Are Juice Cleanse Diets A Dangerous Fad?

 by Caroline Young | September 9, 2013 | Updated: August 23, 2013 

Recently, diet fads like Atkins and South Beach have fallen off the radar in the world of health and fitness. But it seems a new trend is taking their place—juice cleanse diets.

In essence, juicing is extracting the juice from whole fruits and veggies. Most people choose to cleanse for weight loss and/or to detoxify the body. It may sound healthy, but the skepticism comes when a person is living off only juice and no whole foods.

The human body naturally detoxifies itself every day, eliminating and neutralizing toxins through the skin, lymph glands, lungs, kidneys, colon, and liver. But environmental toxins of life today, such as chemicals and pollutants in the air, are often more than an average human body can handle. When foreign substances enter into the body, it will store them outside of the elimination system, and they begin to build up in body fat.

In other words, if you just went on a European jaunt, and indulged in too much wine or gelato, or simply ate too much of the wrong foods, detoxifying for a short period of time through a juice cleanse diet may be the solution. A typical juice fast lasts 1 to 5 days; however, it is important to make sure that an only-juice cleanse is the right choice for your body. For many, cleanses including whole foods may be the best solution.¹

What Are The Most Popular Juice Cleanse Diets?

1) The Blue Print Cleanse offers a few different levels of cleanses, depending on individual dietary history and preference. Level 1 is Renovation, and is recommended for new juice cleansers. It includes six bottles of juice per day: green juices, lemonade made with agave nectar, combination fruit juices, and cashew nut milk mixed with vanilla and cinnamon. Blue Print’s Level 2, the Foundation Cleanse, is similar to the Renovation cleanse; however, it’s more geared towards people who are already used to trying out new diets and maintaining an active lifestyle. Level 3, the Excavation Cleanse, is geared more towards people who are incredibly body conscious and already eat clean. It includes more of the vegetable juices, and less of the fruit juices. Blue Print is geared towards people with busy lives, who simply do not have the time to juice for every meal. Cleanse lengths vary depending on personal preference.

2) One three-day weekend juice cleanse was developed by a documentary filmmaker Joe Cross, who started juice cleansing as a way to lose 100 pounds, and to live a better life. However, his recommended cleanse includes whole foods (only fruits and veggies) at dinnertime. The rest of the three days include five juices, consisting of juices like Carrot Apple Ginger and the Mean Green, which includes kale, cucumbers, celery, apples, ginger, and lemon.

3) The 7-Day Juice Cleanse is a do-it-yourself plan, which calls for four to six juices per day, each with 16 to 20 ounces. The shopping list includes 13 different fruits and veggies, as well as garlic and ginger root, and it is recommended to take two trips to the grocery store. One warning of the cleanse, as well as many other similar cleanses, is there will be some dizziness and headaches, especially within the first few days of the cleanse, while the body is trying to adapt. While the juices are purely fruit and veggies, it’s acceptable to add spices like pepper, fresh mint, basil oregano, chives, or thyme, to give them a little kick.

Pros and Cons of Juice Cleanse Diets

Pros

1. More Fruits & Veggies – Juice fasts help people to reach the recommended dietary intake of fruits and veggies, which is between five to thirteen servings daily, or 2 ½ to 6 ½ cups, depending on the person. Diets rich in fruits and veggies can help to reduce the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases.²

 

2. May Reduce Cholesterol Levels – Juice cleanses, combined with regular physical activity has shown to help in reducing cholesterol levels,³

 

3. May Enhance Spirituality – Juice cleansing can go hand in hand with spirituality. Nearly every religion has some kind of fasting ritual, such as Yom Kippur, Lent, and Ramadan. In Chinese medicine, fasting is simply part of general healthcare. Many people are drawn to the idea of cleansing, whether it’s physically, psychologically, spiritually, or all three.

Cons

1. Little Scientific Evidence Behind “Cleansing” Claims – There is currently very little scientific evidence revealing that juice fasting can remove toxins from the body.

 

2. May Not Help With Sustained Weight Loss – Juice cleansing can actually not be helpful in weight loss efforts. Similar to any carbohydrate-restricting fad diet, water weight will come off during the cleanse, but will come right back afterwards.⁴

 

3. Juice Cleanse Diets Can Be Expensive – Juice cleanses can be time-consuming, as well as expensive. More trips to the grocery store are usually necessary, and pre-made juice lines likeBlue Print start at $55 for individual orders.

If your body and mind desires, try out a juice cleanse, but make sure it’s tailored to fit your needs, physically and emotionally. Talk to your doctor or dietitian before moving forward with any juice fast to decide on the best cleanse to suit your lifestyle.

I believe fruit juices are not as good as whole fruit, such as apples because when it is made into juice, it takes away the fibrous structure and therefore has a larger effect on blood sugar.