Detoxing your life of bad habits, toxic relationships and unhealthy environments may be a great idea, but what about detoxing your body? A popular way to detox the body is by doing a juice cleanse, which has been around for more than 10 years. Juice cleanses are hailed by some for their nutritional benefits, including weight loss, helping with digestion and providing essential nutrients.

Will a juice cleanse help you lose weight? Yes. Should you do it to lose weight? No, because you’ll likely gain the weight right back. Drinking (juices) solely will put participants at risk of nutritional deficiencies, and to put simply, starvation. Any benefits from juice cleanses are not directly related to the juice itself. Any perceived benefit that people experience on a multi-day juice cleanse will likely be short-lived. Some people may report feeling better (such as better skin, more energy) but this is likely due to a reduction in processed foods, which tend to be high in unhealthy fats and added sugars vs. any actual true cleansing properties of the juice.

Most ‘cleanses’ typically lack protein, fiber and healthy fats and are high in sugar. Although these juices contain healthy ingredients such as ginger, spinach, apples and carrots among other vegetables and fruits that naturally offer vital nutrients, it’s important to note that when juicing, most of the healthy fiber is lost. Dietitians don’t think juice detoxes are sustainable and that any weight loss dieters experience is only temporary. Because the beverages are typically low-calorie, quick weight-loss claims are likely true but short-lived. The weight loss is expected because the juices don’t provide enough energy. Once a ‘cleanse’ is completed, participants typically go back to their usual eating habits and regain the weight. So unless you’re willing to be on a forever juice cleanse diet, which isn’t recommended, be prepared to gain back the weight you lost. Dietitians also believe that these cleanses aren’t actually necessary — especially if you’re doing them solely for the purpose of detoxing.

In general, our bodies are well-equipped to remove toxins via our kidneys and liver. If you are interested in supporting your body’s natural detoxification process, there are healthier ways to do so, including eating five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day, getting enough fiber (25 grams a day for women and 38 grams a day for men if you’re aged 50 and younger) and drinking enough water.

Source: USA TODAY