With Spring Racing Carnival well underway & the weather warming up, the party scene in Melbourne is heating up too.  While we can’t deny that partying is loads of fun, let us pause to appreciate how we can best take care of our bodies, or at least limit the damage, whilst still having a good time. 

Alcohol is quite disruptive to the gastro-intestinal system. It is well known that alcohol consumption can put strain on the liver and kidneys; the key organs that help remove waste & toxins from the body. If these organs are over burdened, this can impact on the body immediately.

Furthermore, as alcohol is processed and removed by the body, vital nutrients that are stored in the liver are lost, along with fluids. This leaves the body weakened and dehydrated – in some cases immediate illness can follow a solid alcohol ‘session’. Have you ever noticed developing ‘flu-like’ symptoms in the days following a big day out?

Prolonged alcohol sessions also contribute to a significant amount of calories being consumed in a short period of time – these calories are often sugar based (beer, mixers, wine). This rapid in-take of sugar based calories, combined with an impaired digestive system can contribute to weight-gain of fatty tissue and excess fluid retention.

Coffee, Panadol, Soft drinks are a mainstay in many peoples hangover ‘recovery’ strategies, however, these options will only provide short-term pain relief and may contribute to a further accumulation of fatigue, stress and toxins being absorbed by the body – ultimately leading to a future illness.

The best way to get the body back on track in the days following a drinking session, is to rehydrate and replenish vital nutrients, whilst limiting the burden on digestion – a KARMIC Cold Pressed Juice Cleanse provides a perfect combination of raw, living nutrients that are assimilated directly to the body. The nutrients and enzymes of the cold pressed juice are delivered to the vital organs to assist with rehydration and the mopping up free-radical toxins that have accumulated during a binge.

The ingredients of a pressed juice cleanse are of upmost importance to its efficacy – Celery and Cucumber both contain compounds that can double the rate of rehydration (demonstrated at the University of Aberdeen). Additionally, the anti-inflammatory properties of cold pressed beetroot juice will counteract the inflammatory effect alcohol can have. An over-inflamed body can lead to undesirable skin conditions.

If juice that contains excessive fructose (fruits) is being consumed for cleansing, it will not be of great benefit and can actually contribute to further weight-gain (refer to blog a previous post “How Much Fructose Is In Your Daily Juice”). All KARMIC Juice is less than 5% fructose to promote a deeper Cleanse experience.

To limit the damage of over zealous, albeit fun, drinking sessions this spring & summer, consider healing the body with a cold pressed juice cleanse. It is the perfect way to bounce back by resting internal organs, reducing body inflammation / toxicity and reducing the impact from the over consumption of calories.

The relationship between correct nutritional intake and optimum athletic performance is well established – the old saying ‘you only get out what you put in’ rings true here. But without discrediting the basics of sports nutrition, there is growing anecdotal and scientific evidence that completing a Cleanse can be of significant benefit to athletes and those living an active lifestyle.

Cold pressed juice Cleansing has long been considered a fringe health trend, which is now steadily becoming recognised as a credible addition to any active lifestyle. Scientifically, fasting has been shown to have several key benefits for the body including; increased lean muscle, improved recovery time and strengthened immune system. Anecdotally, many athletes report feeling most revitalised after a 2 or 4-Day juice cleanse with common immediate benefits including better sleep quality, reduced joint pain and reduced muscle soreness. 

Because athletes breathe more and have higher metabolic demands they tend to have a higher exposure to toxins and waste by-products (oxidative stress, for example). It has been sighted that an alarming number of healthy young athletes are at risk of illness “caused by excitotoxins (nerve cells are damaged and killed by excess stimulation) from training combined with food additives and artificial sweeteners such as MSG, hydrolyzed protein, soy protein isolate and concentrate, natural flavoring, sodium caseinate and aspartame.” (Dr. Russell Blaylock, neurosurgeon & author of "Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills and Health & Nutrition Secrets to Save Your Life."

