What You Should Know About Juice Cleanses™
We are all looking for the quickest. Easiest) way to lose the excess weight. Magazines tell us that juice cleanses are the way to go. But will they really solve the problem, and are they safe?
What are juice cleanses and what do they claim to do
Most juice cleanses claim that by giving up solid foods for a set period of time, you will lose weight and detoxify your body.
These liquid diets control your caloric intake by restricting what you eat to mostly liquid foods, or foods that have been liquified (i.e. juicing).
Some juice cleanses are intended to act as a meal replacement for some or all of your daily meals for a set period of time and consist of mostly fruit and vegetable juices. Other cleanses incorporate juices with specific meal plans that include “healthy” foods and possibly between-meal snack bars.
Are cleanses really necessary to detox our bodies
First, let’s be clear that there is absolutely no scientific evidence that juice cleanses actually assist the body in detoxification. Our liver is our primary detoxifier. Goes through three phases of detoxification.
In the first phase, your liver is essentially putting your garbage in a garbage bag. In this stage, the body alters the toxins so they can attach to carrier molecules into Phase II, where the garbage is taken to the curb.
Any water-soluble outputs from Phase I are excreted by the kidneys, but the fat-soluble outputs must be moved into Phase II.
It should be noted that the fat-soluble outputs from Phase I can be more toxic than the original toxins, and these substances are highly reactive.
If Phase II is too slow and not in sync with Phase I, toxins may accumulate faster than they can be removed.
Because Phase II requires certain amino acids, which you find in protein sources, most liquid cleanses only work on Phase I of the liver detoxification process. This results in a faster Phase I than Phase II.
Think of a juice cleanse as stuffing that garbage bag full with no one taking the garbage to the curb.
In Phase III, the products of Phases I and II are removed from the cells and transported to the bloodstream for elimination. Better yet, the garbage is removed from your curb to the landfill.
How do cleanses impact weight loss
Juice cleanses do result in weight loss, as they greatly reduce caloric intake during the time period of the cleanse.
However, this weight loss is usually contributed to the loss of water weight and the weight loss is short-lived.
When caloric intake is greatly reduced, your body freaks out and thinks that food is scarce. Its response is to lower your metabolism to reduce energy use. And you end up on a vicious cycle where it becomes more. More difficult to lose weight while still consuming enough calories to actually get out of bed in the morning.
Some researchers have found the combining liquid cleanses with real, whole foods do help overweight people maintain weight loss and control caloric intake after several years.
Complications with liquid cleanses
If you decide to take part in a liquid cleanse, understand that you may experience some of the following symptoms as a result of significant reduction in caloric intake and possible macro and micro-nutrient deficiencies.
- fatigue
- light-headedness
- dizziness
- headaches
- constipation
While participating in a cleanse, it is advisable to reduce your fitness routine to moderate walking and wait until after the cleanse to participate in more intense physical activity.
My friend said her cleanse was the best thing she has ever done
So, you’ve now read why juice cleanses are not the healthiest option for detoxification or weight loss, but your best friends swears they are the best thing since sliced bread.
So what gives?
First, during a juice cleanse, you are likely consuming far more vegetables and fruits than you typically do. In fact, calculate it.
We all know we need to get more of these bad boys into our diet, but most of us don’t fill up 2/3rds of our plate with green stuff like we should. Now, take 4 cups of kale, 2 apples, 2 stalks of celery, and forty other things and pack them into one single bottle.
Yep, you are going to feel the wonder of a diet full of vegetables and fruits. Of course, without the fiber that comes from eating those plants whole, you are also going to be riding a sugar high. At least until the sugar crash comes.
For others, resting your gut from the role of digestion can be a pretty good thing. Digesting toxic foods and medication, as well as the stress of life, can be taxing on our gut and its microbome (all the bacteria living in our gut). Taking in food in liquid form can give your gut a break from all that stress, requiring it to use less energy and spend time repairing itself.
But what you should really be asking yourself is just how great that cleanse really was. She may have lost 5 pounds in 7 days, but did she give you the whole story?
Take a look at www.rawfountainjuice.com this account of one woman’s experience with the Master Cleanse.
The Takeaway
While juice cleanses may result in initial weight loss, they do not teach the ongoing lifestyle changes needed to maintain that weight loss. Most individuals will regain the lost weight, and may even gain more weight than was lost.
There has been no scientific research that backs up the claim that juice cleanses support the body’s natural detoxification process. In fact, by restricting nutrients, liquid cleanses may actually hinder a body’s ability to complete the full detoxification process.
Instead of juice cleanses to fix a broken system, begin replacing toxic foods, such as refined sugar, with healthier options. Try a banana friend in coconut oil for your evening sweet or swap your Diet Pepsi with lemon water.