To Cleanse or Not to Cleanse...THAT is the Question! (Just kidding. We decided to Cleanse.)

So hubby and I have decided to do a juice cleanse. We’ve never done one before, but we were looking for a way to get back on track after a few weeks of junk food indulgences and it seemed like a cool way to rekindle our interest!

There are a LOT of folks who swear by juice cleanses, saying that cleansing makes them feel lighter and more hydrated. They also claim to sleep better, have better digestion, and have less aches and pains due to reduced inflammation. And the biggest claims about juice cleanses? They remove toxins from your body, boost your body’s ability to extract nutrients from food, AND heal your gut! A miracle in a bottle, right?

BUT…there’s always another side! Anti-juice cleansers say there isn’t any scientific proof that juice cleanses clear out toxins or detox the body. In fact, they say that juice cleansing can be harmful because of the lack of fiber (minimal fiber plus high fruit sugar equals rapid blood sugar spikes). Plus the lack of protein and calories in a juice cleanse can leave some folks feeling weak and undernourished. In addition to those negatives, anti-juice cleansers warn that SOME juices have high concentrations of oxalates, and for those with kidney issues, this can be a big problem. Other folks who shouldn’t cleanse? Folks who are dealing with deficiencies or wasting diseases (diseases that cause weight/muscle loss) like anemia, thyroid disease, osteopenia, osteoporosis, adrenal fatigue, IBS, colitis, Crohns, and others.

I actually tried to do some research to check out the science behind juice cleanses, but to be honest, I couldn’t find any randomized controlled trials (the gold standard of scientific research) that systematically assessed the effectiveness of commercial detox diets in humans! So, do I have definitive proof that cleansing detoxes the body, reduces inflammation, and helps with nutrient levels? No. Do I have definitive proof that it doesn’t? Also no.

So that leaves me with a body experiment. It’s 5 days. We won’t be doing any sciency stuff (ex. bloodwork), so we’re going to have to tune into our bodies and document how we feel.

If we feel crappy on day 2 will we keep going? No. If things don’t feel right, we’ll can the full fledged experiment and supplement with healthy whole foods.

So there you go. If you want to see how the Juice Cleanse Journey goes for us, feel free to tune in. Ask questions. Make comments. Express opinions. Be kind.

See you soon!

HUGS!

PS

Old pic, but we could TOTALLY be contemplating....

"To Cleanse, or Not to Cleanse? THAT is the question!"