The metabolic response to Cleansing and cold pressed juice fasts involves a series of hormonal and metabolic adaptations leading to protein conservation. An increase in the serum level of growth hormone (GH) during fasting and cleansing has been well-substantiated. The reason that GH secretion is increased during a specific period of cleansing (between 2-4 days) is due to improved levels of key hormones in supporting metabolism and building muscle. Based on our personal experience, and that of our clients, there is first-hand evidence of an enhanced ability to improve lean-muscle, overcome strength plateaus and enhance performance following a well balanced cleanse program coupled with a suitable nutritional and exercise plan.

(*source: Sam de Bruin post KARMIC Cold Pressed Cleanse)

The key indictors to look for when deciding on a Cleanse program should be based around the nutritional integrity of the Cleanse. Any 'artificial' Cleansing agent products should be avoided. Cold pressed juice Cleanses are great because they provide the body with a myriad of easily assimilated nutrients and live-enzymes that promote cellular repair and protection. Additionally a low fructose Cleanse is crucial whilst fasting as this will protect blood glucose (insulin) levels – a sugary-based Cold pressed juice Cleanse is actually very harmful to the body and will result in unsatisfactory results (i.e weight gain).

Everyone will have individual results whilst Cleansing, as we are all different, KARMIC Cold Pressed does encourage athletes to simply try a Cleanse first-hand. We are happy to assist where possible.

Best Health,

KAMRIC Cold Pressed Juice

www.karmiccoldpressedjuice.com.au

Reference:

Fasting Enhances Growth Hormone Secretion and Amplifies the Complex

Rhythms of Growth Hormone Secretion in Man

Klan Y. Ho,* Johannes D. Veldhuls,* Michael L. Johnson,* Richard Furlanetto,9 William S. Evans,*

1. G. M. M. Alberti,11 and Michael 0. Thomer*

Departments of *Internal Medicine and tPharmacology, University of Virginia Medical School, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908;

Fructose is a type of sugar that occurs naturally in fruits and vegetables. When eating whole foods (apple, banana, orange, carrot, beets etc.) fructose levels are not of particular concern – all things in moderation. Issues begin to arise when fructose is consumed in refined forms such as fruit juice and corn syrup.

When whole fruits and vegetable are consumed the fructose (sugar) is surrounded by fiber. The fiber plays an integral role in regulating fructose levels. Firstly, fiber slows the rate at which fructose is absorbed by the body as it has to be broken down before the nutrients/energy is extracted. Fiber is also very important in contributing to a satisfied feeling and therefore we know when to stop consumption – most of the time. 

Consuming fruit and vegetable juice will most often mean that most (if not all) the fiber is removed. The great positive of removing the fiber (if the juice is of a high quality i.e. cold pressed juice) is that the body can consume large amounts of vitamins, minerals and enzymes that it would not be able to consume in whole food form - for example, there is 8kg of fresh produce in a 2-Day KARMIC Cleanse. The obvious downside to drinking sugary juice is that the fructose levels can spike your blood sugar levels very quickly – thus, it is very important to be aware of what type of juice you are consuming and how much fructose (sugar) is in that juice

“Imagine trying to consume 10 apples in 10 minutes - this is nearly impossible. However, in juice form this equates to a mere 500ml glass of pure Apple Juice. In sugar form, that equates to 55 grams, which is the equivalent of 13.75 teaspoons of sugar! That is more sugar then 500ml of Coka-Cola”

Referring to the below table we can get an idea of the level of fructose in different ‘healthy drinks’ and Coka-Cola (obviously not-healthy) Noting that, 1 teaspoon of table sugar = 4.2 grams. And, that the standard sugar intake of the average Australian is 90 grams per day (http://daa.asn.au/for-the-public).

*Data sourced by KARMIC Cold Pressed Juice

Please note that drinking ‘low-sugar’ or ‘diet-soda’ is potentially even more damaging than the ‘sugar’ version – artificial sweeteners are known to contain carcinogens. 

