Monday, April 20, 2015

Is a juice cleanse really the way to go?


By Penni Jones
Better Living Staff Writer 

Juice cleanses are really popular right now. It’s easy to understand why. Juicing is a refreshing and tasty way to pack in your fruits and vegetables, and you can lose weight quickly on a juice cleanse. But like everything thing else, juicing should be done in moderation.
A juice detox cleanse is done by having only juiced fruits and vegetables for two or three meals a day for several days. The problem is a prolonged juice cleanse can seriously mess with your metabolism. An all-liquid diet starves your body of protein. This will cause your muscle mass to breakdown so you will burn fewer calories overall. So once you start eating solid foods again, the pounds will pile back on.
As for the detox aspect of juice cleansing, there is no medical evidence that the body needs extra detox. Our kidneys, liver, and immune system take care of that for us.
A juice cleanse can also harm your gut. The beneficial bacteria that live in the gut require nourishment from plant-based fiber, which is not present in juice. The intestinal cells require nourishment from protein, which is also absent from juice. If your colon doesn’t get what it needs, the cells of the intestine won’t replicate and strengthen the junctions between cells. That means foreign matter like bacteria, chemicals, or food can leak through the gut barrier into the bloodstream.
Juicing in moderation will help you consume essential nutrients without losing out on a balanced diet, but don’t be tempted to follow the juice cleanse fad.
For more ideas on losing weight and eating healthy, contact Better Living at (734) 747-0123.


 

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