Are Juice Cleanses Always Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy?
Juice cleanses have become the latest and greatest craze of the health and lifestyle community. Although there has been no official and credible scientific research published on the subject, thousands of people have taken to the Internet to share their own testimonials and how they feel about juice cleanses. The million-dollar question is ‘Are juice cleanses really beneficial to one’s health?’ But first, what is a juice cleanse?
Juice cleanses typically last from three to seven days and are performed in order to detoxify the body and facilitate weight loss. There has not been a lot of research done on the subject and no clear evidence has been published to confirm whether juice cleanses are actually beneficial to the human body. The typical juice cleanse entails consuming six juices a day for the respective amount of days with no food. People are able to buy these cleanses in bulk and there are instructions included on when to consume each juice. Generally, the cleanse package for an entire week is over $100 and juices normally average around 70 calories (Original Fresh Start). That comes out to around a 420 calorie diet a day. Sounds rough. So why do people put themselves through a juice cleanse?
Although there has been limited research done on juice cleanses, there has been substantial work published about the benefits of juice in general. Scientists suggest that fruit juice increases “antioxidant capacity” and improves “cardiovascular and neurocognitive function” (Pyo 1). Furthermore, small-scale research has suggested that juice cleanses “alter the abundance of bacteria in the intestinal microbiome,” which is an important factor in decreasing the likelihood of diabetes (Henning 1). Luke Thompson, PhD of the University of Colorado conducted a study where one group of people followed a diet consisting only of yogurt and cheese for three days. Another group consumed a diet of only fruit and vegetable based juices for three days. The results of his study showed that the people who drank the juices had a significant spike in microbiome bacteria that helps rid the body of diseases like diabetes and obesity (Thompson 1). Aside from the purely scientific benefits, people do juice cleanses because it sounds really cool! Who wouldn’t want to drink pretty and colorful juices that supposedly benefit you, all day? Other benefits include, getting the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables, and providing antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals (Harvard Health 1). Some common vitamins that are in cleanses are vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium, and a probiotic.
Sure, all of these benefits are great, but they come at the cost of something crucial…food. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has long recommended that the average American should consume somewhere around 2,000 calories a day. This number does not account for people who live a very active lifestyle or are competitive athletes. 2,000 calories is simply the bare minimum amount to have sustained energy throughout the day. Even though cleanses are meant to be temporary and people could survive off of juices for 3–10 days, it does take a toll on the body. The toxins may be flushed away and weight loss may be kick-started, but there are healthier ways to achieve weight loss than by fasting. Health researchers estimate that the number one health risk associated with juice detoxes is nutritional inadequacies. Some of these inadequacies include “vitamin deficiencies, electrolyte imbalance, and even death” (Klein 8). Juice cleanses advertise that vitamin intake is a huge part of what make cleanses great, but they tend to focus on a few specific vitamins and the rest are left out. These juices do not have much, if any, protein which is important in facilitating proper growth and muscle building. A person’s thoughts on their own body image may change as well. After observing a “juice cleanse camp” in Hungary, Hungarian scientists discovered that while attendant’s diets started with juice, it lead to the use of laxatives along with increased physical activity, which in turn caused some of the participants to become obsessed with their outward appearance (Bóna 1). Since there is very little credible research on juice cleanses, the general public is not educated properly on how to correctly perform one.
Not only are issues created within the body, but juice cleanses bring on some more noticeable side effects. The body desperately wants and needs solid food nutrients so at the start of a cleanse, the human body is very thrown off by this change, which in turn causes your body to feel major discomfort. In the video “How the Body Reacts to a Juice Cleanse with Joe Cross,” Joe Cross, the creator of the film Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, explains his experience with juice cleanses and how he lost weight. Cross participated in a 60-day juice cleanse, which is a very long time for a juice cleanse. By the end of it, Cross valued the cleanse and appreciated the results. However, Cross describes his first week as being an absolute nightmare. He dealt with constant migraines, stomach issues, fatigue, and insomnia. Now although his sluggish feeling eventually ceased, Joe Cross is an extreme case. The average American trying a juice cleanse, is only on the cleanse for 3–10 days, which is the most difficult period to get through.
What got me interested in juice cleanses was several of my co-workers at defiSOLUTIONS. Over the summer, seven of them did a juice cleanse for seven days. They consumed the standard 6 juices a day. I reached out to one of my co-workers, Kelly, and she was gracious enough to answer a few questions about her juice cleanse experience.
Was this your first juice cleanse or have you done others in the past?
