prolonged gym sessions or dozens of pills. Instead, he adopted a more sensible approach — a complete lifestyle change through juice detoxing.
Apart from being fit and healthy, today Vale is an author, motivational speaker and lifestyle coach who is passionate about helping people beat their food cravings. His book 7lbs in 7days Super Juice Diet has sold millions of copies. His plan is meticulously designed to ensure you won’t feel hungry because you still get all the nutrients your body needs.
However, Vale does not recommend living on only juice for longer than one month, unless you’re ill or obese.
There is a lot of debate about whether juice detox diets are safe, with many experts claiming the health benefits people feel are actually sensations of starvation. This amuses Vale. “Trainers and dietitians are spilling from books,” he says, talking to GN Focus in Dubai recently, where he was promoting Philips’ new juicers. “They’ve not done it, so they don’t know it. If you are on freshly extracted juice and smoothies, you can’t be starving.”
Vale rebuffs claims by nutrition and diet experts that juices can’t provide energy as they do not contain fibre. “There’s soluble fibre,” he says. “It’s like gel, so it absorbs faster and gives rapid nutrition. Insoluble fibre can’t feed the body. It’s the juice that feeds the body, so freshly extracted juice is in fact liquid nutrition.”
The first days of a juice diet can be tough, but Vale says the struggle is more mental. “You can’t get into the right shape without first getting into the right frame of mind,” he says.
His books are full of testimonials to the benefits of dealing with both aspects of the diet.
Vale disagrees with experts who say the feeling of lightness and a heightened sense of happiness experienced by people on juice diets are actually brain fog and a sign of vitamin deficiency. “They’re talking absolute rubbish. It’s a genuine high. People feel better because they’ve stopped eating rubbish.”
And what of the golden rule about eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day? “There’s no point in getting five-a-day if they’re cooked to death. Juicing helps the body extract the nutrients. Eat a carrot and you’ll be able to extract about 5 per cent of the beta-carotene in it; juice it and you’ll absorb 90 per cent.”
On to the next myth, then: Health experts maintain juice detox diets cause insulin levels to rise because they increase blood sugar. “I’ve had loads of diabetics on this programme,” Vale says. “Freshly extracted juice is not the same as canned juice. The soluble fibre acts as a buffer and ensures it has a low glycaemic index.”
He also dismisses claims that the initial weight loss on a juice diet is primarily fluid, not fat and that the kilos will return once you go back to eating normally. “What’s contained within the water is toxicity. Your body wants to heal and you can lose all the toxins quickly with the water. What’s important is what goes with the water.”
Vale’s new book, 5lbs in 5 Days Juice Master Detox, has just been released and promises to help you lose weight healthily and rapidly. And it will, he promises, leave you “totally recharged”.
