Entertainment

And if all else fails . . . DRINK JUICE!

It should come as no surprise to learn that one-time macrobiotic diet enthusiast Gwyneth Paltrow slugs back bottles of Organic Avenue juice. But when, say, 41-year-old David Balutanski, a 190-pound, 6-foot New Yorker, starts chugging fresh-pressed veggie and fruit juices several times a day, we know the trend, which often promotes weight loss and rejuvenation, is spiking.

“I’m a straight guy, and this cleansing thing is seen as so feminine,” says Balutanski. “It’s like, vain, or, you know, men are supposed to eat steak, drink beer and chop wood, but I would say not eating for five days is manly.”

Post-holiday season is a perfect time to hop on that fruity bandwagon and start detoxing. Here, we get the juice on different programs offered citywide.

*ORGANIC AVENUE, various locations; also opening at 461 Amsterdam Ave. in mid-January

The regimen: Various programs, starting at $100 a day, with up to six bottles of fresh-pressed vegan “booster shots” (i.e. alfalfa chlorophyll), juices (i.e. pear, grapefruit, ginger lemonade), smoothies and even soups per day. Some intro cleanses include solid vegan food as well, but a traditional cleanse lasts five days and is juice only.

The promise: According to Organicavenue.com: “Bright eyes, mental clarity, physical glow, feeling grounded and balanced, clear skin, heightened consciousness, perfect weight” and just about any other positive phyical sensation the body might thirst for.

Tried and tested: “It wasn’t torture because I like juice. I changed my eating habits, cut out caffeine and sodas. I’ve done it after celebrations, like a wedding in New Orleans where we were eating heavy sausages, fried food and having crazy drinks. After [a cleanse], I don’t want to automatically go back to eating the junk I did before.” — Laura Woodard, fashion
publicist

*ONE LUCKY DUCK, 125 E. 17th St.

The regimen: Starts at $75 a day or $450 a week for “Shine,” which is designed for losing weight, and $85 a day or $490 a week for “Glow,” which is more for maintenance. Typically, the plans include two to three juices per day (pressed from a variety of vegetables and fruit), plus a breakfast snack (i.e. a fig bar) and two vegan entrees (like a taco salad or zucchini-and-tomato lasagna). “Shine” suggests a slightly smaller amount of food, like a sushi roll.

The promise: “A great way to kick bad habits like too much coffee, alcohol, sugar, wheat or meat . . . re-train your body to crave healthy foods that will aid in weight loss,” says the Web site.

Tried and tested: “The ‘Glow’ program is a smart way to ease into the juicing culture. There’s enough sugar (albeit natural) in the Swan’s Green Juice to keep you going for a good part of the day. And you will quickly have a most satisfying, um, trip to the loo. A taco salad lunch is a welcome reprieve, while a mid-day smoothie snack is oddly too much to ingest. After one day, no weight loss, but I definitely have experienced appetite suppression.” — Claudine Ko, writer

*JUICE PRESS, various locations, including the Norma Kamali Wellness Café, 11 W. 56th St.

The regimen: Six or eight juices for $7 to $13 each, including Spicy Citrus and Green Giant, all pressed from a variety of fresh produce, to be sipped throughout the day — with no solid food in between — for three to five days.

The promise: “You will detox and repair your entire digestive system. The natural result is healing weight loss,” according to thejuicepress.com.

Tried and tested: “When I started doing it, I was feeling like I had a food hangover every time I ate. For one day, drink eight juices at least. Better to have more, because if you know you have it in the fridge, you won’t get hungry. As soon as I did that, I felt so much better and lost 15 pounds [ed. note: over time and after eliminating processed foods from her regular diet]. I have a ton of energy, feel so much stronger and I don’t feel so sick when I eat.” — Norma Kamali, fashion designer

*BLUE PRINT CLEANSE, various locations, delivery available

The regimen: Six juices per day from fruit- and veggie-packed green juices (i.e., cucumber, apple, spinach, kale) to hearty mixes (cashew, cinnamon, vanilla and agave milk). Three days is suggested — without solid food — at $65 a day.

The promise: “Trigger detox and elimination,” says the the Web site, as well as “restore your alkaline balance, and seriously rest your insides so they can finally unearth those crayons you ate when you were three.”

Tried and tested: “You really have to commit. Day two, late afternoon is the hardest. If you can push through that, you can make it. The morning of the third day, you wake up and just feel clear-headed and energized. I was surprised. Your body almost doesn’t want to eat anything bad after — you don’t start eating steak and drinking beer.” — David Balutanski, fashion product development

*TERRI, 60W. 23rd St.

The regimen: $235 for a fiveday cleanse (though three is more common), which includes six numbered drinks, featuring fresh-pressed fruit or vegetable juices, including green and root veggies, young coconut milk and strawberry mint lemonade, designed to be sipped throughout the day. No solid food allowed.

The promise: Jumpstart weight loss or transition to a more healthful lifestyle. “You’ll feel better, look better and help your body,” according to terrinyc.com.

Tried and tested: “I wanted to feel lighter, get rid of toxins, to clean my insides. The juices are quite filling. I really felt much more energy—but it was a different kind of energy; it was much more subdued, much calmer. I wasn’t looking to lose weight, but I did notice I lost about three or four pounds.I was able to focus much more and felt light inside out. I was in the moment all the time.”—Katarina Morhacova, actress/model