Why I Don’t Believe in Juice Cleanses
Happy last day of January my loves!! As we head into February and get closer to the spring, summer seasons I think it’s the perfect time to chat about a controversial topic…JUICE CLEANSES. If you follow me on Instagram @healthyalibi you know that I believe in eating real, organic, whole food each and every day in order to maintain a healthy and consistent lifestyle. Today, I want to discuss the reasons I DO NOT believe in juice cleanses and why I feel they do more harm than good.
They are a SHORT-TERM solution to a long-term problem. Juice cleanses force you to restrict your calorie intake abruptly because you are not nourishing your body with actual food, therefore of course you are going to lose weight immediately. However, the issue is that it’s unsustainable so you will most definitely put the weight right back on after the cleanse is over, putting you at risk of developing nutritional deficiencies.
Cleanses cause you to lose muscle. Most juice cleanses restrict you to a maximum of 1,000 calories per day when our bodies need at least 2,000 calories just to function. It forces your body to break down the muscle tissue in order to properly run so you are losing all of that hard earned muscle you’ve been building, NOT the fat that these juice companies want you to think you are burning.
Your metabolism will SLOW DOWN. When you are on a juice cleanse, you are essentially putting your body into starvation mode, making it much more difficult to lose actual weight. During the cleanse, your body is desperately clinging to every last calorie because it doesn’t know when it will get its next surge of energy, which slows down your metabolism and works against you.
The myth that juice cleanses “detox” your body is exactly that… a MYTH. Our bodies actually have an amazing and naturally built-in detox system: our KIDNEYS and LIVER. The liver actually filters and removes toxins in the body and the kidneys keep the body circulating and balanced. Between these two natural detoxifiers that work day and night to keep our bodies toxin free and running efficiently, a juice cleanse “detox” is serious marketing at its finest.
I hope these reasons help you guys to make healthier and more educated decisions when it comes to trying a cleanse. I actually love juice and drink it regularly but remember that it *does not replace a meal*. Remember that losing weight is a PROCESS. It can be a very long, very hard and very emotional process for many of us but it is absolutely worth every painful moment if it allows you to feel healthier and more confident. Our bodies are our temples and we only get one so let’s treat them right. There are no shortcuts to a healthier lifestyle, you must put in the time and effort in order to see real results. Remember that we are all in this together and need to support each other through this process.
XO A