Juicing: Healthy detox or diet trap?

FatOldBat

TL/DR.
But, in my opinion, the human body functions beautifully and "juicing" is a dopey fad.

SnuggleSmacks

Why not just stop eating the processed foods and chemicals? Locally grown fresh foods and meats that are humanely raised with appropriate foods and without hormones and antibiotics are more available now than they have been since the world was mostly woods and farmland. It might cost just a little more (or, for some things, considerably less) but wouldn't it be smarter to simply refrain from putting all that stuff in your body rather than stopping once in a while to clean it out with juices or fasting or whatever?

wheird

I think juicing is a great way to add nutrition to a daily diet. That is pretty much it.

wheird

Why not just stop eating the processed foods and chemicals? Locally grown fresh foods and meats that are humanely raised with appropriate foods and without hormones and antibiotics are more available now than they have been since the world was mostly woods and farmland. It might cost just a little more (or, for some things, considerably less) but wouldn't it be smarter to simply refrain from putting all that stuff in your body rather than stopping once in a while to clean it out with juices or fasting or whatever?

Your body handles "processed foods and chemicals" just fine without the need to detox.

cwsreddy

Why not just stop eating the processed foods and chemicals? Locally grown fresh foods and meats that are humanely raised with appropriate foods and without hormones and antibiotics are more available now than they have been since the world was mostly woods and farmland. It might cost just a little more (or, for some things, considerably less) but wouldn't it be smarter to simply refrain from putting all that stuff in your body rather than stopping once in a while to clean it out with juices or fasting or whatever?

Your body handles "processed foods and chemicals" just fine without the need to detox.

Nvm I'm sleeping

SnuggleSmacks

Why not just stop eating the processed foods and chemicals? Locally grown fresh foods and meats that are humanely raised with appropriate foods and without hormones and antibiotics are more available now than they have been since the world was mostly woods and farmland. It might cost just a little more (or, for some things, considerably less) but wouldn't it be smarter to simply refrain from putting all that stuff in your body rather than stopping once in a while to clean it out with juices or fasting or whatever?

Your body handles "processed foods and chemicals" just fine without the need to detox.

Agreed, but this is the reason previously quoted for the "need" to detox or cleanse or whatever. I'm just saying that if this is the reason a person feels the need to put themselves through this process, wouldn't it be more efficient to just not eat the processed food and chemicals rather than eating them and then cleaning them out? What if your detox misses something?

sheenashe10

I love juicing and making smoothies.

mammamaurer

beachgod

sheenashe10

Why not just stop eating the processed foods and chemicals? Locally grown fresh foods and meats that are humanely raised with appropriate foods and without hormones and antibiotics are more available now than they have been since the world was mostly woods and farmland. It might cost just a little more (or, for some things, considerably less) but wouldn't it be smarter to simply refrain from putting all that stuff in your body rather than stopping once in a while to clean it out with juices or fasting or whatever?

Your body handles "processed foods and chemicals" just fine without the need to detox.

Agreed, but this is the reason previously quoted for the "need" to detox or cleanse or whatever. I'm just saying that if this is the reason a person feels the need to put themselves through this process, wouldn't it be more efficient to just not eat the processed food and chemicals rather than eating them and then cleaning them out? What if your detox misses something?

I don't detox. I juice because I love it. I eat organics and local food already. And I cut back on my process food a lot. I was just stating if someone wanted to cleanse that this will help with the process food and chemicals that was stored in the body and reboot your body with healthy food. Plus drinking lots of water will help too. I'm sure lots of fluids can help flush out the toxins in your body to get rid of them.

Strokingdiction

Why not just stop eating the processed foods and chemicals? Locally grown fresh foods and meats that are humanely raised with appropriate foods and without hormones and antibiotics are more available now than they have been since the world was mostly woods and farmland. It might cost just a little more (or, for some things, considerably less) but wouldn't it be smarter to simply refrain from putting all that stuff in your body rather than stopping once in a while to clean it out with juices or fasting or whatever?

Your body handles "processed foods and chemicals" just fine without the need to detox.

