The juice cleanse phenomenon has become extremely popular in the past few years. These cleanses have not only been popular with fitness gurus but also with the average person who truly just wants to be healthy and shed a few pounds.
If you’re thinking about doing a juice cleanse, it’s important to make sure you’ve done all of the research first. Cleanses can be really good for you when done properly, but there is a lot of information you need to know.
Are Juice Cleanses Good For Detoxing?
Detoxes like the Master Cleanse tend to raise a lot of eyebrows. Still, those who advocate for them and other juice cleanses which are comprised of raw fruits and vegetables are perfectly fine so long as you first consult with a physician.
What Do The Skeptics Say?
Some people who don’t support juice cleanses say that no one should anticipate long long-term weight loss from a juice cleanse. Several other experts say that the human bodies don’t need so-called cleansing, as they come included with detoxifiers.
On the other hand, detoxes help you avoid excessively eating bad foods, alcohol and coffee. They can also help you to form better habits after the cleanse is complete. Almost like a “fresh start.”
BluePrint Cleanse
This company makes organic juices that are 100 percent USDA certified. BluePrint does this with high-pressure process devoid of heat that helps the juices stay fresh for 13 days in your refrigerator.
Plans range in price, and you can choose whether you want to do a three, five or ten-day cleanse.
The BluePrint cleanse has been pretty popular with celebrities such as Blake Lively, Olivia Wilde, Ginnifer Goodwin, Ashley Greene, Bethenny Frankle, and Sarah Jessica Parker.
Cooler Cleanse
Cooler Cleanse was created when actress Salma Hayek decided she wanted to bring fresh, natural, healthy juices to the marketplace. Salma was raised with an appreciation for natural self beauty care, and she believes that juicing is a huge part of that. The actress-turned-business woman also recognizes the importance of organic, locally sourced ingredients. A large percentage of the ingredients in the juices are USDA-certified Non-GMO and organic, as well as locally sourced in New York.
The Cooler Cleanse is designed to consume six juices a day, over a period of one, three or five days. It’s set up in a similar way to other cleanses. You remove processed foods, sugars, alcohol and caffeine from your diet before starting the cleanse. This helps prepare your body so you don’t shock it with the sudden change to juicing. Additionally, this also makes the juicing more effective towards detoxing your body.
Celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio, Demi Moore, Rachel Zoe, Oprah Winfrey and Sharon Stone have been known to love Cooler Cleanse.
Eat your fruits and veggies!
It’s recommended that you eat 5-13 servings of fruits and vegetables every single day. This breaks down to roughly 2.5-6.5 cups of fruits and veggies. It can be a bit of a challenge to get that many fruit and vegetables into our diets, especially during our busy week days. This is one of the best things about juicing! It’s an easy way to get multiple servings of fruits and vegetables into your diet. Juicing can also be a great way for you to disguise any vegetables that you might not like.
Can help you lose weight
Proponents of juice cleanse diets contend it is wonderful for losing weight. Since your body naturally retains a lot of water weight, when you are consuming smaller amounts of calories, your body turns to the water weight. You’ll likely notice a significant drop in your weight, relatively quickly. However, you can gain it back pretty quickly if you return immediately to your regular eating habits.
Other perks to juicing
When you start consuming large amounts of fruits and vegetables on a regular basis, you’ll likely notice changes in your body. Many people who do a juice cleanse report a change in their energy, and a boost in their immune system. Juicing also helps to strengthen bones, can reduce the risk of disease and help your skin to be more smooth and clear.
Obviously, every person has a different experience with juicing, just like anything else. It’s important to monitor your results and symptoms and make sure you are still feeling well throughout the cleanse.
Keep in mind
You might want to reconsider doing a juice cleanse if one of these descriptions sounds like you:
- Anyone who is undergoing chemotherapy
- The large levels of antioxidants and little protein contained in the juice can be harmful
- People who have diabetes
- This is because of the large amount of sugar in the involved in juice cleanses can result in skyrocketing blood sugar levels.
- Anyone with nutritional deficiencies
- Anyone with kidney disease
- The large amounts of levels of potassium and minerals from too much juice consumption can build up in your blood, which is dangerous to anyone with kidney disease. Instead, consider following the renal diet.
Juicing eliminates some of the benefits
Some of the antioxidants and fiber that you can find in the fruits and vegetables are taken out during juicing, since you’re only drinking the juice of the fruits and vegetables. For example, you get flavonoids from the white pulp in oranges, but this is lost during the juicing process.