I’ve done 3 juice cleanses this year. I really like doing them because they make me feel so much healthier and they stop me from craving bad foods. Every time I do one I lose around 3 pounds and if I eat healthy afterwards (low carb, etc.) then I keep off the weight.
What brand was the juice cleanse you did over the summer?
I do not remember, but I will say that each time I did one I tried a different cleanse — the brand, the length, etc. and I never really found one that was ‘perfect’ they all had pros and cons. After the last cleanse, my stomach was pretty upset for awhile — to the point where I will not do another one, at least not this year.
What were your biggest side effects, both good and bad?
My stomach cramps and pain afterwards was pretty awful and several of us had issues. I felt fine most of the time during the actual cleanse, but I had some headaches on days 2 and 3. I had wished I’d done a 5 day when it was over.
After learning about the advantages and disadvantages of the juice cleanse, I decided to take a stab at it myself. I decided to only try a cleanse for one day since cleanses carry a pretty hefty price tag. I am an extremely active individual and frequently get migraine headaches so I was very nervous that even though I was only doing the cleanse for one day, I would be miserable. I bought a days worth, or six juices, of Suja Juice products. The juices were the typical green juices that we all see and also some more fruity ones. The instructions were to drink one for breakfast, mid-morning “snack,” lunch, mid-afternoon “snack,” dinner, and dessert. Each juice had an informative name that gave the consumer an idea about what that juice was supposed to do to the body. First, there is a “Master Cleanse” juice, then two “Glow” juices, a “Purify” juice, a “Twelve Essentials” juice, and lastly, a “Fuel” juice (Suja).
In the morning, I woke up hungry and after my first juice I was still hungry. As the day continued on it was a constant battle with hunger. It didn’t help either that it was a class day and I was walking in 90-degree weather to and from class. I never developed a headache but my biggest symptom besides extreme hunger was fatigue. I just wanted to lay in bed and do nothing. I had no motivation to do anything, but that could also be attributed to my brain only thinking about eating food. Overall, I’m glad I only did it for one day because I could not have lasted any longer. It wasn’t worth it for me to try to finish all three days but suffer the entire time.
After my one-day cleanse, I went back on the Suja website to explore more on the topic and read that there are several things a person can do to prepare for a cleanse before starting to make the change easier. Suja recommended that two days before to “start eliminating coffee, dairy, red meat, sugar, and white flour bread products,” all of which I consume a lot of (Original Fresh Start). I did not know this prior to starting the cleanse so this could have contributed to some of my side effects and I am curious to know what my experience would have been like if I knew this prior.
Juice cleanses are an interesting new fad that our society has adopted in order to achieve maximum health and cleanse the body of unwanted toxins. While there are some supposed advantages, the toll it takes on the body is very real and for at least me, not worth it. Scientists are working heavily on expanding the research done on juice cleanses so that consumers can make sure they are safely implementing them into their diets.
References
Bennett, K. (2018, September 15). Email Interview.
Bóna, E., Forgács, A., & Túry, F. (2018). Potential relationship between juice cleanse diets and eating disorders. A qualitative pilot study. Orvosi hetilap, 159(28), 1153.
Cross, Joe. [Live Sonima]. (2014, Novemeber 13). How the Body Reacts to a Juice Cleanse with Joe Cross. [Video File]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JtjFNy59t4
Harvard Health Publishing. (2015, July). Juicing — Fad or Fab? — Harvard Health. Retrieved September 15, 2018, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthy-eating/juicing-fad-or-fab
Henning, S. M., Yang, J., Shao, P., Lee, R.-P., Huang, J., Ly, A., … Li, Z. (2017). Health benefit of vegetable/fruit juice-based diet: Role of microbiome. Scientific Reports, 7, 2167. http://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-02200-6
Klein, A.V., Kiat, H. (2014). Detox diets for toxin elimination and weight management: a critical review of the evidence. The British Dietetic Association Ltd. J Hum Nutr Diet. https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.12286
Original Fresh Start. (n.d.). Retrieved September 15, 2018, from https://www.sujajuice.com/products/classic-fresh-start-program/original-fresh-start-program/
Pyo, Y.-H., Jin, Y.-J., & Hwang, J.-Y. (2014). Comparison of the Effects of Blending and Juicing on the Phytochemicals Contents and Antioxidant Capacity of Typical Korean Kernel Fruit Juices. Preventive Nutrition and Food Science, 19(2), 108–114. http://doi.org/10.3746/pnf.2014.19.2.108
Thompson, L., & things typify Boulder, F. (2014). What does a three-day dietary cleanse do to your gut microbiome. American Gut Project.