Agreed, but this is the reason previously quoted for the "need" to detox or cleanse or whatever. I'm just saying that if this is the reason a person feels the need to put themselves through this process, wouldn't it be more efficient to just not eat the processed food and chemicals rather than eating them and then cleaning them out? What if your detox misses something?

I don't detox. I juice because I love it. I eat organics and local food already. And I cut back on my process food a lot. I was just stating if someone wanted to cleanse that this will help with the process food and chemicals that was stored in the body and reboot your body with healthy food. Plus drinking lots of water will help too. I'm sure lots of fluids can help flush out the toxins in your body to get rid of them.

What toxins?

wheird

Why not just stop eating the processed foods and chemicals? Locally grown fresh foods and meats that are humanely raised with appropriate foods and without hormones and antibiotics are more available now than they have been since the world was mostly woods and farmland. It might cost just a little more (or, for some things, considerably less) but wouldn't it be smarter to simply refrain from putting all that stuff in your body rather than stopping once in a while to clean it out with juices or fasting or whatever?

Your body handles "processed foods and chemicals" just fine without the need to detox.

Nvm I'm sleeping

You know you cannot resist. Give in to the Dark Side. Let it flow through you. Then juice cleanse it later and flush it down the toilet.

sheenashe10

Why not just stop eating the processed foods and chemicals? Locally grown fresh foods and meats that are humanely raised with appropriate foods and without hormones and antibiotics are more available now than they have been since the world was mostly woods and farmland. It might cost just a little more (or, for some things, considerably less) but wouldn't it be smarter to simply refrain from putting all that stuff in your body rather than stopping once in a while to clean it out with juices or fasting or whatever?

Your body handles "processed foods and chemicals" just fine without the need to detox.

Nvm I'm sleeping

You know you cannot resist. Give in to the Dark Side. Let it flow through you. Then juice cleanse it later and flush it down the toilet.

Juicing helped reduced the pain of my mother's arthritis. So juicing can some benefits for some people. Juicing isn't for everyone. It's like drinking raw eggs. It not for everyone.

LoseYouself

i dont know if i should laugh or cry at this thread. laugh at the stupidity of doing a cleanse, or cry at the explanations of doing a cleanse.

this thread needs more gifs. (i dont know how to do them)

I agree.

Perfect - I'm gonna go to sleep, but in the meantime maybe you can tell me why IF is solid scientifically and a juice fast isn't.

kthxbai!

I simply agreed with the previous poster that this thread needs more gifs. No where in my reply did I state that IF is solid scientifically and that juice fasts aren't. I'm not getting into any arguments for or against what people choose to do with their body. In fact, I juice as an addition to the foods I eat. I'm not against juicing. Do I think people *need* to drink nothing but juice for days as a means of "cleansing" though? No.

Also, comparing the IF lifestyle to juice cleanses doesn't even make sense. Besides, I haven't made any claims about it, and bringing it up simply because I mentioned it on my profile proves that you're just digging for things to argue about. I assume you're smart, so look into it for yourself if you're so interested. I'm not here for that.

It's the fact that I'm seeing the same thread daily that bothers me. People need to learn to use the search option.

That is all.

SnuggleSmacks

Why not just stop eating the processed foods and chemicals? Locally grown fresh foods and meats that are humanely raised with appropriate foods and without hormones and antibiotics are more available now than they have been since the world was mostly woods and farmland. It might cost just a little more (or, for some things, considerably less) but wouldn't it be smarter to simply refrain from putting all that stuff in your body rather than stopping once in a while to clean it out with juices or fasting or whatever?

Your body handles "processed foods and chemicals" just fine without the need to detox.

Agreed, but this is the reason previously quoted for the "need" to detox or cleanse or whatever. I'm just saying that if this is the reason a person feels the need to put themselves through this process, wouldn't it be more efficient to just not eat the processed food and chemicals rather than eating them and then cleaning them out? What if your detox misses something?

I don't detox. I juice because I love it. I eat organics and local food already. And I cut back on my process food a lot. I was just stating if someone wanted to cleanse that this will help with the process food and chemicals that was stored in the body and reboot your body with healthy food. Plus drinking lots of water will help too. I'm sure lots of fluids can help flush out the toxins in your body to get rid of them.

