Juice diets are a controversial topic within the health community because it does not offer a long term solution when it comes to weight loss but it can be incorporated into your lifestyle in short intervals over a few weeks or months.

What is a juice cleanse?

Juice cleansing is a diet that involves only consuming liquid (usually fruit juices) over a few days. Typically, you would abstain from eating solid food over this time. Juice cleanses aim to remove toxins from your body. This can be beneficial with the right ingredients. A mixture between juices and protein smoothies can amplify the health benefits of a juice cleanse. Juice cleanses typically consist of juice from fruits and added water which usually leaves you feeling tired, hungry and can cause nutritional deficiencies. By incorporating protein shakes into your juicing, you will be reaping the benefits of all the essential amino acids, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that you would likely be missing out on with an ordinary juice cleanse.

Juice diets do not have to just be fruit and veg. A healthier, more sustainable way to complete this diet is by adding some protein. Cold pressed Juice cleansing with protein shakes will help the body maintain muscle mass and make us feel fuller for longer. Just fruit and veg alone contain low amounts of protein, which could potentially decrease muscle mass during a juice diet.

Juice cleansing to lose weight

Is it safe?

Since weight loss comes down to eating fewer calories than you expend, juice cleansing will have you dropping pounds in the short run. It is not something that can be used long term as it can be potentially starving your body of vital nutrients that come with a balanced diet. Juice cleansing should be seen more like a juice diet. A couple of days of juicing is considered to be harmless for most people.

Short term effects

• Reducing inflammation in your body: Your body responds to all the toxins you put in. Between alcohol, meat, dairy and processed foods, juice cleanses can clean things up while adding beneficial nutrients.
• A kickstart to lifestyle change: In this time you will be detoxifying your body and removing all the harmful processed foods, saturated fats and refined carbohydrates from your diet.

The best way to juice cleanse

• See it as a reset to your lifestyle.
• Drink 5 juices of 500ml a day and stay hydrated.
• Avoid tea and coffee.
• No solid food, unless in complete starvation, snack on fresh fruit, veg and a few almonds.
• Juice cleanse with protein shakes.
• No processed food and no refined sugars
• A light daily activity to help sweat out the toxins.
• Cleanse a couple of days at a time.

What to do after the juice diet