48: Are Juice Cleanses Really Healthy?

Everybody loves a good cleanse and while juice cleanses are super popular they might not be all their cracked up to be.  In this episode we’re going to share some of the pros and cons of juicing to help you decide if this is a health strategy that is right for you. We’ll dive into juice cleanse benefits including the benefits of green juice and then we’ll talk about the downside to the beloved juice cleanse. 

PROS

• For those eating conventional diet, juicing can be helpful to increase nutrient uptake
• Can help to reset the palette (if juices are not over the top sugary) Erica talks about how she could finally taste the sweetness of a bell pepper and tomatoes! 
• Can help with gut healing because you are removing inflammatory foods from the diet and liquids are easier to digest
• Can promote high energy 
• Can experience fast results with juicing like weight loss and ultimate hydration
• Can support radiant skin and provide ultra hydration 
• Get more raw, plant-based foods in the diet

CONS

• Can get too much sugar with juicing 
  • lots of fruits and veg are needed to produce enough juice so you can get a lot of sugar in each bottle (20+ grams) if the juices are heavily fruit based 
  • If you drink juice multiple times a day and it’s 100+ grams of sugar in a day
  • Trains your body to become a sugar burner instead of a fat burner
• Results are not long-term sustainable 
• Juices do not contain fiber
  • The body requires insoluble fiber and juices lack insoluble fiber. Insoluble fiber of fruits and veggies helps the body to absorb sugar and supports digestive health. Also  helps to “scrub” the colon and keep you “regular” 
• Can get expensive – especially if you’re doing organic only (which is ideal) 
• Can take a lot of time if you’re juicing at home Lots of cleanup
• Can be tempting to buy store-bought juices at whole foods SUPER sugary – (don’t do it)
• Can end up feeling hungry due to lack of fiber, protein and other macronutrients you can still feel like snacking 
  • Long time juice cleansers can lose muscle mass over time due to lack of protein 

The Alternative: Blending

• Smoothies include many of the benefits of juicing without most of the cons
• They are packed with fiber and whole food nutrients
• A high powered blender like the Vitamix can pulverize whole foods making for ultra-smooth smoothies

Smoothie Making Mistakes

• Choosing the wrong base: juice or sweetened nut milks are too sugary
• Choosing the wrong fruits : a smoothie packed with high sugar fruit is not ideal – if you choose a more sugar fruit (like frozen mango or cherries) balance it out with adding a lot of healthy fat and protein 
• Not adding in greens: mild tasting greens like spinach are perfect to add to a smoothie
• Adding sugar: honey or syrup to sweeten is not the best idea as it just increases sugar content 
• Not adding healthy fat: coconut oils and nut butters are great to add for their health benefits 

Summary 

An occasional juice cleanse is not going to be a problem—in fact, it can be beneficial. Always keep in mind the sugar content and remember that a juice cleanse is not a substitute for a healthy diet. 

Featured in this episode…

Hydration Superfood Energy Powder

Cucumber Watermelon Juice Crusher 

The Weekly Juicery Juice Delivery