Juice cleanses seem to be a rising trend in popular culture. Many celebrities from Blake Lively to Nikki Reed have been known to promote a certain brand of juices for juice cleansing. In fact, there are several programs and starter kits that people can join and purchase to begin their juice “transformation”.
The cleanse usually lasts three days, and most veterans recommend starting on a long weekend or days where you know you will not be as busy. Participants must prepare and drink their juices at a specific time of the day, with in-between consumption of spicy lemonade and almond or cashew milk.
Here is a small, one-day example of how a total juice cleanse would work:
Day 1: Green Juice (recipe to last for three drinks throughout the day):
- 4 green apples (cored)
- 2-3 cucumbers
- handful of parsley
- 2 handfuls of spinach
- 4 stalks of kale
- 1 bunch of celery
- 1 lemon
- 1 tsp of ginger root
Makes 64 ounces. Drink one cup of juice every hour (total 8 hours of juice consumption), and one cup of water every 30 minutes.
(Recipe and instructions courtesy of bikinifitness.com.)
Aside from all of the hype that surrounds juicing, there are both benefits and pitfalls to engaging in juice cleanses. According to the Huffington Post, while people can receive a sufficient amount of nutrients from a liquid-only diet, many doctors do not recommend going on juice cleanses.
While juice cleanses can essentially clean your system of unhealthy foods and put you on track toward a healthier lifestyle, most of the benefits (i.e lower cholesterol, weight loss) the body experiences from the cleanse disappears and the body reverts to its original state a week later. In addition to these consequences, those who decide to go on a juice cleanse may feel fatigued, dizzy, or experience mood swings.
See this Huffington Post article for more information on the possible side effects of the cleanse you’re trying!
Although juice cleanses may seem like an appealing way to start the new year, most doctors recommend maintaining a well-balanced diet and exercise to get back on track and start the “new year, new you” resolutions.