To avoid this, try to drink a larger amount of vegetable juices and stick to just one fruit juice per day. This will ensure you still get a good amount of fiber and antioxidants from the juices.
Juices are not as filling
This is rather obvious, but still true. When you do a juice cleanse, be prepared to experience hunger pangs. While a relatively unpleasant feeling, the hunger pangs you experience mean the cleanse is doing its job! You’ll lose weight and give your body time to rid itself of the toxins that build up.
Important nutrients
It is important to demonstrate skepticism when a diet of any kind leaves out an entire food group or food groups. You need a wide array of foods from various food groups. You can’t get all your necessary minerals and vitamins from just one.
Juice fasts more often than not don’t have the necessary fat and protein, as explained by Livestrong.com
A Juice Cleanse Is Not A Good Way To Lose Weight
While you will lose weight by virtue of lowering your fat and caloric intake, you’ll put it right back on right after you finish. Not the best thing to do for your body, as it could lower your metabolism on a permanent basis.
You really have nothing to detox
This is true. Our bodies do a wonderful job of detoxing bodies without having a juice fast or juice cleanse. This is by virtue of our intestines, liver and kidneys filtering out the bad stuff we take in through our urine, excrement, sweat and breath.
A juice cleanse is not really necessary.
It’s kind of expensive
The weight loss and fitness and business is enormous.
In February 2011, it was valued at close to $60 billion. Here are some examples as how expensive some of the juice cleanse products are.
BluePrintCleanse,
- Based in New York
- Charges $65 per day
Pressed Juicery
- Based in Los Angeles
- Offers three juice cleanse packages
- Each has five juices and an almond milk
- These will cost you $70 per day
Juicers at home will cost you $30-$300.
“My friends have tried it and they loved it. They feel great!”
It’s valid to state that several people who try juice cleanse diets say they end up with more energy and have more focus.
The problem is because it could be due to a mere belief that it is doing it for them. In other words, a placebo effect.
It’s it is not the end all be all. It will not cure cancer
Those who advocate for the juice cleanse say it can cure things like the sniffles and even things like cancer, but there has been no evidence to suggest that it can do those things.
The fact of the matter is that your body needs all sorts of nutrients for healing. It is vital to maintain a balanced diet.
The American Cancer Society doesn’t endorse juice cleansing or any type of fast as a way to treat cancer. No one going through chemotherapy should try a juice fast because it will reduce your protein levels and increase your antioxidant levels.
So, Should You Juice Or Not?
You can a solid amount of fruit and vegetables by getting on a juice cleanse. If you decide to do it, however, it shouldn’t be more than a couple days, as you are keeping yourself from getting the other necessary vitamins and nutrients that you need on a regular basis.
To lose weight and get in shape, you need exercise and moderation.
Slate
The website Slate has a harsher take on the juice cleanse phenomenon.
There are over 6,200 juice bars coast to coast serving various juices, as Barron’s notes. On top of that, Starbucks invested $30 million to buy Evolution Fresh to get in on the act.
Certain supermarkets like Whole Foods can charge up to $10 per bottle of a 12-16 ounce juice bottle.
“A Jealous God”
Those who are really devoted to the practice don’t just eat it with their choice of organic food, they go on cleanses, that is juice cleanses. These cleanses can last a few days to a few weeks.
The cleanses promise to give you solid nutrition, good alkaline and get rid of impurities.
Those who opt for a juice cleanse have 6-7 juices per day and adhere to a strict schedule. The tastes can vary.
Juicing companies on their websites will boast about it will improve your hair, skin, daily energy and mind. Furthermore, it will improve your immunity and ability to digest foods.
What Actually Happens To Juicers?
Although it’s not always their main intention, juicers will lose weight by virtue of about 1,000 calories taken in per day.
The fact of the matter is however that these juices don’t accomplish what they set out to do. They are all talk and just very annoying.
Fat and protein are necessary parts of your diets. You also must have enough calories to ensure your body that you are not going hungry. The alternative could be very bad for your body.
Having a liquid form of fruits and vegetables cuts out fiber. Fiber is a necessary part of your diet because it helps the microflora in your stomach.
In Conclusion
There is no question that juice cleanses offer some benefits, but they should be performed very sparingly.
This is because too many nutrients are lost during the cleanse and they don’t offer you the advantage of a balance diet. For many people, like those who have or once had cancer, they should be avoided altogether.
