As we’ve started the New Year, lots of people resort to quick fixes. One of the most popular ones being so called detoxing, or juicing.
The people that promote this stuff swear on their lives by the miraculous effects and enormous advantages your body will ripe from a sometimes weeklong semistarvation regimen. While they do mention the benefits of the added vitamins and minerals you get from all the veggies, and the “high” you’ll experience exercising this amount of control on your body’s normal cravings, here’s what they don’t mention:
The Lack of Fiber and Proteins Juices are more often than not high in carbs and therefor sugars, lacking enough proteins. This will cause major blood sugar spikes and you’ll get fatigued and feel like eating a horse when it’s all over.
Aside from the obvious nutrition deficiencies, juices are (unless the pulp is added back stripped of the great benefits of fiber essential to colon function and general wellbeing.
The difference between eating a pound of veggies with fibers intact, vs. drinking them from a glass, is immense. Let’s just say, you’ll be starving as nothing is filling you up.
The Lack of Science Behind the Health Claims
Some of the exclamations that come along with juicing promotions are that it will “detox the system”.
Truth is the body doesn’t need this. In fact, it is equipped with everything it needs (such as a liver) to clean out itself, as long as it is given adequate nutrition and fiber to function optimally. Obviously, a nutrition deficient diet such as juicing won’t help this in any way.
Once you start doing some actual research, you will find that there are very little, if any unbiased studies to back up juicing as a health regimen
In fact, for some people it can be downright dangerous like those who are overweight (and thus very likely to jump on easy diet fads) and hence prone to diabetes. This group of people definitely shouldn’t mess with their blood sugar but rather seek to balance their diet and exercise habits.
You’ll Get a Kick Out of It….Because Your Body is in Panic
It’s basically the same thing as the so called “honeymoon phase” a person with an eating disorder gets.
You feel thinner, lighter and yes, sometimes even invincible due to the extra energy! But why you may ask? Is it really because drinking liquids and depriving your body from nutrition is so awesomely effective? Not at all. Your body, when in starvation, produces extra adrenaline to get you through this horrible time without fuel, and this feels just like a kick of energy. You’ll feel alert, awake and “clear”.
But it’s simply because your brain is desperately trying to help you go out there and hunt for real FOOD so you don’t die.
The Weight You Lose is Short Term
While it might sound amazing to lose 5 pounds in mere days or whatever else you may have heard, it is in fact too good to be true.
What will actually happen is you’ll lose mainly water and some muscle (especially due to the lack of proteins) and pretty much zero fat.
Oh, and in addition you will gain it all back and more since your body will be in starvation mode and collect all it gets once you start eating normally again.
Plus, the pounds will be made of fat and not muscle, hence the result will be far from the lean physique you imagined when beginning your excruciating but oh so promising regimen.
Bottomline, while you could definitely enjoy a health cocktail once in a while to sneak in some extra vitamins, try and stay with clean eating and exercise to ensure you’re meeting all your body’s actual needs.
Stop looking for quick fixes and don’t listen to people who want to take advantage of your desperation to lose weight by selling you stuff that doesn’t work.
Hard work, works – long term.