Are Juice Cleanses Worth It
Juicing may help you lose a little weight initially, but that doesnt mean its a sound long-term approach. While there is anecdotal evidence that juice cleanses work for some people, there isnt much evidence that they work for most. Most medical professionals dont recommend juice cleanses for weight loss because it isnt sustainable for most people and can be dangerous for others .
Its always a good idea to add fruits and vegetables to your diet, but its best to do so by eating them rather than drinking them. While a short 13 day cleanse wont hurt you too much, you might want to think of it as a diet reboot and increase the amount of healthy, nutritious whole plant foods to your diet.
Please talk to your healthcare provider before starting any juice cleanse to see if its right for you!
Make Your Juice With Mostly Veggies
Aim to make most juices 80% veggies. That means 13 out of 16 ounces of juice should be from vegetables.
- Good veggies to include: spinach, kale, cucumber, zucchini, carrots, beets, and celery.
- Good fruits to include: lemons, limes, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, dark cherries, and kiwis. These fruits have lower sugar content and are loaded with anti-inflammatory antioxidants.
- For a boost of flavor, also consider adding in nutrient-packed herbs such as ginger root, turmeric root, basil, parsley, cilantro, and mint.
For sample juice recipes, check out 11 of our favorite, easy-to-make juices.
Increased Hunger And Fatigue
You might find that juicing leaves you feeling pretty weak and tired, not to mention hungry. That’s because sticking to a juice only diet, can potentially cut a large amount of calories, but this also means you have less incoming energy to pull from. And less fuel can me no energy for workouts, decreasing your calorie output and physical performance.
In addition, super restrictive diets are associated with increased cravings and reduced willpower – both of which can make dieting that much harder .
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Are There Other Ways To Get The Purported Benefits Of Juicing
The most prominent health claim related to juice fasting is its potential to help detoxify, but if you have a functioning liver and kidneys, you really don’t need to do anything extra besides eating a balanced diet high in whole, minimally processed foods to detoxify your body. You can achieve the purported benefits of juice fasting like weight loss and better digestion by simply adding more fruits and vegetables to your regular diet. Doing this will up your fiber intake, which is good for digestion, and replacing foods like refined carbohydrates with fruits and vegetables can help with weight loss.
If you like the idea of drinking your fruits and vegetables, try making a smoothie as a meal replacer instead of juice. Smoothies allow more flexibility with the types of food you put it, especially protein-rich foods. Adding dairy or soy products, nut butters, chia seeds, or flaxseed meal to smoothies bumps up the protein and fat content, making that smoothie a filling meal containing everything you need to nourish your body and feel satisfied.
Benefits Of Juice Fasting
There are several benefits to undergoing a juice fast. Most of these changes happen on a microscopic level inside your body.
Mega dose of nutrients. Fresh pressed juice truly packs a nutritional punch. It contains plenty of antioxidants and immunity boosters that help your body regenerate and protect itself. Your body can also absorb vitamin C better through juice.
Improves gut health. Juice fasts, or juice cleanse, also improve your gut health. A proper balance of bacteria inside the gut is essential for good health. When done properly, a juice fast can leave you with more good bacteria in your gut, which promotes weight loss.
Helpful for people who struggle with eating healthy. Juicing can be the perfect solution for those who dont enjoy eating fruits and vegetables, but still want to take advantage of their benefits.
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Both Have Side Effects
Since your body is used to a steady stream of food, rapidly shifting away from that will affect how you feel. Besides being hungry, people who fast might experience the following side effects early on in their fasts:
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Electrolyte imbalances
However, some of these side effects can be taken care of with electrolyte supplementation and taking it easy during the fast.
How Can I Ensure That My Body Is Supplied With Sufficient Protein During The Diet
If different types of fruits and vegetables are used during the therapy, it is not necessary to take dietary supplements, as this already covers a wide range of vitamins. Although there is a long-term lack of proteins during juice or smoothie fasting. As most regimens last less than a week, this does not have any serious consequences for a healthy person.
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What Are The Differences Between The Two
There are two primary differences between water fasting and juice fasting, both of which we touched on above. The first is how many calories you consume during the fast. With a water fast, you never consume any calories since water has no calories. With a juice fast, you are consuming calories, although its often nothing significant, at least not most of the time. You do have to watch your sugars, as too many can lead to an unexpected calorie boost.
The second big difference is the length of both fasts. Water fasts rarely go on longer than three days. The body needs calories for energy. Data from Medline Plus published on Livestrong says that getting as few as 500 calories daily is too little.
At this point, the body is in starvation mode. You may experience electrolyte imbalances, malnutrition, constipation, and dehydration. In severe cases, electrolyte imbalances could be responsible for deadly heart arrhythmias.
While dehydration is admittedly unlikely since youd be drinking lots of water, without salts in your body, electrolyte imbalances could certainly occur. Thats why water fasts have to be much shorter than juice fasts.
