A juice cleanse

[mortensorchid]

Has anyone ever done a juice cleanse?  It's the hip, trendy thing to do according to all the influencers out there.  I've made fruit / vegetable juices / smoothies in the past (as I would imagine everyone else has) but do they actually work?  Do you do anything but have a meatless few days or free your body of toxins that you would otherwise ingest by limiting other things (ex. sugar from the carbonated beverages)?  If so, which ones do you recommend? 

 

[Alpacalia]

No cleanse. I do protein shakes with fruits and veggies daily. I used to be a vegetarian (for ethical reasons) but I caved after a few years it was very hard. I rarely if ever drink soda (diet or otherwise).

[mark clemson]

I personally believe that excessive red meat consumption isn't healthy, but being a vegetarian or near vegetarian certainly isn't for everyone.

 

According to the Mayo Clinic, juicing vs. just eating whole fruit doesn't do much.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/juicing/faq-20058020

 

This is a bit longer, but is probably worth reading. Limiting red meat intake (as a lifestyle, not just for a few days) is mentioned near the end:

https://www.cancer.org/healthy/eat-healthy-get-active/acs-guidelines-nutrition-physical-activity-cancer-prevention/guidelines.html

 

[Alpacalia]

Red meat is tough on the body. It takes so long to digest!

Here's a good article about what happens to the body when you stop eating red meat:

7 Things That Happen When You Stop Eating Meat | Forks Over Knives

Just recalling from when I did it, I felt super sluggish. I had serious meat withdrawl.

You don't need to be raw all the time, raw until four, high carb low fat, starch-based, gluten-free, vegan keto/paleo, or a junk foodie to be able to do it. There’s no need to overcomplicate it.

Give your body a little break from it for a couple of days.

There are lots of great sources for finding recipes and meal suggestions, but don’t take everything as gospel (and that goes for any way of eating).

With juice cleanses you're eating a lot of fruits too. High in sugar, so a juice cleanse can actually lead to spikes in blood sugar levels.

 

 

[ExpatInItaly]

I've been a vegetarian for 30 years and have always (forutnately) been in good health. I don't like meat and fish and never have, so I stopped eating it altogether. 

I don't think it's a lifestyle that works for everyone, though. Everyone's mileage may vary. I also don't drink soft drinks or store-bought juice in general, just water and coffee as that is my natural preference.  I find store-bought drinks overly sweet and essentially candy in a bottle.

Jucie "cleanses" are worthless. Your body doesn't need to be (and can't be) cleaned by a beverage. Juice can't do a better job than your internal organs at filtering out toxins. Eat well, limit processed food, get enough water and activity - that will do more than any sort of "cleanse" ever can. 

[Wiseman2]

On 2/7/2023 at 4:35 PM, mortensorchid said:

.  I've made fruit / vegetable juices / smoothies in the past (as I would imagine everyone else has) but do they actually work?  

As long as something is healthy (like fruit/vegetable juice), there's no harm.  It's probably better to stay away from any sort of fad diet or "detox" pills or products. Stick to healthy nutritious food on a regular basis. 

[Kassieee]

If you're healthy and your diet is good- your body already cleanses itself. 

[Foxhall]

I tried them for a while and endeavoured to have a strong green juice element to them,

I think they can be beneficial for sure - gives system a chance to cleanse, and gives it a break from having to work hard digesting

Personally find that emotional factors such as stress and similar factors can be an obstacle- life gets in the way of trying to be always healthy on the diet. so presently not juicing as much as I should.

 

 

 

[Mrin]

Yeah I mean I've done a raw diet which was basically shoving whatever I could into a magic bullet with mango and drinking it for a week. I guess I felt good. I pooped about 37 times a day. Lol.

That being said - this sort of thing can actually be incredible for your health. My girlfriend routinely uses "green smoothies" to address all sorts of health issues. And it's crazy effective. Basically it's either banana or pineapple with a ridiculous amount of either spinach or kale and like a quarter or a half cup of flax seeds (you grind them up or pulverize them ahead of time). She'll throw some other random plant stuff in there. But from what I understand it's the greens and the flaxseeds that do the magic. The rest is just a vehicle and a way of making it taste better.

