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Juice Cleanses...is there ever any benefit?
gonna_reach_the_goal33
Posts: 35 Member
in Debate Club
Okay, please don’t give me any hate for this. It’s just a genuine question that I can’t seem to have a concrete answer to. I am not looking for a quick fix. I am in it for the long haul. I am counting all of my calories eaten and burned. I am losing 1.5 a week and although I’m still relatively getting back into things, I have kept that consistent now for several consecutive weeks. I am not over-restricting or overeating. I just wanted to get all of that out there first.
So back to my question...is there ever any benefit to them? Are they all inherently bad for you? I used to do a cleanse when I was younger every so often when I’d fluctuate up in my weight a little. I used it for a quick fix, but it never really gave me any true feeling of benefit, so I haven’t done one in over 5 years. I found out recently, that the one I used to use is very high in sugars, and although it tasted good, it didn’t have any real health benefits. Shocker, I know! 😅 But I guess my question is, without being shot down immediately, and with everyone keeping an open mind, is there any benefits that they can provide at all? I know it’s likely none will be long-lasting, and there’s no evidence to support that any have lasting benefits. But are they all truly terrible? Or are there some good ones out there that may have something to offer temporarily? If the answer is no, I will put this to rest. I just have to know if they are all a scam, or if there are some good ones that can pose some positive effects. Thanks!
So back to my question...is there ever any benefit to them? Are they all inherently bad for you? I used to do a cleanse when I was younger every so often when I’d fluctuate up in my weight a little. I used it for a quick fix, but it never really gave me any true feeling of benefit, so I haven’t done one in over 5 years. I found out recently, that the one I used to use is very high in sugars, and although it tasted good, it didn’t have any real health benefits. Shocker, I know! 😅 But I guess my question is, without being shot down immediately, and with everyone keeping an open mind, is there any benefits that they can provide at all? I know it’s likely none will be long-lasting, and there’s no evidence to support that any have lasting benefits. But are they all truly terrible? Or are there some good ones out there that may have something to offer temporarily? If the answer is no, I will put this to rest. I just have to know if they are all a scam, or if there are some good ones that can pose some positive effects. Thanks!
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Replies
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Just to piggy back off of this a little, the argument I’ve heard for them, is that the body cleanses itself (which I know) but a good cleanse can give your body a break from the hard work of doing this itself for a few days. Again, not sure if it’s true or a complete lie, but figured I’d add that in.11
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Probably very little if any, and no real evidence for it.
There is minor epidemiology evidence for fasting periodically having health benefits but it is hard to separate it from the usual religiousity that goes with people that fast.
Your kidneys and lungs don't really get tired from doing their job - I think we call it shock, sepsis, or dying when that happens.
Of course you are getting the placebo effect at least. If someone derives a psychological benefit is about the only thing I would expect from a cleanse.
On the flip side, there is a potential for harm from a cleanse if it keeps calories low too long, or uses a product with actual harmful substances. I think some cleanse products have been cited for having heaviy metals in them, meaning they'll lead to getting a real detox at a hospital.9 -
No hate for this lol. To add my opinion...I don't buy into any "cleansing" product or regimen. I do intermittently fast on occasion, but that's more due to simply not eating if I'm not hungry, usually breakfast. As far as the juice goes - enjoy juice if you like it, maybe even choose what you're drinking for it's nutritional value, but let your body do it's own natural cleansing. Our bodies are pretty good at it.
Keep it simple - no magic cleanses required.
Like I said..just my opinion.3 -
But I say no to any "cleanses" or any woo about giving your body a break.5 -
Bugs eat plants.
Plants have evolved chemical poisons to resist bugs eating them.
A juice 'cleanse' extracts the fiber from plants, and keeps the anti-bug chemical poisons.
And somebody tells you that a juice cleanse is going to give your liver a rest?23 -
gonna_reach_the_goal33 wrote: »Just to piggy back off of this a little, the argument I’ve heard for them, is that the body cleanses itself (which I know) but a good cleanse can give your body a break from the hard work of doing this itself for a few days. Again, not sure if it’s true or a complete lie, but figured I’d add that in.
Your body simply doesn't need a break from performing its normal everyday functions. If you really think about it, that would be like holding your breath to give your lungs a rest. So, yes, that's complete hokum.
And, honestly, if your body isn't able to naturally rid you of whatever needs to be gotten rid of, you need prompt medical attention, not a boatload of juice.21 -
I do either a 3 or 5 day juice diet a few times a year. The benefits are related to my chronic pain, illness and inflammation. In between I work specific juices in each week in addition to my normal diet. I have never seen any benefits related to weight, cravings, etc. The juice shop I get mine from also customizes it for my specific health issues, its not a generic one you buy online or at a grocery store.
So there can be benefits outside of what the weight loss industry tells you, and people use juicing for a lot more than weight loss.4 -
gonna_reach_the_goal33 wrote: »Just to piggy back off of this a little, the argument I’ve heard for them, is that the body cleanses itself (which I know) but a good cleanse can give your body a break from the hard work of doing this itself for a few days. Again, not sure if it’s true or a complete lie, but figured I’d add that in.
