Juice Cleanses: Can They Actually Harm You?

Just about everyone has either done a juice cleanse or knows someone who has. Ads are everywhere. They’re boosted by celebrities swearing by the benefits of cleanses, and people are flocking to the growing number of companies offering juice cleanses for anywhere from 3 days to several weeks! I’ll admit, I’ve tried three different 3-day programs, with similar results every time (more on that later).

Most cleanses contain around 1,200 calories a day, often including a nut-milk drink to provide a small amount of fat and protein (my favorite part of the cleanse I did). The rest of the day is filled with greens (such as kale, spinach, celery, beets, and romaine lettuce) herbs and spices (parsley, ginger, cayenne) and fruits (apple, pineapple, lemon, and blueberries).

Sounds healthy right? What an easy way to get in the 6-9 servings of veggies we need daily! But growing evidence shows that these programs could be doing us more harm than good.

So let’s break down their claims and what we do know!

1. We get more health benefits from fruits and veggies in juice form.
   This is simply not true. Ads for cleanses will even tell you that drinking juice “gives the digestive system a break” from breaking down fiber. This is actually false; fiber aids in digestion. In fact, juicing removes some nutrients. The fiber and some of the antioxidants found in the skins and seeds of fruits and vegetables are often eliminated in the juicing process. What’s more, many studies suggest that when we drink our calories, we are less full and more likely to overeat. Better to eat the whole fruit than the juice of it!
2. It’s a great way to lose weight!
   A juice fast is not an effective way to lose weight and keep it off. Will you lose weight? Probably — you’re cutting out all of the fat from your diet and drastically lowering your caloric intake. But you’ll most likely put it right back on after the fast. I actually gained weight twice on a juice fast – why? High sugar content all day without protein and good fat to complement it kicked my metabolism into “store fat” mode. Additionally, if you do this to your body enough, you could permanently lower your metabolism. With less calories in, your body adjusts and slows down its metabolism.
3. It will make you feel great!
   Juice cleanse companies promise you will feel more energized and get a boost in immunity, all the while giving you a glow from the inside out. I’ll admit I felt great after the first miserable day of drinking veggies (and no coffee!) – but this could really be due to the fact that I believed I was doing something good for my body. The fact is that most cleanses leave out critical nutrients your body needs to function properly. Your body needs protein to build muscle (as opposed to storing sugar as fat), and it needs good fats (like those in nuts and beans) for hormonal balance. As a result, your body goes into the mode of breaking down muscle instead of fat to supply energy. Prolonged juicing leads to terrible skin and hair (like someone suffering from chronic eating disorder!) as well as electrolyte imbalances that can leave you lethargic, dizzy, and even prone to a heart attack! On my last fast, I found myself unable to run for the same length of time by the third day of juicing. While I thought I had more energy at first, turns out I had no stamina to even take a long walk with my dog. It just didn’t feel good.
4. It’s a great way to detox the body.
   I’ve come back from gluttonous vacations that were filled with just as many mai tai’s and indulgent foods, as naps and swimming. It’s after a week of indulgence like this we tend to think “I need to detox!” The truth is, our bodies are already starting to do this as soon as we are flying home from that warm place over winter break. The body detoxifies itself naturally, through the liver, kidneys, and gastrointestinal tract. These organs help remove toxins that our bodies know to reject. Since the body is always in a natural state of cleansing itself, a person doesn’t need to do a detox diet or cleanse to attain this.
5. It’s harmless so try it!
   Actually, juice cleanses aren’t harmless for some people. If you have diabetes, kidney disease for any reason, or are on chemotherapy you could do real harm. How? Juices are super high in sugar content that make blood-sugar levels sky rocket in diabetics, potentially causing everything from slow healing wounds to diabetic comas. In kidney disease, the high levels of minerals and potassium can throw someone into kidney failure. When it comes to chemo patients, the very low protein and very high antioxidant content can be a dangerous combination.
6. It can help you break unhealthy eating habits.
   This is why I did it one time – to rid myself of the diet soda addiction. Sure, I went back to diet soda afterwards but I knew that I could go without it, and that’s half the battle of addiction right? I did feel great in this regard because it helped me drastically reduce my intake. This is one claim I believe in – it can truly help you get whatever that dietary “monkey on your back” is off your back!

Juice isn’t the enemy! Moderation (as always!) is key. You can have a juice here and there if it helps you get in the veggies you have a hard time including daily. Several studies show that if you’re overweight replacing one meal a day with a juice can help in weight loss – but you still need a balanced diet the rest of the time.

So if you’re going to try a juice cleanse, make it short. It’s simply not healthy to restrict your intake of other nutrients for longer than a few days. Actually check with your doctor (for real!) beforehand. Many conditions like I mentioned above can present similar dangers.

If you’re interested and want to try it for a couple of days then don’t just take my word for it. A person can feel very accomplished after trying a cleanse like this – like pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone. I know I felt like a rock star after finishing my cleanses, and then treated myself with a huge family dinner afterwards!

Who’s done a cleanse and what are your thoughts?