In 2007, the internationally famous American pop singer and actress Beyonce Knowles announced on television her secret to shedding more than 9 kilograms in just two weeks. For 14 days Knowles went on the liquid lemon detox diet, consuming nothing but glasses of fresh water, pure lemon juice, cayenne pepper and natural maple syrup.

The news of her quick-fix diet launched a new trend in health and dieting through liquid detox and cleansing methods. This detox diet is thought to help one cleanse the body of hard foods and unwanted toxins, while losing weight and refreshing one’s mind in the process. Adherents of this detox regimen regularly go on the detox diet, claiming its numerous benefits.

In Korea, raw food chef Christine Cho and pastry chef Kim Yong-hui have teamed up together with Herald Ecofarm, a sister company of The Korea Herald, to create Korea’s first-ever line of detox juice, “Just Juice Cleanse.” Although many celebrities have promoted juice detox programs as a method of shedding weight quickly, many studies warn against people consuming only liquids as a method of losing weight: After all, these cleansing programs were meant to do just that, cleanse.

“Although you will lose weight in the process, the detox program is not intended as a quick-fix diet, but as a means of promoting a healthier lifestyle,” said Kim.

The Just Juice Cleanse lineup is a three-day program that consists of six different juice drinks to be consumed daily to promote the healthful rejuvenation of one’s body. The Herald Ecofarm Just Juice Cleanse proposes to cleanse and detoxify the body while providing a healthy dose of nutrients and minerals to stimulate healthy blood circulation, helping to renew one’s overall health and improve digestion. 

“People use these (detox programs) for a quick-fix diet, but that can be very harmful. But it can also be a very nutritious way of dieting,” Cho explained. “You stop eating solid foods. It’s a liquid, vegetable-based diet so it is nice to give the body a break and release all the toxins and impurities.”

According to the Global Healing Center, the average human is exposed to thousands of toxins every day and ingests more than twice the amount that the body is able to naturally expel. These daily toxins include unavoidable environmental and industrial pollutants such as smoke, paint fumes, cleaning supplies, pesticides and countless others.

The Just Juice Cleanse program is designed to help to give the body a chance to dispense unwanted toxins and pollutants while also giving it the much-needed break from unhealthy processed foods. The short-term juice-digestion regimen is expected to help revitalize and jump-start both one’s physical and mental health well as promote a better night’s sleep.

The juice line includes six tasty food substitute drinks: “Green Up,” a non-fruit, all green veggies breakfast drink (to be taken at 7 a.m.); “Booster C,” an orange juice full of energizing vitamins (10 a.m.); “Skinny Lemon,” a tangy lemon drink for lunch that is good for one’s digestion (1 p.m.); “Root Power,” a carrot and yam drink rich in fiber (4 p.m.); “Refresher,” a light and fresh cucumber and pear juice to cool down the body (7 p.m.); and finally “Milky Way,” a smooth almond milk drink to promote rest before calling it a night (10 p.m.).

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)