What toxins?

This.

If you're concerned enough about your health to go through the process of a detox or cleanse, then why wouldn't you be concerned enough to avoid the toxins in the first place? I mean, how do you know you've reached the level of toxin accumulation which requires a detox? How do you know when the toxins are gone and you can go back to your normal diet? Where are the toxins stored? What are these toxins?

And most of all, if you believe that you are storing toxins in your body, and the only way to get rid of them is to detox, and that if you don't detox then bad things will happen to your body, then why aren't you detoxing all the time? I mean, what if you have reached your maximum toxin storage and so you get cancer or whatever because you were one day late on your detox, and had too many toxins in your body?

IDGI.

wheird

Why not just stop eating the processed foods and chemicals? Locally grown fresh foods and meats that are humanely raised with appropriate foods and without hormones and antibiotics are more available now than they have been since the world was mostly woods and farmland. It might cost just a little more (or, for some things, considerably less) but wouldn't it be smarter to simply refrain from putting all that stuff in your body rather than stopping once in a while to clean it out with juices or fasting or whatever?

Your body handles "processed foods and chemicals" just fine without the need to detox.

Nvm I'm sleeping

You know you cannot resist. Give in to the Dark Side. Let it flow through you. Then juice cleanse it later and flush it down the toilet.

Juicing helped reduced the pain of my mother's arthritis. So juicing can some benefits for some people. Juicing isn't for everyone. It's like drinking raw eggs. It not for everyone.

What about it helped with her arthritis?

RhineDHP

i dont know if i should laugh or cry at this thread. laugh at the stupidity of doing a cleanse, or cry at the explanations of doing a cleanse.

this thread needs more gifs. (i dont know how to do them)

In the Success forums there's a stickied post that shows you step-by-step how to post pictures. It works the same for GIFs. :flowerforyou:

RhineDHP

Interesting article, and I think that it reflects the MFP philosophy. The links is at the end of this posting


-- Juicing -- if you believe its avid fans -- is a great way to detox the body, prevent disease and lose weight.

There's something appealing about being able to blend up broccoli, kale and cucumbers and mask them with the sweet taste of strawberries. You get your vitamins without having to chow down on salad every day at lunch.

Plus you can tell everyone you're juicing, which helps you look cool in today's fitness-focused world.

But (you knew there was a "but" coming), you can't juice all day, every day, and expect to stay healthy. We took to the experts to answer your most pressing juice questions:

What are some of the benefits of juicing?

New research shows eating up to seven servings of fruits and vegetables a day can have a significant impact on your lifespan. For those of us who don't have time to cut up or cook two servings with every meal, juicing is an easy way to consume them on the go.
.

"Many people don't really like to eat fruits and vegetables, and this gives them a way to feel like they are doing something good for themselves," says Gayl Canfield, director of nutrition for Pritkin Longevity Center.

Juicing provides all the same vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients as eating whole fruits and vegetables, Canfield says. And the water content can help you stay hydrated.

Juicing is also a good way to use up any about-to-spoil produce, which means you're doing your part to stop food waste.

Juicing is low-calorie, right?

Not exactly. While juicing is probably low-calorie compared to a cheeseburger and fries, it's a very concentrated source of calories.

A cup of pineapple, for instance, is about 83 calories, but a cup of pineapple juice is 120 calories. An 8-ounce glass of orange juice may contain as many as four medium oranges, Canfield says.

"Would a person actually sit down and eat four oranges in one sitting?" she asks. "But you can down that glass of orange juice in fewer than 5 minutes."

And because the fruit is more concentrated, so is the sugar content.

A cup of pomegranate juice contains 37 grams of sugar, compared to just 12 grams in a cup of whole pomegranate.

Consuming your food in liquid form may also leave you feeling less fulfilled, meaning you'll eat more calories than you would if you simply chewed the food, says Jennifer Nelson, director of clinical dietetics and nutrition at the Mayo Clinic.

Will it help me detox?

