By giving the body a rest from the abundance of additives and refined sugars found in most foods and filling it with nature’s very own nutrients, you can reap the countless benefits involved in a juice detox, including an improvement in sleep (once the caffeine and refined sugar is removed from the body) heightened ‘mental clarity’ due to the offering of pure nutrient-rich juice, increased energy, clearer skin, brighter eyes… the list goes on. Juice detoxes are not all about weight loss (although many see this is the main focus); they are about cleansing the body to recharge and re-start.

Here are a few recipes for a little inspiration to begin…

This recipe includes an amalgamation of ingredients oozing with goodness. The combination of apple and cucumber are amazing for cleansing the system; combined with celery, lemon and ginger to provide antioxidants and natural antibiotics, you’ve got yourself a super detox juice!

Ingredients:

• 2 Golden Delicious or Gala apples
• 2.5cm unwaxed lemon
• 2.5cm cucumber
• 1 stalk celery
• 2.5cm ginger root
• 1 small handful ice

Instructions:

Juice everything. Place the juice and ice in a blender and blend until smooth. You can skip the blender if you wish and just add ice, but it’s more refreshing and smooth with a blender!

You can enjoy all of the goodness with none of the guilt in this delicious but oh-so-nutritious recipe… perfect for a pamper evening after a long hot soak in the bath. This smoothie is a glorious source of fibre, potassium, zinc, protein, magnesium and is very ‘filling’, helping to provide a good gradual release of energy.

Ingredients:

• 1 handful mixed berries
• (fresh or frozen)
• 1 medium Banana
• 1 baby handful Spinach
• 500 ml raw Almond Milk
• 2 Ice cubes

Instructions:

In the blender put the berries, banana, spinach and ice. Pour in the raw almond milk up to the 500 ml line and blend until smooth.

This is the perfect way to give your body a break from artificial energy drinks or stimulants and indulge in a delicious, detoxifying juice instead. It gives you a natural boost in energy whilst providing the body with key nutrients, such as vitamin C, B, K as well as iron, calcium and potassium.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 ripe, medium sized pineapple
• 1 large handful baby spinach leaves
• 1/4 medium sized cucumber
• 1/4 medium courgette
• 1cm fennel
• 15 sugar snap peas
• 1/2 unwaxed, unpeeled lime
• 1 small handful ice

Instructions:

Simply juice all of the ingredients and pour over ice. Enjoy!