Do Juice Cleanses Actually Work?

Those of you hooligans who have been following me for a long time know that I am a fan of using detox water, juicing, and smoothies as a way to supplement a healthy diet and get the most nutrients in your diet and promote healthy digestion and maximum hydration.

However, I do not believe in restricting your diet to ONLY these things. As I’ve said before, the only way to see results that last is to find a balance of clean foods and exercise. Selecting only one food to eat for periods of time can actually hurt your progress. (Such as that ridiculous fruit-only fad diet that is such a bad idea on SO many levels.)

So what about a temporary juice cleanse? Does that help flush your body of toxins and start fresh? Or could it be the cause of cravings and the start of an unhealthy cycle of calorie restricting?

Those of you who follow me on Instagram (@swansandsparrows) know that I’m a fan of Nektar, and I decided to write this article and do some investigating into the idea of whether or not doing a juice cleanse like theirs is actually beneficial.

So let’s examine the claims one by one:

Will a Juice Cleanse Help Me Lose Weight?

That’s probably the number one reason people go on them. So do they? I mean, in theory it would make sense– eat nothing but juiced fruits and veggies you’re bound to lose weight, right?

Actually, it’s not that simple. From WebMD:

“There’s nothing wrong with going on a juice fast for a few days,” said Dr. James Dillard, assistant clinical professor at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City, on WebMD. “But it’s not a great way to lose weight, because you’ll gain it all back — you yo-yo. It’s just like the Atkins diet. The weight you lose is water weight.” And Dr. Braunstein (of Cedars-Sinai) says this type of deprivation can also result in dizziness, nausea, constipation, fatigue and irritability.

So in the long-run, a juice cleanse won’t really help, and could actually hurt your progress in terms of weight loss.

Is Juicing Beneficial to My Health?

In normal doses, sure. More fruits and veggies doesn’t hurt in small amounts. However, drinking juice in large quantities could be problematic.

Because the fruit in these juices are stripped of their fiber when blended, your body absorbs the sugar much more quickly. Fruit juice is also less filling and you have to drink more of it in order to not be starving.

And while the “detox” concept is a compelling one, you can remove the processed junk from your body by simply removing it from your diet and eating clean, healthy foods to begin with. The idea that a juice cleanse is a solution to the modern diet is silly– you have to treat the problem from where it began, ya hear me? Put down that processed “food” and grab something healthy.

Is a Shorter Juice Cleanse OK?

A one or two day juice cleanse could be all right, although they’re not something you want to do often and aren’t really effective.

Instead, incorporate juice (preferably GREEN juices that have more veggies you wouldn’t normally eat) into a clean diet. That way you get the benefits of juice without going to the extremes of a juice cleanse that won’t work.

Want to learn more about clean eating? Take my 30 DAY CLEAN EATING CHALLENGE! Eating clean actually works.