Juice diets have grown in popularity as purported 'quick cure' diets that promise significant weight reduction in a short period of time, as well as various health advantages such as 'detoxing' the liver, better skin, and increased mood. But, can they actually enhance your health, is the weight reduction long-term, and are there any risks to adopting such fad diets?
What is the mechanism behind it?
Juice diets, whether they're called juice fasts, juice cleanses, or juice detoxes, all revolve around drinking a variety of freshly juiced fruits and vegetables. Many juice diets require you to go without eating other meals and solely drink juice, while others need you to eat specific solid items. Juice diets often have an extremely low-calorie consumption.
The most severe juice diets are generally confined to a short period of time, usually three to seven days. Some people stick to juice diets for long periods of time because they allow them to eat solid meals and consume more calories.
Although some programs allow you to add honey or yogurt to the drinks, most juice-only diets are vegetarian or vegan.
Is it safe to follow a juice diet?
Juice diets have minimal scientific backing as a rational way to improve one's health. Furthermore, if you stick to this diet for more than a few days, you are unlikely to achieve all of your nutritional requirements.
Fruit and vegetables, on the other hand, are a vital element of a balanced diet, and we should all strive for at least five pieces every day. Vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber are all found in a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. However, juices (unsweetened, 100 percent juice) only count as one of your five-a-day fruits and vegetables, regardless of how much you drink, because juices lack the fiber found in whole fruits and vegetables.
Which nutrients are likely to be lacking in juice diets?
The procedure of juicing removes some elements, including dietary fiber and other important nutrients present in or around the skin, seeds, and other parts of the plant. The white pith of citrus fruits such as oranges, for example, is a good source of protective flavonoids.
Iron, which is necessary for energy production, and lipids, notably the vital omega-3 kind, are two major elements that are likely to be lacking in a juice-only diet. Fats are necessary for the generation and control of hormones, as well as appropriate brain function. Protein is another crucial macronutrient that is likely to be deficient. Protein is required for muscle maintenance, development, and repair, as well as hormone synthesis.
Is it possible to lose weight on a juice diet and keep it off?
Most people are likely to lose some weight on a juice diet because it includes cutting out sources of fat and protein and drastically decreasing calorie intake. However, if you return to your previous eating habits, the weight loss is unlikely to be sustained in the long run. You should be aware that the quantity of weight you lose will be determined by your specific circumstances, including the amount of weight you need to drop at the start.
However, there is now some data to show that a three-day juice fast may enhance gut health and, as a result, weight maintenance in the long run. This is because weight is now understood to be influenced by the balance of bacteria in the gut.
If you're thinking about trying a juice diet for a short period of time, create your own juices with fresh, organic food, focusing on veggies and adding a tiny quantity of fruit for flavor. To optimize your nutrient intake, juice only as much as you need, when you need it, and add back some of the extracted pulp to ensure the inclusion of fiber and valuable phytonutrients.
What about juice's sugar content?
Sugar content is likely to be high in juices produced primarily or totally from fruit. Juicing releases the sugars in fruit, making them 'free' sugars (the sort we're told to avoid), and eliminates the fiber, allowing sugar to be absorbed more quickly into the bloodstream than if you ate the whole fruit. On a juice-only diet, the combination of a quick spike in blood sugar levels and a lack of fiber may cause hunger and cravings.
