For many busy families, a glass of juice is a necessary way to start off the day. In fact, the average American drank 2.7 gallons of OJ throughout 2015 — so it’s clear that fruit juice is still a popular addition to breakfast. Many moms will even opt for a fruit smoothie in lieu of cereal or toast, citing it gives them more energy throughout the day. But while juicing can be delicious and nutritious in moderation, trendy juice cleanses are a different story. Although they may be popular, experts say that they’re largely unnecessary and, in some cases, could even be harmful to your health.
At first blush, the idea of a juice cleanse may sound intriguing. Just drink some yummy fruit juice for a set number of days to lose weight and feel amazing! It’s supposed to give your system a fresh start (and who doesn’t want that?), but the whole idea is based on health myths.
First of all, any weight you do manage to lose is likely going to be water weight and a direct result of depriving your body of what it needs. Juice cleanses can actually make it more difficult for your body to function the way it should because it provides a very minimal amount of fuel to power it. They essentially force your body to enter starvation mode and eventually slow down your metabolism (which will make it more of a struggle to maintain your weight in the future).
Light-headedness and mood swings are common with cleanses, as the practice makes your blood sugar dip and spike constantly. Even your concentration will start to suffer, leaving you with little mental energy; even your muscle mass will decrease (starting on the second day of your cleanse!). Plus, you’ll be cutting out fiber your body requires. Sure, you’ll probably drop a few pounds in a short amount of time — but it’s not a long-term weight loss solution.
In addition, you might not realize just how expensive juice cleanses are. If you’re making the juice yourself, you’ll need a lot of fresh produce and maybe even some fancy ingredients like coconut water and almond butter. It takes quite a bit of fruit and veggies to make juice three times a day. Even if you buy ready-made juice at a health food store, those costs will set you back. According to a recent Bustle survey of 1,000 Millennial women, 28% of respondents said they felt stressed about money every single day. If you’re struggling to balance your budget, a juice cleanse is probably the last thing your wallet needs.
Ultimately, it’s the last thing your body needs, too. While we may rationally know there are no shortcuts to health, it’s not a surprise that many of us keep hoping for one. Luckily, you were already given a system that takes care of detoxification for you, without any help from outside sources. The idea of needing to detox your body is a pervasive myth. Sorry to break it to you, but that means those detox teas hocked by the Kardashians and virtually any diet that cuts out a core food group are, in fact, pure hooey.
One encouraging statistic: 67% of millennial customers say that they love ordering healthy options at restaurants. And as you may realize, it’s often a lot more difficult to eat healthy options at a restaurant than at home. If you really want to “reset” your body after a particularly indulgent period, experts say the best thing to do is to — surprise — adopt a more balanced diet. And while fruit (preferably solid, rather than juice) is definitely a part of that, it shouldn’t be the entire meal.
