Column: Juicing my way to a leaner me in lockdown

My diet is rubbish. Literally.

Junk food, ready meals, take-aways, bread and carbs galore, and anything that goes ‘ping’ in the micro.

And yet ... five weeks into lockdown, and things have changed in a way I didn’t expect.

In that time, I reckon I’ve had two square meals in total. Everything else has come via a juicer and blender, and I feel better. Much better.

I’m sleeping incredibly well, and I’ve lost weight. I just about fell off the scales when they showed a loss of 12lbs this week. We double checked in case the numbers were wonky!

I have absolutely no plans to turn into some juicing bore who talks folk to death about just how amazing a tumeric shot can be - trust me, it is rank rotten - and I absolutely will order a Domino’s after a knackering 10-hour shift on deadline day at some point.

But, the change has been surprisingly easy.

What started out at the turn of the year as a morning glass of carrot, apple and ginger has has ramped up to three juices or blends per day.

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I’m sure the Good Juice Bible says you also need to cut out tea, coffee and seal the biscuit tin for good in order to be a true juice-meister, but let’s not get carried away.

”Everything in moderation” – and that includes a cuppa with a digestive. Take away my McVities and you will suffer pain!

Stuff I’d recoil from if served on a plate – spinach, parsnips, cucumber, fennel, and avocado – I’ll happily scoff in a blend. Coconut water, protein powder, and pomegranite seeds? Bring ‘em on!

I’ve even managed one blend featuring cauliflower – one of my lifelong pet hates – without screwing my face up like a toddler told to clean their plate.

Choosing which turbo blasted berry express to have is certainly a bit hit or miss.

Going by the picture is probably not the best idea, and I now know some of the powders taste like chalk, and dates, even blended, will still be the food of the devil and always be reviled. They leave chewy bits which shoot up your straw. That’s not a euphemism.

Losing weight is simple – eat less, exercise more – but our relationship with food is also unbelievably complex.

It’s all too easy to grab that mega-packet of crisps – pre-lockdown I should have been sponsored by Pringles – and dive in to the bottom of the tub when we’re feeling a tired, or there’s nowt on the telly.

And, what works for one person is just a waste of time, money and effort to another, and we’re all good at finding excuses rather than reasons to change, and for many, many different reasons too.

There are a multitude of diet plans out there. It’s a multi million £ industry which can feel incredibly daunting to find a way into.

I’ve never dieted or counted a calorie in my life.

The beauty of juicing is I don’t have to, and it doesn’t feel like a like a drag finding myself filling a trolley with fruit, veg, almond milk and avocado to then prep and chop.

Will it last? I hope so.

Ultimately, there’s only one person to blame if it doesn’t ... well, him and those disgusting dates. Yeuch!

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Thank you

Allan Crow, Editor, Fife Free Press