The Truth About Juice Fasting
Detox juice cleanses get a lot of praise from models, celebrities and alternative medicine practitioners. The internet abounds with homemade juice recipes for weight loss, from celery juice to fancy drinks with names like The Fat Killer or The Liver Scrubber. On top of that, it’s common to see dieters who drink nothing but juice for weeks or months at a time. Some say that juice fasting increases your energy and stamina, skyrockets your metabolism and flushes toxins.
Read more:How to Detox in 3 Days Without Juicing
Fruit and vegetables juices are chock-full of antioxidants. These natural compounds help maintain liver function, scavenge free radicals and support cardiovascular health, according to a review published in the journal Antioxidants in October 2017. Furthermore, they may protect against neurodegenerative diseases and boost brainpower. Considering these facts, it’s not surprising that juicing is considered a healthy practice.
However, it’s one thing to drink a glass of fresh juice daily and another thing to go on a juice cleanse for weight loss. Detox plans and cleanses may pose serious health risks, as reported by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health . First of all, most detox programs severely restrict calories and food choices, which can result in nutrient deficiencies.
See the difference? The whole fruit packs more fiber and protein. It also contains larger doses of calcium, potassium, phosphorus, vitamin C and other nutrients.
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The Bottom Line On Juice Fasts
Juice fasting has become a popular method to lose weight and detox. However, it comes with a number of health concerns, and there is no evidence supporting the idea that it cleanses the body.
Before you try this type of liquid fast, its crucial to understand the risk factors. Rather than following a vegan juice fast, you might want to consider doing a bone broth fast instead. Also, heres a word of advice: Dont try to be a hero with your juice fast. If you feel horrible, listen to your body and cut it short.
How Long Can You Do Juice Fasting
Most experts do not recommend juice fasting for more than 3 days, while others have praised the benefits of extended juice fasting up to 3 weeks at a time! However, if you are depriving your body of dietary fiber, protein, fats, and calories for more than a few days a week at the most you are likely to start seeing negative effects.
You may experience dizziness or lightheadedness if your juices are primarily vegetable-based, as vegetables have fewer calories. A juice fast of more than 3 days may also result in exhaustion and muscle weakness, due to the low intake of protein.
Beyond 3 days, many people extend a juice diet, which means that most of your meals consist of juice, but a small meal at night, often rich in protein, rounds out the healthy day. Generally speaking, 3 days is the accepted limit for a pure juice fast, but depending on your present health condition, slightly longer juice fasts may be acceptable.
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The Benefits Of Juice Cleansing
The positive side of juice cleansing is probably pretty obvious you’re consuming plenty of fruits and vegetables, which we know should make up half of our plate.
“Studies have shown that fruit and vegetable juices can boost levels of important vitamins and antioxidants, including folate, vitamin C, vitamin E and beta carotene,” says Beaver. So, in theory, a juice cleanse is helpful for people who find it hard to eat enough fruits and vegetables. But, as the old saying goes: Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing.
Increased Fruit And Vegetable Intake
Fruits and veggies are some of the most nutrient-dense foods you can eat. They tend to be low in calories and high in many essential vitamins and minerals. They are also associated with numerous health benefits including improved heart health and protection against certain types of cancers .
And when added to a calorie controlled diet, they may support weight loss by improving mood, energy, and appetite .
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Red Zinger Breakfast Juice
Heres another great juice detox recipe to start your morning with. Its got a great nutritional profile from the vegetables and fruits, and it tastes great, with a slight kick from the lemons.
The beets are a good source of vitamins and minerals, such as folate, potassium, manganese, iron and vitamin C.
This is one of our favorite detox juices, for the color alone! But dont fret, this juice cleanse recipe is as delicious as it is beautiful!
When starting on a juice detox, you have to be sure you have a good juicer, this one is a best seller!
Red Zinger Breakfast Juice Recipe:
Water Fasting Gets Your Body Deeper Into Ketosis
Similar to autophagy, ketosis is a process that requires your glycogen stores to completely run out. Ketosis occurs when your body switches from burning sugar from food or glycogen from your liver to burning ketones, which are fats.
The popular keto diet keeps your body in ketosis by dropping nearly all carbs, but if you dont want to give up potatoes or bread, you can get into ketosis through water fasting.
There are numerous benefits to ketosis, which affect every part of your body. Ketosis can:
- Reduce inflammation throughout the body, which improves ailments from IBS to acne to arthritis
- Possibly prevent or fight some forms of cancer
- Improve sleep and energy levels
- Prevent diabetes, obesity, and other illnesses associated with metabolic syndrome
This post has links to scientific papers showing the various proven benefits of ketosis.
Without your liver running out of glycogen, you cant stay in ketosis. If youre looking to get the most benefits of ketosis in your fast, youll need to skip out on the juice.
