You might have spotted your favorite celebs and health influencers engaging in juice cleanses. This involves juicing fresh fruits and veggies and avoiding all solid food for a limited period of time. Proponents claim that juice cleanses are a great way to ‘detox’ and ‘reset’ your body—but is it really worth it?
What is a Juice Cleanse?
The juice referred to in a juice cleanse is usually cold-pressed fruit and vegetable juice with no additives. This kind of juice is bursting with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
The juice cleanse requires you to drink only juice for anywhere from 3 days to 3 weeks. It is purported to help with weight loss, resolve digestive issues and provide a detoxing effect after overindulgence.
What are the Benefits?
The benefit of cold-pressed fruit and veggie juice is that it is an easy way to get lots of nutrients in one sitting, without having to spend lots of time preparing fruits and veggies throughout the day. However, you don’t need to only drink juice to get this benefit…
What are the Downsides?
Unfortunately, there are lots of downsides to juice cleanses.
- Juicing removes all dietary fiber which is essential for healthy digestion.
- A juice-cleanse diet will not provide you with adequate calories to meet your energy needs.
- A juice cleanse is very restrictive and could harm your relationship with food.
- There is no evidence to suggest that juice cleanses help your body to flush out toxins.
The Verdict
The best way to have a healthy diet and get all the nutrients you need is to eat plenty of fresh veggies and fruits, whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fats. Juices can absolutely be a healthy addition to a balanced diet, but they shouldn’t replace food, even for a few days.
