JUICE diets have become an increasingly used nutrition strategy as they have been publicised largely by celebrities. These diets have found their way into the sporting world, and are becoming more common. So, what are the pros and cons of this diet type, and as a boxer is it worth using?
Juice diets are those that condense all foods down to a liquid form. These diet types are largely made up of fresh fruits and vegetables, and are usually promoted as ‘weight loss’ or ‘detox’ diets. Over the next few pages I analyse whether they help achieve certain goals and, ultimately, if they are beneficial to boxers; so read on.
Robert Seaborne BSc (Hons), MSc
@RobbySeaborne1
1. For weight loss?
AS a boxer, you are trying to enter competition in the best shape possible, i.e. a good ratio between low body mass and high muscle mass. In order to do this, protein becomes the most valuable nutrient to provide the building blocks to promote muscle growth and recovery. Therefore, high-protein foods (such as meat, fish and dairy produce) are important to boxers to allow them to recover from intense weights, conditioning and sparring sessions. Protein is not typically present in large amounts in juice diets.
For detox? Next page.
Robert Seaborne BSc (Hons), MSc
@RobbySeaborne1
2. For detox?
PROMOTED by celebrities and the media, the ‘detox’ effect of these diets is more of an anecdotal one, with no proven research to support it. It is true that an increase in vitamins and minerals has plenty of benefits for athletes, however (with the exception of vitamin D – due to our often gloomy weather) a balanced diet that is rich in fresh fruit and veg offers more than enough of these nutrients to provide your recommended daily intake (RDI). Any more than this could potentially cause more harm than good.
For boxers? Next page.
Robert Seaborne BSc (Hons), MSc
@RobbySeaborne1
3. For boxers?
PROTEIN is the building block for repairing and building muscle. As a boxer, you want to go into a fight with as a high a ratio of muscle to body mass as possible. This will allow you to create a high force production during the delivery of punches which can help you win exchanges in competition. Juice diets do not provide a varied, good supply of protein as the proportion of these diets are made up of fruits and vegetables.
The verdict – next page.
Robert Seaborne BSc (Hons), MSc
@RobbySeaborne1
4. The Verdict
THE juice diet has become a favourite amongst the media and celebrities of today. Despite being promoted as a ‘weight loss’ and ‘detox’ nutrition plan, they fail to provide essential proteins and nutrients to an athlete. A balanced diet that has larger supplies of protein provides all the vitamins and minerals needed to remain healthy. As such, the following are sources of over 30g of protein:
1. Four large boiled eggs
2. A medium chicken breast
3. 150g of salmon
4. 300g of natural Greek yoghurt
5. 60g of beef biltong
Robert Seaborne BSc (Hons), MSc
@RobbySeaborne1