I think that in certain cases this might be a valid point, although I don't necessarily think that it is the juice cleanse itself causing the benefit as much as the break.
People tend to be flippant with the whole "your body doesn't need a break from doing its job," but I think we can agree that even if the organ is "doing what it is supposed to do" doesn't mean it can't get overloaded. People who consume alcohol will sometimes say that they are not drinking for a period of time to "give their liver a break," because they acknowledge that even if they liver is doing its job as intended, consistent exposure to alcohol forcing the liver to work to process it isn't a good thing.
Again, I don't think juicing is directly the cause of any benefits one would see in those areas, but the idea of giving your body a break isn't completely crazy. Particularly if you are someone who is noticing a pattern with certain foods, a break of some kind like a FODMAP or Whole 30 plan could help identify foods that are problematic for that individual.7 -
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I think juicing could provide nutritional benifits if it helps you consume a wide range of fruits and veggies that you would not otherwise eat.
I do not think they provide any detoxing benifits - and isn't really comparable to temporary stopping alcohol consumption.
Stopping consuming something potentially harmful, certainly in excess ( ie alcohol) isn't really comparable to adding something like juices.
No harm in juices, unless the calorie amount is too high for you.
But no magic benifits either.7 -
If you enjoy being relentlessly hungry, it might be fun.3
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sammidelvecchio wrote: »I do either a 3 or 5 day juice diet a few times a year. The benefits are related to my chronic pain, illness and inflammation. In between I work specific juices in each week in addition to my normal diet. I have never seen any benefits related to weight, cravings, etc. The juice shop I get mine from also customizes it for my specific health issues, its not a generic one you buy online or at a grocery store.
So there can be benefits outside of what the weight loss industry tells you, and people use juicing for a lot more than weight loss.
I struggle monthly with my cycle due to extreme period pain/likely endometriosis. I would totally try a Woo-woo juice cleanse if it would help the pain.4 -
gonna_reach_the_goal33 wrote: »Okay, please don’t give me any hate for this. It’s just a genuine question that I can’t seem to have a concrete answer to. I am not looking for a quick fix. I am in it for the long haul. I am counting all of my calories eaten and burned. I am losing 1.5 a week and although I’m still relatively getting back into things, I have kept that consistent now for several consecutive weeks. I am not over-restricting or overeating. I just wanted to get all of that out there first.
So back to my question...is there ever any benefit to them? Are they all inherently bad for you? I used to do a cleanse when I was younger every so often when I’d fluctuate up in my weight a little. I used it for a quick fix, but it never really gave me any true feeling of benefit, so I haven’t done one in over 5 years. I found out recently, that the one I used to use is very high in sugars, and although it tasted good, it didn’t have any real health benefits. Shocker, I know! 😅 But I guess my question is, without being shot down immediately, and with everyone keeping an open mind, is there any benefits that they can provide at all? I know it’s likely none will be long-lasting, and there’s no evidence to support that any have lasting benefits. But are they all truly terrible? Or are there some good ones out there that may have something to offer temporarily? If the answer is no, I will put this to rest. I just have to know if they are all a scam, or if there are some good ones that can pose some positive effects. Thanks!
Now that I've read all the responses so far, maybe we can drill down a little more. Some folks have mentioned providing relief for a specific medical condition and alcoholics giving their liver a break from alcohol. It seems like these are both situations where someones liver and/or kidneys are being over-worked.
So maybe the question for you should be - are you consuming or doing anything that would be overworking your liver and kidneys? Are you over consuming alcohol? Take a lot of medications? Something else?
IMHO, you still don't need a juice cleanse, you just need to lay off the offending substances for awhile.
I'm not honestly sure a juice cleanse would really rest your liver and kidneys anyway. I guess it would rest your stomach and intestines a little, but that's not usually what they are advertised for.
Have you considered just eating a very plain, simple, natural diet for a few days instead? Lots of veggies and fruits, no alcohol or non-Rx medications? Rest from long or high impact exercise, but maybe take lots of walks to get your circulatory system pumping away. If there is any value to the idea of a "cleanse" it seems more logical to me that this sort of (I hate the word, but) clean diet would be more effective than liters of sugar water. :drinker:13 -
@kimny72 mine helps with pain because it helps reduce inflammation. Most of the juices that are made for my cleanses are not made from fruits and none of them have added sugar, so I don't think its fair to call them liters of sugar water. Some juices out there are full of sugar, but not all of them, and if the ones I drink were I wouldn't drink them. I also don't use it as a way to rest from medication because I don't take a lot of medication. I think the biggest thing to take away from the responses so far, is that juice cleanses just really aren't helpful for sustainable weight loss. They can be beneficial and fit into some people's lives for certain reasons, but for weight loss they probably shouldn't even be used as a last resort because they just simply don't work well for that.