I've seen it work miracles on her. One per day. 

[Alpacalia]

Ah yes.

Rapid changes in diet can sometimes lead to gastrointestinal discomfort such as increased bowel movements, bloating, and gas. That's the fun part! 

[Mrin]

Okay so the other thing I'll add is this. The green smoothie thing that I described above is used to combat inflammation. That's what a lot of these juice cleanses are about. Well that and spiking your fiber intake so that you basically cleanse yourself - see my pooping 37 times a day comment. Lol.

There is something else you can do diet wise that I think can be really important and that's addressing gut health. If you're not familiar with gut health then do some reading up on it but it's pretty freaking fascinating if you ask me.

So one of the best things you can do for gut health is eat naturally fermented food. Things like kimchi, sauerkraut, and naturally fermented pickles or onions or whatever... Anecdotally, I used to suffer from crazy painful GERD. Like send you to the ER painful. I started making kimchi at home because I love kimchi. I noticed that if I would eat some portion of kimchi each day I wouldn't have any GERD issues. 

It turns out that the thing that was causing all the problems was gluten (I'm sensitive to it). And so basically when I would eat gluten, things would go bad in my stomach and then the kimchi would help to correct it. Now that I have cut out or dramatically reduce my gluten intake I don't have to eat kimchi each day. I still do though because I well love kimchi.

That being said it is incredible for your gut health. Anything naturally fermented is. It sort of is like a probiotic but on steroids. The probiotics that we buy in the store and consume are limited value. 

You can pretty much ferment anything and it's super easy. Basically you put whatever you're fermenting into a canning jar and make sure it is submerged in brine (salty water). And then just ignore it for about a week. Ta da!

If you are interested in improving your gut health I would recommend looking up natural fermentation and then making what sounds yummy. 

[Mrin]

17 minutes ago, Alpacalia said:

Ah yes.

Rapid changes in diet can sometimes lead to gastrointestinal discomfort such as increased bowel movements, bloating, and gas. That's the fun part! 

I ummm... Well I could have been the 14th member of OPEC during that raw diet challenge thing. #TMI

[Alpacalia]

Oh man, I used to have some serious tummy troubles back in the day. I mean, I'd eat anything and everything, and then I'd be popping antacids like they were candy.

I guzzled Pepto Bismol like it was my job! I mean, I was chugging that stuff like it was water. My stomach was like a bottomless pit of indigestion and heartburn. But hey, at least I had a steady supply of that pink, chalky goodness to keep me going.

I feel like if I were to do a juice cleanse it would go like:

Day 1: I am feeling so virtuous and healthy drinking all these green juices! I can practically feel the toxins leaving my body.

Day 2: Wait, why am I so hungry? And why do these juices all taste the same?

Day 3: I'm pretty sure my coworkers can hear my stomach growling from across the room. And all these bathroom breaks from the juice cleanse are really cutting into my work time.

Day 4: I don't care if this is supposed to be a cleanse, I am dreaming about pizza and ice cream. But hey, at least I'm getting my daily dose of vitamins and minerals, right?

Day 5: Finally, the last day of this juice cleanse! I can't wait to eat solid food again. But I have to admit, I do feel a little lighter and more energized. Maybe I'll give this juice cleanse thing another shot next month... or maybe I'll just stick to my usual diet of trusty protein smoothies, my tummy is as happy as a clam! I mean, I hardly ever have any issues anymore.

It's like magic.

 

 

 

Edited February 26, 2023 by Alpacalia

[basil67]

Although it's hard to stick to, the updated Weight Watchers diet makes me feel amazing.  Eat fruit, veges, legumes and lean meat.  Very limited fats, carbs, sugar and alcohol.   Can't see a need for detox when this feels so great

[glows]

I fast up to 48 hours periodically and drink lots of water only. Never tried the juice cleanses. 

I eat meat within reason and prep ahead of time so no shortage thankfully of lean meats. We’re blessed with a lot of markets close by so veggies always on hand. Limited carbs. I prefer whole fruits, not juiced. No issues with digestion.