Juice cleansing has definitely made its rounds.
At first it was the next big thing and a hugely popular celebrity diet.
Then it was dismissed by some health experts as nothing more than a fad with no real health benefits.
Now juice cleansing is starting to make a comeback, primarily as the first results of scientific studies come in on the potential benefits.
With so many different opinions on juice cleansing, it’s hard to know just who to listen to.
So here’s an unbiased, science backed breakdown on the benefits and potential side effects of juice cleansing!
Whether you’re buying a juice cleanse or trying some homemade juice cleanse recipes, this is exactly what you and your body can expect.
6 Real Benefits of a juice cleanse
What are the benefits of a juice cleanse?
The science is finally in on juice cleansing, and the results of the first studies look promising!
The impressive amount of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants found in juices can have some pretty profound impacts on digestion, heart health, and more.
Improved Digestion
Juice cleansing has shown to increase beneficial gut bacteria, particularly Bacteroidetes. Bacteroidetes help with the digestive process and are linked to a healthy metabolism. [1]
Boost Nutrition
Juicing is a great way to boost your fruit and vegetable intake. Juicing makes it easy to get the nutrients from a larger amount of fruits and vegetables than what you could eat in one day.
One study found that supplementing a regular diet with juices significantly increased blood plasma levels of a variety of vital nutrients like beta-carotene, vitamin E, vitamin C, folate, and selenium. [2]
Weight Loss
A UCLA study on juice cleansing found that participants lost on average 3.75 lbs during a 3-day juice cleanse. 14 days after returning to a normal diet, participants were still 2.2 lbs lighter than when they started the cleanse. [1]
Heart Health
The same UCLA study found that a juice cleanse was able to significantly increase blood nitric oxide levels.
Nitric oxide is important for enhancing blood flow which in turn decreases stress on the heart. Increasing blood nitric oxide levels may play an important role in preventing heart disease. [1]
Disease Prevention
The high antioxidant contents of fruit and vegetable juices leads to a decrease in lipid peroxidation during a juice cleanse. Lipid peroxidation causes degradation and damage in cells, which is a key step in the onset of disease. [1]
Flavonoids found in fruits and vegetables also have antioxidative capabilities and have been directly linked to anticancer activity and anti-immunodeficiency virus functions. [3]
Reset Cravings
A juice cleanse is also great way to reset unhealthy eating habits. Your body grows accustomed to the good feelings it gets from nutrient dense foods, lessening cravings for fatty, processed foods.
Juice cleanse side effects
While juice cleansing can be beneficial, it’s very important that you know how to do a juice cleanse properly.
In general, you never want to cleanse for longer than 7 days.
You should also give your body time to adjust to a juice only diet by slowly removing processed foods and moving towards a plant-based diet before the cleanse.
After the cleanse is over, you need to reverse that process and slowly return to your normal diet.
Failure to properly prepare for a juice cleanse or cleansing too long may cause some of the following unwanted side effects.
- Constipation: The lack of fiber in juices can make you less regular and even result in constipation after extended periods of cleansing. Fiber is an essential part of a healthy diet, so it is never recommended to do a juice cleanse that lasts longer than 7 days. Jus By Julie blends their juices so they retain the fiber, that’s why they are my recommended brand for a juice cleanse.
- Nausea/Diarrhea: An abrupt change in diet can cause an upset stomach. This is why it’s recommended to slowly adjust your diet leading up to and just after a juice cleanse.
- Weakness/Fatigue: Juices are naturally low in calories and have little protein. This can result in weakness and fatigue after extended periods of time. The body needs protein to properly function, it is never recommended to do a cleanse for longer than 7 days.
What does a juice cleanse do to your body?
Even if you nail your prep work and have high quality juice on hand, there are still some inevitable side effects to juice cleansing.
Here’s what you can expect during a juice cleanse:
- Tired: Expect to go to bed early and sleep great while cleansing. The calorie deficit during a juice cleanse or any type of fasting can leave you feeling drained by night time.
- Energy Highs & Lows: The flood of vitamins and minerals will give you a natural energy boost after each juice, but the lack of food can sap your energy especially in the afternoons.
- Moodiness: Along with not eating comes the inevitable irritability. This is usually worst on the first day of the juice cleanse.
- A Need To Chew Something: Sometimes during a cleanse you’re not even hungry, you just miss chewing. Keep some sugar-free gum on hand to satisfy your chewing needs.
Benefits of juicing once a day
Don’t worry if doing a juice cleanse isn’t your thing. You can still get most of the benefits by simply drinking a healthy juice every day.
Juice cleansing can be great for weight loss or resetting bad eating habits, but most of juicing’s benefits are associated with the naturally high nutrient and antioxidant contents in the juice.
Adding a daily juice to your diet is an amazing way to naturally supplement your vegetable intake, improve digestion, and even help prevent disease.
Here’s 8 nutrition boosting recipes that you can try at home!
Juice recipes to try
- Orange Glow Carrot Juice: This juice is full of revitalizing and skin nourishing nutrients like beta-carotene that will give you naturally glowing, youthful skin! It’s super easy and can even be made in a blender!
- Green Goddess Juice: A refreshing and vibrant green juice full of nourishing vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Packed with all the green veggies you could think of.
- Ageless Aloe Vera Juice: Ageless Aloe is a refreshing, hydrating, and anti-aging aloe vera juice cleanse recipe with cucumber, lemon, and ginger. Aloe vera juice is known to decrease the appearance of facial wrinkles, increase skin elasticity, and even boost collagen production! [4]
- Orange Carrot Mango: This juice tastes like bottled sunshine! Packed with vitamin C rich and anti-inflammatory ingredients.
- Turmeric Ginger Shots: An immune boosting juice that is concentrated into shot form. These wellness shots are perfect for getting through the cold and flu season!
- Autumn Greens Pear Juice: A sweet and delicious pear juice boosted with seasonal green veggies and golden beets!
- Blue Mermaid Lemonade: A super refreshing lemonade with an aqua blue color thanks to the E3 Live Blue Spirulina. The perfect summer refresher.
- Fall Harvest Plum Juice: A tart, refreshing, and energizing juice made from fresh fall ingredients!
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