Juice Craze: Everything you need to know about juicing

SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) - From Hollywood to right here in the Coastal Empire and Low Country, juicing seems to be the latest health trend everyone wants to try.

Some people swear by juice cleanses, so I tried it out, and talked to a nutritionist to see how it all works. For two days, all I drank was 12, 16-oz bottles of juice.

Chelsea Dye, owner of Savannah Squeeze, said most people don't eat the proper amount of fruits and vegetables they need to. Her company specializes in cold pressed juice, and she said she isn't surprised to see the trend taking off across the country.

"I think most people are realizing it's an amazing way to gain energy and to make your body a little cleaner. We have a lot of environmental toxins and lifestyle toxins that can contribute to not feeling great."

First, it's important to note what makes this juice so different from the regular apple or orange juice you might buy at the grocery store. Dye told me the nutrients are retained in a juice press, and cold press juices are thought to have "up to five times as much nutrients" as other juices.

Brittany Lightsey, a dietitian at Memorial Health, also added other juices have more sugar.

For me, day one was fairly easy. Even though some of the juices weren't extremely tasty, I did feel more energetic.

Dye told me that's because each bottle has "between two and three pounds of produce."

Day two was a little bit harder. I felt a little slow and tired.

"You might feel lethargic, and that's your body's way of catching up," Dye said.

I learned this was because my body was getting rid of all the bad toxins.

"By taking the fiber out you're giving your digestive system a break from all that fiber," Lightsey said.

On day three, I woke up feeling great, and was back to my normal diet. It's encouraged that you slowly re-introduce yourself to normal food. I regrettably had a pretty heavy dinner, which probably wasn't the best idea. Other than that, I felt fine, and would definitely to the cleanse again.

If you're not keen on trying a cleanse, consider adding cold pressed juice to your regular diet if you have picky eaters at home.

"I think for kids, juicing is a great thing. Great supplement. You can sneak in those green vegetables," Lightsey said.

Lightsey also added those who have diabetes should stay away from juice cleanses because of the high sugar content in the fruits used. Also, if you want to lose weight, Lightsey said you're likely to quickly gain back whatever you lose after you're finished with the cleanse.

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