Juice cleanse?

Anyone have any recommendations? Pros, cons? Do they even work?

Replies

  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
    Our bodies are pretty awesome because they cleanse themselves.....which is why we poop and pee.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    What specifically do you need to cleanse?
  • hill8570
    hill8570 Posts: 1,466 Member
    Depends on what you mean by "work". You'll lose weight on a juice cleanse, but that's just because it's pretty hard to ingest a lot of calories just juicing...after you go back to regular food, you'll mostly likely gain the weight back, since you've done a crash diet instead of learning how to eat right for the long run. As far as some magic "detox" goes, there's very little evidence to back that up.

    If you want to increase your intake of veggie goodness and are already eating as many whole veggies as you can stand, by all means juice away -- just make it part of a balanced diet, not your whole diet.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Anyone have any recommendations? Pros, cons? Do they even work?

    I make juices, I enjoy them, tasty, economical, and even a few nutrients.

    They don't "cleanse" anything...

    Well, actually, I lie. If there is anything clogging up that ol' colon, it's coming out. Maybe not now, but soon, and all of it.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,992 Member
    Not necessary. Just eat better and drink more water.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • I juice often as a healthy alternative to breakfast or a snack but you'll be very hungry if you only juice.
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
    Juicing is a fun and tasty way to "eat" more veggies.

    But it gets a bad rap when people use them for "cleanses."

    I frequently juice stuff because they taste good, but I add it to all my other delicious meals and make sure to get all the protein, fat, and fiber that juices don't have.
  • kareit
    kareit Posts: 14 Member
    I did a 5-day juice fast once, and actually enjoyed it.

    I don't know that I would say there was anything cleansing about it, but it did feel good to know that I was only putting great things in my body.

    Now, as anyone will tell you, the weight loss (10lbs for me) from something like this isn't permanent. However, there are other benefits:

    1, Learning that if you have the discipline to do/stick to something extreme like this, then sticking to a regular healthy diet is totally doable
    2, Getting the numbers to move on the scale can be a positive trigger and let you know that it is possible to lose weight (especially helpful if you're just getting started or have hit a plateau)
    3, It's a good jump-start for healthier habits
    4, Builds up your tolerance for eating healthy things that might not taste fantastic
    5, Helps you realize that not everything that's crazy healthy will taste crazy gross ('cause some of those juices taste bomb)
  • I juice every morning as part of my diet.

    I just wanted to clarify a few things:
    I wasn't planning on using the juice cleanse as an easy out weight loss solution.
    I guess I really meant detox, but I wasn't sure if the whole idea is bogus
  • scoutli
    scoutli Posts: 33 Member
    Agree with pp about pooping and peeing. And juicing in order to "extract nutrients" from foods? Ummm...that is exactly what our digestive tracts are designed to do. "Juicing" is just the latest diet gimmick which will fall out of fashion when the next "latest gimmick" arrives. Agree--Eat healthy and drink lots of water.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,992 Member
    I juice every morning as part of my diet.

    I just wanted to clarify a few things:
    I wasn't planning on using the juice cleanse as an easy out weight loss solution.
    I guess I really meant detox, but I wasn't sure if the whole idea is bogus
    Detoxing is a bogus idea. All food and drink you eat gets processed by digestion and is either absorbed, or expelled (fiber for instance). Whatever "bad" food you used to eat goes through the same process. Your liver and kidneys take care of "detoxing" you 24 hours a day.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition