Top Reasons Never To Go On A Juice Diet

Juice diets, cleanses, purges, and reboots are a perpetual favourite short-term diet.

Juice diets generally require that their adherents consume nothing but fruit juice, sometimes combined with vegetables in smoothies. The purported benefits of this style of diet generally revolve around the idea that the human body is full of toxins, and that a juice diet can help remove these toxins. This apparent ‘detoxification process’ can do anything from make you feel better, to losing weight, burning body fat to cure specific illnesses.

The main issue is that there is no evidence that juicing can have a significant positive effect on your health, at least not in a way that a different kind of diet could do better. That is not to say that they are completely useless- they have some merit in that they can help you find new ways to get servings of produce into your day - but their main claims do not stand up to analysis.

The first thing that you need to understand is that the idea of toxins as a health threat, and juice diets as a way to cleanse the body of toxins, is not supported by science. The human body has a built-in way to remove toxins using the liver and kidneys. Any level of toxic material in the blood or elsewhere in the body that those organs cannot handle is far beyond anything a diet can cure- that would constitute a serious case of poisoning and would need immediate medical attention. There are no toxins in the environment that build up over time and need to be purged with a special diet.

What’s more, a diet made of liquefied fruit and vegetables is really low in fibre, which the body needs to process and excrete waste. Fibre is also very satiating so juicing often leaves the dieter feeling hungry, grumpy and is often why these quick-fix diets never work.

The bottom line about juice diets is that while some elements of the juice and smoothie idea can be helpful in a different context, the motivation for an all-juice diet simply does not hold up to scrutiny.

If you do want to lose weight, avoid juicing, unsustainable diets and unhealthy FADS. Instead, try and eat more solid fruit and veg, increase your protein (here are some great high protein meals) or considering working with an online personal trainer

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