Juicing has become popular across the country. Many Koreans put drinking a glass of fresh fruit or veggie juice a day on their list of New Year’s resolutions, and most coffee chains have begun selling fresh juices. 

Behind the boom is the craze for cleansing the body of toxins with juice ― the so-called “juice cleanse.’’

Drinking “detox’’ juice has become a daily routine for many Koreans, regardless of age or gender, since a group of celebrities said detox juice was their secret for staying healthy and losing weight.

“After some trial and error, I developed my own detox juice recipe,’’ said Seo Hyun-won, a university lecturer.

Every morning for the past year, she has been drinking a glass of juice made from apples, bananas, carrots, broccoli and cabbage. 

“The juice cured my stomach ulcer and my skin is getting clearer, and glowing,’’ she said.

Success cases of fresh fruit and veggie detoxes have been spreading by word-of-mouth.

The detox juice craze has led to the opening of many juice bars that each offer their own types of fresh juice ― a new trend in the food and beverage sector. Companies have rushed to unveil different juice brands, including juice “cleanse’’ brands.

Juice cleanses, a recent health trend, involve rejuvenating the body by drinking only juice for a short period of time.

A short-term juice detox gives the digestive system a break from processing heavy proteins and fat and revitalizes the body’s metabolism. Juice cleanses are gaining popularity as they are effective for losing weight too.

Organica, a Korean premium organic whole food company, whose juice cleanse program for weight loss was a hit last year, recently unveiled a three-day cleanse program with juice made with superfoods.

“The superfood blending strengthens the effect of the program,’’ the company said in a press release.

The three-day juice cleanse program, called the “Just Juice 3-day Super Cleanse,” offers the body enriched nutrients and flavors by adding superfoods such as spirulina, turmeric, chlorella and chia seeds.

For business expansion, the company said it planned to open more juice bars in affluent districts in Seoul this year.

Nutritionists are still debating the benefits of juice detoxification, but industry watchers said the juicing craze would continue, based on the well-being trend in Korea’s aging society.

“Though it’s relatively pricier than other drinks, fresh juice is one of the most tempting options to (help us) consume all the greens we need in the busy modern life to keep our bodies healthy,’’ Seo said.

By Seo Jee-yeon (jyseo@heraldcorp.com)