By Tori Thistlethwaite (Contributor) – Email
Print Edition: July 16, 2014
In an age of instant gratification, it makes sense that most people would apply an attitude of convenience to health and fitness, but the reality is that it doesn’t translate. Health is something that is not defined by shortcuts or “quick fixes,” yet people keep trying to find the latest fad to beat the bulge.
Some of the worst “tricks” out there are juice cleanses or fasts. Here is the truth: they do not work. Juice cleanses are harmful in multiple ways.
According to Cosmo, Women’s Health, Huffington Post, and Boston Magazine, juice cleanses do not remove toxins from your system, and point to a lack of peer-reviewed journals to support their claim.
Instead of cleansing toxins like you think, these cleanses deprive your system of essential minerals as well as nutrients, which causes your metabolism to slow. Your metabolic rate does not return to normal for several weeks and sometimes months afterwards.
The weight that you do lose is water weight, which you gain back once you finish the cleanse. Lastly, statistics show that the majority of people who do these cleanses binge eat when they finish. They not only gain back the weight they “lost,” but they end up gaining even more.
So why do we believe these cleanses work? Many cleanses are endorsed by fit celebrities and you do lose weight, for a time. But like I said, it is water weight, not fat cells. If you want to cut water weight, there are healthier ways to go about it. You can eat a low-sodium diet and drink plenty of water, and then sweat it out in a sauna, or wear a sweater while doing a hard workout. But keep in mind these results cannot be maintained for long periods of time and are not long-term solutions.
Instead of buying into these fads and cutting corners, get active and eat healthy, because that will not only naturally cleanse your system and change your appearance, but it will improve your overall life.
