Vancouver loves juicing. But is it worth the squeeze?

Juice-based cleanses are all the rage these days—just ask Gwyneth Paltrow—but the jury’s still out on whether our bodies love the trend as much as our Instagram accounts

The ClaimJuicing detoxes the body, resets your gut, boosts your energy levels, and even shaves a few pounds off in the process. At least, that’s what we’re being sold—and what Vancouverites are buying in large volumes, if the surge in local juiceries is any indication. I and a fellow guinea pig put those claims to the test with a three-day, juice-only cleanse.The TrialIt didn’t get off to a good start. Within 30 minutes of waking up on the first day of the juice cleanse I hated my life and I hated this stupid column. My head hurt, I felt dizzy, and I wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. Unfortunately for me, my fellow cleanser was feeling on top of the world: “I’m pretty sure I’ve already lost weight,” he texted me. “Feeling pretty good.”The VerdictAs it turns out, I cannot stomach juiced dill. Nor juiced beets. Nor juiced turmeric. In fact, it got to the point that every time I put the juice in or around my mouth, my gut started gurgling and I wanted to vomit. Yes, I enjoyed the easy—sorry, the least nutritious—juice, which was made up of coconut water, pineapple juice, and chia seeds, while I was able to tolerate the tomato-based juice number five because it tasted a bit like a bad Caesar (and really, who hasn’t had a few of those?). But as for the other four? No chance.Ultimately, a juice cleanse package was not for me. I could barely stand the taste of each bottle, to the extent that I was basically starving myself, although my fellow tester enjoyed it enough to attempt a five-day cleanse. Yes, replacing your daily coffee with a juice will add extra vitamins to your diet, as the proponents of juice-based cleanses suggest. But losing three pounds is not worth starving yourself for three days, reset gut or not.D.I.Y.The Juice Truck, three-day program, $195If you’re talking about juicing in Vancouver, someone will recommend this Main Street hot spot Krokodile Pear, Green Run, $150Blending avocado and banana makes these juices more of an appealing entry point for rookiesSexy Juice, three-day cleanse, $162Includes six different juices and can be delivered straight to your doorstep.