Juicing became popular several years ago, and it’s still all the rage. Whether people choose to do a juice cleanse where they drink nothing but specially made juices for a week or two. They might also start their days with a fortified smoothie or custom-made juice. These tasty juices are designed to help you lose weight.
The real question is: is juicing as easy as it sounds? And if it is, how does it work? Is it worth the time and effort to look up recipes, cut up fruits and veggies, and make your own juice? Is juicing even healthy for your weight loss plan? We’ll answer all of these questions and more.
What Is Juicing?
Juicing is exactly as it sounds – replacing some of your meals (or all of them, should you choose to go on a cleanse) with juice. These aren't just any juices, though.
Some people make their own based on recipes that include fruits and vegetables, as well as additions like protein powder, to make them even healthier. This kind of juice gives you a healthy dose of fiber and antioxidants that some people swear by.
As an alternative, there are also juices that people can buy, particularly juices that are a part of an overall cleanse. For example, you can purchase a multi-day juice cleanse and just follow the instructions as far as the order of the juices is concerned.
No matter which method you choose, those liquids contain a number of vitamins and minerals like vitamin C and potassium. In addition, juicing can help you lose weight.
That said, there are some pros and cons when it comes to a juice diet.
Good Things About Juicing
Overall, there are a number of good things aboutjuicing. Here are a few of the most important ones:
Proven Weight Loss Results
Several studies have been done that show the effectiveness of a juice diet. One particular study followed several women for three days as they drank nothing but juice and didn't eat any other foods. All of their calories during that period came only from the juice.
By the end of the study, the average weight loss was two pounds. If you want to lose a bit of weight before swimsuit season, following a juice diet for a few days is a good way to start.
In addition to losing weight, those participants noticed an increase in the health of their gut biomes. This set them up for sustained weight loss once they ended the juice diet, as it helped increase their metabolisms and made for better digestion.
Healthy and Good for You
Fruit and vegetable juices are quite good for you. You can get all your vitamins and minerals from them. You can also get other macros you need for energy by adding protein powder and other essentials to your juices.
Increased Energy
Some people who followed a juice diet or juice cleanse for up to a week reported an increase in energy. This comes from the sugar in the juices themselves and the nutrients found within them.
Issues With Juicing
Of course, juicing isn't perfect. There are several issues with following a juice diet or going on a juice cleanse. Here are some that you need to know about:
Expensive
Going on a juice diet can be expensive. You need to purchase either the fruits and vegetables you'll be using in your juices or buy the pre-made juices themselves. Neither is cheap, especially if you plan to include several different juices in your diet.
Plus, if you don't have a juicer, you'll need to purchase one. A juicer separates the juice from the rind, making it easier to use than a standard blender or smoothie maker for this exact purpose.
Time-Consuming
If you want to go the make-your-own-juice route, you'll need to take the time to research recipes, look up what they contain, make grocery lists, and process all the vegetables and fruits into juice. As you can imagine, this takes some time.
While buying pre-made juices can help, you need to be careful. Some of those pre-made options contain plenty of added sugar or preservatives to make them shelf-stable. Taking a shortcut isn't always the best option for juicing.
Not Burning Fat
While you will lose weight on a juice diet or cleanse, you aren't actually burning fat. The juices don't have the severe lack of carbohydrates that will kick-start your body's fat burning process. Instead, you'll lose water weight as the juices clean out your system.
If you want to burn fat, you'll need to follow another diet, like the keto diet, and mix in some exercise.
Lack of Nutrition
Even though juices contain plenty of nutrition, they aren't perfect. Many lack protein (unless you add protein to them) and healthy fats. While you won't have any problems getting in your vitamins and minerals, if you follow a juice diet for a long time, you'll deprive your body of the protein and fat needed to survive.
Should You Do a Juice Cleanse?
Althoughjuice diets aren't perfect (and honestly, nothing is), you do have a few options. If you want to go on a juice cleanse or diet just to see what happens and get some quick water-weight loss results, then it might work.
Here are a few recommendations that you can follow to stay healthy and enjoy your juice diet.
Make Your Own Juices
Since pre-made juices can contain added sugar and preservatives, it is worth it to make your own. Yes, it's a bit time-consuming, but the results and the fact that you can add protein powder to your juices to make them even healthier show that this is the best way to go.
Following a meal prep option would be best here since you'd be able to slice everything up ahead of time and place each future juice in a container. All that you'd need to do is pull out that container and put the contents in your juicer.
Ingredients You Might Find in Juicing Recipes
- Apples
- Cucumbers
- Lemons
- Celery
- Kale leaves
- Spinach
- Ginger root
- Citrus fruits
- Carrots
- Cabbage
- Cayenne Pepper
Only Follow a Juice Diet for a Short Period
Since only drinking juice can be harmful to your health if it's something that you do for a long time (thanks to the lack of protein and fat, among other macros), following a juice diet for a shorter period is a good idea. You can follow one for up to a week without major health issues, so that is a good unit of measurement to stick to.
Drink nothing but juice for seven days, and then go back to following a healthy diet that consists ofwhole ingredients and plenty of chicken, fish, and rice. After a few weeks of eating healthy, you can always go back to a week of nothing but juice. Keep repeating this, and you'll stay healthy and reap the health benefits of a juice diet.
Juice Only in the Mornings
Another option is to drink juice only in the mornings. Start your day off with a homemade juice that you blended yourself. If you don't have the time in the morning, reach for a pre-made juice. Then, spend the rest of your dayeating healthy. This way, you get the benefits of both diets and may even quickly see the results you want.
Final Thoughts
A juice diet has been proven to help people lose weight, even if it's only water weight. As a result, if you want to drop a few pounds in a couple of days, then it's a great option. There's a reason why juice cleanses have stuck around for quite some time – they show results quickly.
Sources:
What You Should Know Before Trying Juicing For Weight Loss | Men's Health
Can Juicing Help You Lose Weight? | Healthline
How to Start Juicing: 7-Day Juice Plan to Add More Fruits and Vegetables to Your Diet | Eating Well
Health benefit of vegetable/fruit juice-based diet: Role of microbiome | NCBI