The Problem with Juice Fasts

Fad diets, detoxes, and weight loss pills. What do these have in common?

They're all quick fixes without lasting results. Fad diets can range from low calorie (< 800 kcal/d), to high fat/low carb (Atkins), very low calorie liquid diets (The Last Chance Diet)...and many more. Just as you can't become an athlete overnight, you shouldn't expect to become slim over a week-long detox. Juice fast, you say? Reading about the acclaimed "benefits" gave me a headache. Let's have a closer look at some of its claims (paraphrased from numerous promotional websites that popped up from a quick Google search):

"RAPID WEIGHT LOSS." Yes, weight loss might occur. However, most of it is probably water weight, considering a typical juice fast only lasts for a week or so. Water is lost because the body obtains energy by using its glycogen stores in muscles or the liver, and glycogen is stored with water. The minute you revert to a normal diet, all the water weight is regained.

"DETOXES THE BODY." Your kidneys and liver are perfectly capable of looking after itself and detoxing. Humans have evolved over time to handle any byproducts that may arise from metabolizing whatever we ingest, and it's all thanks to our kidneys and liver. Did you order that vodka cranberry because you thought juice would help detox the alcohol?

"IMPROVES DIGESTION." If anything, a juice fast (any fast) should slow down digestion. When your body goes into starvation mode - which it's doing during the juice fast - it'll redirect it's activity away from digestion, and slow down overall metabolism. Like I said in previous posts, our bodies are very efficient and redirects its efforts according to different circumstances.

"IMPROVES IMMUNE FUNCTION." To this day, there has not been a single clinical trial (rigorously controlled study using humans) confirming the ability of juice fasts to boost your immune system. The opposite may even happen: a compromised immune system due to vitamin/mineral insufficiency.

Before you hop onto the detoxing/cleansing bandwagon, consider other healthy alternatives. I personally eat more whole fruits & vegetables, and limit processed foods. As a side note, the infamous Nutri Bullet (aka. "nutrition extractor" that "pulverizes cell walls to unlock hidden nutrition") is definitely not on my shopping list. My body seems to be extracting nutrients just fine.