Are there any benefits? Yes
Are they ALL inherently bad for you? No
Should people use them as a way to help them lose weight? Probably not, unless its because you're desperate to fit into that dress you need to wear this weekend and you just to be a liiiiittle bit smaller within 72 hours.7 -
sammidelvecchio wrote: »I do either a 3 or 5 day juice diet a few times a year. The benefits are related to my chronic pain, illness and inflammation. In between I work specific juices in each week in addition to my normal diet. I have never seen any benefits related to weight, cravings, etc. The juice shop I get mine from also customizes it for my specific health issues, its not a generic one you buy online or at a grocery store.
So there can be benefits outside of what the weight loss industry tells you, and people use juicing for a lot more than weight loss.
It sounds as if you're going for the nutritional benefits from your juices @sammidelvecchio , during a fast. When I read "cleanse" I think of products that are sold as a means to detox the body/kidneys/liver etc...which can potentially be harmful or best case simply be juice mixes sold for a purpose they won't accomplish. for the buyer anyway. The seller makes a profit.
Whole different animal than what you're doing. Just my humble opinion...6 -
paperpudding wrote: »I think juicing could provide nutritional benifits if it helps you consume a wide range of fruits and veggies that you would not otherwise eat.
I do not think they provide any detoxing benifits - and isn't really comparable to temporary stopping alcohol consumption.
Stopping consuming something potentially harmful, certainly in excess ( ie alcohol) isn't really comparable to adding something like juices.
No harm in juices, unless the calorie amount is too high for you.
But no magic benifits either.
This.3 -
gonna_reach_the_goal33 wrote: »Just to piggy back off of this a little, the argument I’ve heard for them, is that the body cleanses itself (which I know) but a good cleanse can give your body a break from the hard work of doing this itself for a few days. Again, not sure if it’s true or a complete lie, but figured I’d add that in.
I think that in certain cases this might be a valid point, although I don't necessarily think that it is the juice cleanse itself causing the benefit as much as the break.
People tend to be flippant with the whole "your body doesn't need a break from doing its job," but I think we can agree that even if the organ is "doing what it is supposed to do" doesn't mean it can't get overloaded. People who consume alcohol will sometimes say that they are not drinking for a period of time to "give their liver a break," because they acknowledge that even if they liver is doing its job as intended, consistent exposure to alcohol forcing the liver to work to process it isn't a good thing.
Again, I don't think juicing is directly the cause of any benefits one would see in those areas, but the idea of giving your body a break isn't completely crazy. Particularly if you are someone who is noticing a pattern with certain foods, a break of some kind like a FODMAP or Whole 30 plan could help identify foods that are problematic for that individual.
How is eating food akin to abusing alcohol when it comes to the effects on the liver?
Indeed, the main evidence is that what is harmful to the liver in our diet is excessive amounts of fructose in large doses without fiber. I don't agree with Jerome's idea that the fruits and veg we commonly eat are toxic, but consuming huge amounts of juice and only juice does seem more likely to be hard on our system (and especially the liver) rather than healing.
If someone thinks they have food sensitivities -- something not related to juicing -- working with a doctor or dietitian is likely a better plan that something like W30, although I don't see how W30 is even on topic. (I'm not against W30, but I think the claim that legumes, grains, and dairy (and potatoes, not too long ago) are uniquely problematic foods for most is ridiculous and the arguments for it in the book are absurd. Dairy, obviously, IS a problem for a majority of people, although only a small percentage of people of northern and western European backgrounds, but legumes aren't really that common an issue, and same with grains, although it's trendy to be non celiac but avoid gluten at the moment. Beyond that, the book does not assert that it's an elimination diet, it claims those foods are generally ones that everyone should avoid, for the most part, although you don't need to be as strict as W30 -- the authors come from a paleo POV.)
FTR: The reason I nevertheless think W30 can be helpful is because for someone not used to doing a lot of home cooking from whole foods it might provide some motivation to do it consistently for long enough to build some good habits and get in a routine where it's not that hard. But I really don't think W30 has any relevance to a juice fast question.9 -
@Phirrgus Nonetheless, it's still a juice cleanse. That is what it is called. It's not called a detox. So it further proves that there can be good ones, and beneficial ones, but not all of them are and whether you will find them beneficial depends on many factors, including your reason for doing it and the quality of cleanse you buy.2
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snickerscharlie wrote: »gonna_reach_the_goal33 wrote: »Just to piggy back off of this a little, the argument I’ve heard for them, is that the body cleanses itself (which I know) but a good cleanse can give your body a break from the hard work of doing this itself for a few days. Again, not sure if it’s true or a complete lie, but figured I’d add that in.
Your body simply doesn't need a break from performing its normal everyday functions. If you really think about it, that would be like holding your breath to give your lungs a rest. So, yes, that's complete hokum.
And, honestly, if your body isn't able to naturally rid you of whatever needs to be gotten rid of, you need prompt medical attention, not a boatload of juice.1 -
sammidelvecchio wrote: »@Phirrgus Nonetheless, it's still a juice cleanse. That is what it is called. It's not called a detox. So it further proves that there can be good ones, and beneficial ones, but not all of them are and whether you will find them beneficial depends on many factors, including your reason for doing it and the quality of cleanse you buy.
And what exactly would they accomplish that (medical reason aside) a healthy body would not?
I'm not trying to argue fwiw - genuinely curious what your take is.
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