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Fad diets are possibly some of the worst things you could put your body through for weight loss, throwing your metabolism through a loop and making it more difficult to create a healthy relationship with food. From keto to the grapefruit diet, there are a wide range of options out there which might ultimately produce weight loss results, but aren’t actually sustainable lifestyle changes that you’ll be able to keep up, which is why taking a holistic approach to weight loss and filling your diet with nutrient dense foods is the best way to go. Juice cleanses, masquerading as a healthy detox from everyday eating, are one of the worst diet plans to follow as they can have some surprising side effects which may make it more difficult to lose weight–and keep it off.
Cleanses are often limited to a shorter period of time in which you will be expected to only consume a certain number of juices throughout the day in lieu of other food sources. Ranging from fruit to vegetable juices, they are packed with nutrients but in a purely liquid form with plans lasting from two day to a week or more. The problem is that many people don’t see juice cleanses as a fad diet, and rather classify it as a detox or a reset while kick starting weight loss.
However, these cleanses aren’t even a surefire solution to weight loss, and severely restricting your calories is not a sustainable route to take. “If a person were to consume only vegetable juices for a period of several days, the calories are likely to be extremely low, which can lead to symptoms of low blood sugar including headaches and weakness,” notes Susan Bowerman, M.S., RD, CSSD, CSOWM, FAND, senior director, Worldwide Nutrition Education and Training, Herbalife Nutrition. “If the cleansing program also includes ‘natural’ laxatives and diuretics, excessive losses of fluids and important minerals (electrolytes) could lead to dehydration and fatigue, and even confusion and muscle weakness.”
Another important factor missing from juice cleanses is protein, which is vital for fueling your muscles and promoting a healthy metabolism to naturally burn through fat. Primarily fueling your body with carbs from the fruits or veggies, this diet will do nothing for muscle growth, and other nutrients are stripped of fruits and veggies when they’re turned into a juice form as well.
“What may also be surprising is that there’s little to no fiber on a juice cleanse and fiber is so important in supporting healthy digestion and the health of good bacteria in the digestive tract,” notes Bowerman. “There’s a psychological factor at play here, too – people who do cleanses may be setting themselves up for a cycle of indulgence followed by punishment via a cleanse in order to start fresh.” Not only can juice cleanses throw off your body and even cause weight gain if the juices are high calorie, but they can also make it more difficult to find a healthy relationship with food which is integral to a balanced life.
Instead of turning to a dramatic detox to kickstart your body towards healthy weight loss, Bowerman’s solution is much more simple. “Rather than swinging from ‘tox’ to ‘detox’ it would be better to simply strive to eat as well as you can as often as you can. Know that the body is perfectly designed to process whatever you put into it – keeping what is useful and nourishing and eliminating (very efficiently and effectively) what it doesn’t want,” she says.
You won’t have to do a detox if you simply continue to eat healthy each day, and prioritizing fruits and vegetables will provide your body with the nutrients it needs without severely limiting calories and leaving you feeling malnourished and frustrated with your lack of progress.
It’s understandable to want to create a diet which fuels your body and promotes healthy weight loss and digestion, but juice cleanses are simply not a sustainable solution as they can leave you malnourished and with a negative association with food. Instead, focus on eating well-balanced, nutritious meals that are packed with protein, fat, and carbs, and you can create a reasonable calorie deficit to help you reach your goals.
This is much more manageable than turning towards a quick fix that will only net you results based on deprivation, leaving you even more likely to gain the weight back. Fad diets are not the solution to weight loss--only a healthy approach to eating and a well-rounded exercise plan will do that.