“It is interesting to note that many people actually suffer from Fructose malabsorption,” explains Phillip Watkins, Naturopath at The Good Life Clinic in Prahran.

‘One of the key things we see in people who have fructose malabsorption is an increase in symptoms of bloating and distension of the abdomen. This increase in gas (mainly hydrogen and methane) is caused by an increase in bad bacteria in the large intestine or some type of candida based symptoms,’ says Phillip.

Fructose is not only found in fresh fruit and juices – it can be found in vast, highly concentrated quantities in other processed foods (i.e. high fructose corn syrup). The consumption of these products can very quickly lead to fructose overload in the body. The main culprit is processed foods and drinks. For example, some major soft drink brands contain up to 65% fructose, table sugar approximately 50% and even so-called alternative sweeteners can contain high amounts of fructose, such as agave nectar (90% fructose).

How do I avoid the overconsumption of fructose? It’s simple and those already eating mostly whole foods (no junk food/soft drinks) are already on the right track. Don’t stop eating fruit or drinking fresh juice, rather, just become aware of the ingredients of food/drink that you consume. As you can assume, this is why KARMIC Cold Pressed Juice is passionate about providing the community with Low Fructose juice – to allow maximum nutrient, vitamin, enzymes and mineral absorption whilst minimising the risk of the overconsumption of fructose.

This is a recount of a 10-day KARMIC Cold Pressed Juice Cleanse by co-founder Sam de Bruin.

Often I get asked, “What was the point of doing the 10-day juice cleanse?” Basically, I wanted to find out what would happen. I had done many 2-day and 4-day cleanses but never a 10-day cleanse. My main motivation was being able to learn from the experience and share first hand knowledge with others to assist with their cleansing experience.

I was specifically interested in how physical, mental and spiritual health would be altered. In short, the results from the KARMIC Cold Pressed Juice 10-day Cleanse were astounding for me personally. I lost 8.3kgs of body weight, calmed my mind and accessed a higher state of creativity and decision-making.

I feel that it is important to understand that the total weight loss was attributed to a number of different things. It was a combination of a reduction in fat, internal waste, muscle-mass and water/glycogen stores. I had a myriad of tests done pre and post cleanse so that I could substantiate the results. They will be posted on a personal blog soon where I will go into more detail. The weight loss is probably the thing that most people are interested in, however, this is only one of the many benefits that I encountered on the journey.

Whilst not consuming food for 10-days wasn’t easy, it actually wasn’t as hard as you might imagine - the key to a successful cleanse is being prepared. The main things to prepare is your pre-cleanse diet (start to gradually detox), your physical environment (remove temptations) and the activities that you plan to engage in.

As with any type of cleanse or detox, the first day was the hardest. Breaking old habits and missing the instant gratification (and the distraction) of food consumption were my main concerns. I also had withdrawal symptoms from sugar and caffeine – contributing to a generally sluggish feeling. 

“Why am I dong this - my head hurts and I want to go to bed… Its 7pm” (Notes from Day 1)

On day two my internal organs were feeling much lighter and less irritable. My skin quality developed a glow and was clear. The mucus build up in my sinus and head aches were all but gone. In only two days, my overall body inflammation was significantly reduced.

By the fourth day, all my physical symptoms related to toxicity had disappeared. I felt alert and physically fine. I also noticed how much spare time I had; with no need to buy food, prepare food, cook food, eat food, clean up after eating I had at least an extra 4 hours a day to myself. Additionally, and a nice surprise, I was actually saving money as I wasn’t buying all those coffees, snacks and lunches.

“Body and mind are feeling lighter, clearer and in-tune” (Notes from Day 4)

Going past day 4 was new territory - it was an exciting time to see what would happen. As the body continued to clean itself, I lost roughly a kilogram of body weight a day. My mental clarity and general outlook on life started to transform. Coincidences started to ‘happen’ more often and there was a ‘karmic flow’ to how things transpired. 