First, let's start with why you think your body needs to detox. Your organs -- particularly the liver and kidneys -- and your immune system already work hard to rid your body of toxins.

"There is nothing in the medical literature to affirm that the body needs an outside source to cleanse itself," says registered dietician Deborah Levy.

Still, some people say juicing helps them transition to healthier habits. It's worth a shot -- of juice that is.

For clients who insist on doing a cleanse, Levy recommends they limit it to three days.

Can I go on an all-juice diet?

You can, but it's not a good idea.

"You want your diet to be balanced and healthy and to include protein, dairy, whole grains, fruits, vegetables and fats," Nelson says. "Some foods don't juice properly -- like fish or whole wheat bread."

We'll let you think about that yummy concoction for a minute.

When you juice fruits and vegetables, you're "mechanically pulverizing," them, Nelson says. Doing so separates the fiber from the juice. This fiber helps regulate your blood sugar levels after you eat a piece of whole fruit. Without fiber, the sugar in juice goes unchecked.

"The wonderful health effects of fiber -- satiety value, gastrointestinal regulation, (bad) cholesterol lowering and blood glucose regulations are missing in the juice," Canfield says.

Although going on a liquid diet might help you lose weight in the short term, it can seriously mess with your metabolism. And lean muscle mass starts to break down after just a few days -- meaning your body will burn fewer calories overall.

"Very few people will ever voluntarily consume a liquid diet for life," Nelson says, and the pounds will quickly pile back on once you re-introduce solid foods.

So what's the bottom line?

Juicing in moderation can help you consume essentials nutrients, but it's not a good way to detox or diet. Orange you glad you asked?

http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/11/health/juicing-pros-cons/index.html?hpt=hp_bn13

I agree with this article. I don't do it now since I don't have a proper blender, but when I did I used to put some veggies and fruits into it, then blend up some nice green smoothies. I never used it as a replacement meal for anything, purely for a more convenient way to get in my daily servings of fruits and vegetables.

I agree with the registered dietician listed about the whole toxins schpeel.

sheenashe10

Why not just stop eating the processed foods and chemicals? Locally grown fresh foods and meats that are humanely raised with appropriate foods and without hormones and antibiotics are more available now than they have been since the world was mostly woods and farmland. It might cost just a little more (or, for some things, considerably less) but wouldn't it be smarter to simply refrain from putting all that stuff in your body rather than stopping once in a while to clean it out with juices or fasting or whatever?

Your body handles "processed foods and chemicals" just fine without the need to detox.

Agreed, but this is the reason previously quoted for the "need" to detox or cleanse or whatever. I'm just saying that if this is the reason a person feels the need to put themselves through this process, wouldn't it be more efficient to just not eat the processed food and chemicals rather than eating them and then cleaning them out? What if your detox misses something?

I don't detox. I juice because I love it. I eat organics and local food already. And I cut back on my process food a lot. I was just stating if someone wanted to cleanse that this will help with the process food and chemicals that was stored in the body and reboot your body with healthy food. Plus drinking lots of water will help too. I'm sure lots of fluids can help flush out the toxins in your body to get rid of them.

What toxins?

This.

If you're concerned enough about your health to go through the process of a detox or cleanse, then why wouldn't you be concerned enough to avoid the toxins in the first place? I mean, how do you know you've reached the level of toxin accumulation which requires a detox? How do you know when the toxins are gone and you can go back to your normal diet? Where are the toxins stored? What are these toxins?

And most of all, if you believe that you are storing toxins in your body, and the only way to get rid of them is to detox, and that if you don't detox then bad things will happen to your body, then why aren't you detoxing all the time? I mean, what if you have reached your maximum toxin storage and so you get cancer or whatever because you were one day late on your detox, and had too many toxins in your body?

IDGI.

I'm not a nutritionist so I can not answer your questions. I don't even detox myself. I did however didn't eat meat for a week. I wanted to do nutrition in school but I hated anatomy. Too much info to remember in a short period of time. Our bodies are amazing and do a lot of things. Maybe someone that is a nurse or nutritionist can answer those questions for you. They are good questions to bring up.