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You May Experience Caffeine Withdrawal
If you’re fully committed to your juice cleanse, that means you’ll have had to cut out all caffeine. “Even if you normally drink only one cup a day, eliminating caffeine cold turkey may contribute to headaches, irritability, and difficulty with concentrating,” says nutritionist Amy Shapiro, MS, RD, CDN, and founder of Real Nutrition NYC.
Ruby Red Fat Flush Juice
This simple fat burning juice recipe is a low-calorie blend that helps promote weight loss. And its easy to make, to boot:
- 2 grapefruits
- 1 large beetroot
- 2 cucumbers
Beets get their brilliant hues from a not-so-well-known, but powerful, antioxidant called betalains that help your body cleanse and detoxify itself by supporting a process known as phase 2 cleansing.
During this cleansing process, small nutrient groups chemically combine with toxic substances in our body. The combination helps to neutralize the toxins and makes them water-soluble so they can be flushed out of our system through urination.
Grapefruits are also wonderful natural cleansers and cucumbers serve as a refreshing base to this power-packed juice recipe. Drink before meals to promote weight loss!
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What Is A Juice Diet
Whether you call it a juice fast, cleanse or detox, these diets claim to promote rapid weight loss. But are they safe and effective? We take a closer look…
Juice diets have become increasingly popular as supposed quick fix regimes, promising dramatic weight loss in a relatively short timeframe, as well as sometimes claiming other health benefits such as detoxing the liver, clearer skin and improved mood. But can they really improve your health, is the weight loss sustainable, and are there dangers to following such extreme diets?
Discover our full range of health benefit guides and read more about popular diets such as the detox diet and anti-inflammatory diet. Also check out some of these delicious juice recipes, including our green breakfast smoothie and celery juice.
Juicing For Weight Loss: The Pros And Cons
EMMIE SATRAZEMIS, RD, CSSD May 15, 2019
Juicing is sometimes celebrated as a great way to detox your system or kick start your diet. After all, drinking nothing but nutrient dense fruits and vegetables can’t be bad for you, right? Well, it turns out juicing is not exactly the same as including whole food produce into your diet. And while there are some potential benefits of juicing, it might not be the best solution for everyone.
Here’s a closer look at the science behind juicing and whether or not you should try a juice diet for weight loss.
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Juicing Helps Shrink Your Stomach Naturally
One of the best aesthetic benefits of juicing is that it can help gradually and naturally shrink your stomach by providing your body with replenishing nutrients without the bulk.
Fresh juices are nutrient dense, delivering potent doses of vitamins and minerals to keep your cravings at bay while keeping you feeling light and energetic.
The large intake of nutrients without the bulk that expands your stomach gradually leads to a smaller stomach, naturally reduced portions, and a quicker feeling of satiety.
Plus, depending on the fruits and veggies you choose you can get an extra boost of belly shrinking power. For example, apples contain pectin which is packed with antioxidants and helps decrease visceral fat around your midline.
Cabbage is another example of a wonderful veggie that will detox your liver, which helps reduce your overall belly fat one of the main functions of your liver is to metabolize fats and improved liver function through detox is a smart way to help your body metabolize fat into energy more efficiently.
Juice Fasting For Weight Loss: How Much Can You Lose
Without a doubt, juice fasting for weight loss will help you lose those pounds quickly.
Just watch Joe Cross from the Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead movie, who goes all the way and does juice fasting for 60 days, living on nothing but fresh vegetable juice!
Generally speaking, during the first seven days of juice fasting one can easily lose anywhere between 10-to-40 pounds.
Even though most of that initial weight loss will be water weight, it is weight loss nonetheless. That can certainly give you a great start and motivation to continue the fast.
After seven days the weight loss slows down to about half-a-pound to one pound per day, depending on the level of activity and quantity of juice you drink .
A 30-day juice fast can help one to lose 25-to-40 pounds. But there are some who lose much more.
The numbers will fluctuate depending on how your body is made and your lifestyle. If you stick to the half-a-pound to one-pound-per-day figure, you will not be disappointed. Anything additional to that will be a bonus.
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Getting started is easy. You just need a high-quality juicer and organic produce, such as raw fruit and leafy green vegetables.
But before you run to the store, there are some things you should know about juice fasting. Yes, there may be some health benefits associated with this practice, but not eating solid foods for an extended period comes with legitimate safety concerns.
In this article, youll learn everything you need to know about juice fasting: potential benefits, risks, fruit juice vs. vegetable juice, and how to structure your own juice cleanse.
You May Feel Sluggish
When consuming only fruits and vegetables via a juice cleanse, there is a decrease in the amount of calories being consumed regularly. “The body requires enough calories to be used as energy for normal body functions,” says Jim White, RD, ACSM, owner of Jim White Fitness & Nutrition Studios. “Without enough calories and energy, you could feel weak, have headaches, or have low energy.”
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