“I had exceptional clarity and concentration today – some great ideas!” (Notes from Day 8)

By the end of Day 8 the body was very well rested and very much rejuvenated – I felt I wanted to begin to engage in activity, to move the body and to start living at a higher pace once more. Needless to say that my first meal after the 10-day cleanse was exceptionally tasty, however, I did get full very fast as my stomach had shrunk. I learnt that post-cleanse diet and protocol is important as the body needs time to re-adjust to solid food consumption anddigestion. 

The 10-day cleanse was an epic experience. The main take-outs were that you must be fully prepared for a cleanse of that length of time. Therefore, we now only offer 2-day, 4-day and 6-day cleanse options for online purchase. A 10-day cleanse can be purchased off-line for people that have the required experience. It is also important to note that a cleanse is a personal journey and everyone will have different experiences and results – we are all unique and as such a cleanse will do what it needs to do at that point in time.

The short answer: to bring your physical and mental being back to its natural state.

Does your current lifestyle often leave you feeling fatigued and suffering from frequent flu/allergy symptoms? Or are you an athlete striving for optimal conditioning? Are you looking to kick-start a healthy and balanced life-style or to re-set the system and start fresh? 

Our bodies & minds are constantly stressed; being over stimulated & over worked getting through the never-ending “to-do” list. It seems impossible sometimes to slow down and take-stock of how we are actually feeling.

“Most people have no idea how good their body is designed to feel”

Prolonged periods of stress (physical/mental/emotional) cause oxidative stress and adrenal fatigue in the body. When not addressed, this can compromise daily performance and long-term health.

Some indicators to complete a cleanse are:

• Fatigue and slow recovery – e.g. feeling ‘dusty’ upon waking
• Frequent flu-like symptoms; blocked sinuses (mucus build up)
• Irritable bowels (irregular)
• Performance plateau (difficulty increasing fitness and/or strength)
• Skin irritation (dry/itchy skin, cloudy complexion, pimples or fungal build up)
• Moodiness and easily irritated
• Foggy brain function (lack concentration)
• Sugar or caffeine cravings

Our bodies do have natural detoxification processes, however, all too often they are overloaded and cannot function correctly. In today’s fast paced lifestyle, rest & recovery are neglected, tiredness, irritation, illness and anxiety become the norm. A cleanse is a planned and conscious effort to re-set the body and mind by restoring balance.

There are many types of cleanses on the market today, such as; lemon detox, tea detox, coffee detox, shake replacements, liver detox, water fasts etc. The key benefit of completing a KARMIC cold pressed juice cleanse is that it provides the body with the purest form of raw nutrients, minerals and living enzymes to promote the body’s natural detoxification and recovery process.

The compounds in KARMIC cold pressed juice have been shown to:

• Help reduce oxidative stress
• Provide antioxidants and various phytonutrients that support healthy hormone levels, guard against cell damage and support natural bodily functions
• Strengthen the immune system by replenishing depleted micro-nutrients and supporting a healthy metabolism
• Aid healthy circulation by providing hydration, natural anti-inflammatory compounds and increases in oxygen supply
• Aid recovery of lean body tissue by providing trace minerals
• Positively assist balanced hormone levels through herbal compounds
• Promote a more relaxed state of mind that increases the body’s capacity to recover and replenish

Some commonly reported benefits from completing a KARMIC cold pressed juice cleanse are:

• Greater awareness of diet and desire to continue a healthy lifestyle
• Less reliance on sugars and caffeine
• Improved skin and sleep quality
• Increased positive energy and clarity of thinking
• Faster physical recovery and strengthened immune system
• Weight loss 

Every cleanse will be a completely unique and individual experience – the body will do what it needs to do at that moment, in order to restore balance and essential life energy. Try a cleanse, see what happens.