Juice Cleanse

[robert99]

What Happens To Your Body On A Juice Cleanse
Last week I met a guy who told me he was spending $70 a day on a three-day 'juice cleanse'. While I had to admire his dedication to improving his health, I couldn't help but think about what a waste of time and money this was.

Alas, this is something I hear on an almost-weekly basis. Meanwhile, I seem to have very few conversations that start with "Oh, I just decided I would try and include more vegetables in my diet for the next few months and cut back on processed food".

It's human nature to look for a quick fix to a problem, and there's no doubt that, for the majority of us, our health and weight is a major problem. So juice cleanses or detoxes appear to offer a perfect solution; in the prescribed three to seven days you can supposedly lose weight and do a total 180 in terms of your health -- who wouldn't sign up for that?

Except, unfortunately, that's not what really happens...

And as for the guy on the juice cleanse, I later learned that he had gone out for a huge plate of ribs before starting the 'cleanse' and had celebrated its completion with a large steak and fries. I don't think it takes a dietitian to figure out that the benefits of this three-day program would have equated to approximately zero.

 

[Naturebound1]

I have to agree with this article. My first reaction when someone tells me they are on a "juice cleanse" is a huge eye roll (I try to turn my head and do it so as not to be seen to be polite).

I haven't personally tried a juice cleanse, but I went through periods of fasting for 24 hours once per week for a while, and sometimes twice per week, to try to lose weight and "reset" my body (keep in mind I was underweight when I tried this). It never worked for real and sustained weight loss, and it played havoc on my digestion. Some people swear by stuff like this, especially the new fad "intermittent fasting" (which I suppose is an entirely different topic). But the people I know who are big on juice fasts never seem to have more energy or lose weight.

Some people do these fasts for spiritual reasons and claim it helps them in this area. I'm not sure the purpose of this either, but I won't judge others for doing it. I just don't think people should promote it to everyone. These fasts can be dangerous. I've known people in the eating disorder world who would only consume liquids for weeks, even months, and end up with all kinds of electrolyte imbalances and digestive issues. They could no longer eat solid food without severe pain.