Are Juice Cleanses Worth It?
Benefits, Risks and Alternatives
** Some of you may remember this newsletter from early 2024, but as my Back to Basics Nutrition community continues to grow, I know many of you might be seeing this for the first time. It’s a topic worth revisiting, so I’m excited to share it again!"**
Are you feeling sluggish, bloated, low energy, have brain fog or are getting sick more often? Have you been treating your body to too many processed foods or maybe a few too many cocktails from your beach vacation? Well maybe it is time for a cleanse.
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Disclosure, I am a fan of detoxes or cleanses periodically when needed. I know many other health practitioners are against them as they believe that the body has all the tools to detox naturally at any time. But there are times when we just do not take care of our body and it can get bogged down. We know because we start to feel the symptoms listed above. There are many options to do cleanses or detoxes, but many look to a juice cleanse because of the convenience and time.
But are juice cleanses worth it?
What is a Juice Cleanse?
Juice cleanses date back to at least 1976 when the book by Stanley Burroughs, The Master Cleanse, made the bookshelves. The Master Cleanse consisted of mixing lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper together and drinking this concoction for 10 days. Not my idea of fun but many took the challenge. This classic cleanse is still quite popular today.
The master cleanse paved the way for other juice cleanse variations which consist more of 100% raw fruits and vegetables.
The premise behind a juice cleanse, well any cleanse really, is to give your body a break, remove toxins and bring your body back to a healthy balance. Juice cleanses are highly marketed as the go to product for this purpose. The benefits of juice cleanses are they promote weight loss, boost energy levels, enhance skin health and they are convenient especially is you order from a company that will deliver it to you.
Here are a couple studies that show a temporary benefit to juice cleanses
Health benefit of vegetable/fruit juice-based diet: Role of microbiome - PMC (nih.gov)
Fruit Juices: Are They Helpful or Harmful? An Evidence Review - PMC (nih.gov)
Types of Juice Cleanses
If you are feeling eager, you can do your own juice cleanse if you have a juicer at home.
There was a point where I was a juicer owner and experimented with juicing but that did not last long. Juicing at home was expensive and the clean up was time consuming. So the juicer got placed in the appliance graveyard until I sold it to another eager juicer.
If your do it yourself juicer doesn't work for you, then maybe the pre-juiced, delivered to your home cleanse is for you. Juice cleanses last 3, 5, 7 or 10 days typically but most do a 3 to 5 day cleanse. Many use this type of cleanse a a ‘jumpstart to healthy habits but 3 days or even 10 days is just not long enough to create those healthy habits and results in going back to your old ways eventually.
So Are Juice Cleanses Worth It?
Well that depends on what your goal is. Short term gain or Long term changes. There are many pros and cons.
PROS: (some mentioned previously)
Weight loss
Boosts energy
Boost of micronutrients
Improved skin health
Promotion of detoxification
These benefits are usually short lived.
CONS:
Weight loss is short lived and most likely muscle loss
Blood sugar levels may spike (your ingesting fruit juice without the fiber so your insulin levels will spike to counteract the fruit sugar)
Taxing on the liver (fructose - fruit sugar, is processed by the liver and causes the liver to actually be overworked and convert the fructose sugar to fat leading to insulin resistance - the precursor to Type 2 diabetes.)
Cost - even when making your own juices, you will have to purchase double to triple the amount of fruits and vegetables to juice. Purchasing from brands is also pricey and depending on the duration of the cleanse can cost over $100.
What to do Instead of a Juice Cleanse
REMOVE all the stressor in your diet (processed foods, alcohol, sugars) and eat clean whole foods and increase your quality proteins (animal based).
Hydrate with filtered water - Start you day with lemon water
Daily movement
Prioritize sleep
Supplementation - there are some supplements you have take to enhance the process but not always needed (ex. milk thistle, dandelion root)
These five tips will also, hopefully, create healthy habits that you take forward for sustainable habits rather then a juice cleanse that provides short term benefits and no healthy habits. The kickstart many think will happen is just not long lived.
Would love to hear feedback on if a juice cleanse helped you.
Danni
I smiled at your comment about the juicer. My kids convinced me to buy one, but it now sits in the cupboard for the same reasons you gave! I never do a cleanse! I’ve thought of it, but if I did one it’d be milk or broth! But I’m not really sure that I need one and don’t like not eating food! But then I don’t eat upfs and I eat plenty of clean food and I move, so maybe I don’t need one. 😊🙏
I am partial to the ‘instead of a juice cleanse’. I have done a master cleanse years back, and some over priced juice cleanses. I also have a juicer, and, and… My personal best results were removing UPF, and cooking, and movement - for me this is sustainable.
Well written and thoughtful piece Danni.