Juice cleanses are one of those things that EVERYBODY thinks they need to do to be “healthy”. But should YOU do a juice cleanse?
Juice cleanses have become a very popular and trendy way to boost health and energy levels, manage digestive issues, and increase nutrition. Although extended juice cleanses can be bad for you, short cleanses do have their benefits. Replacing all of your meals with fruit and vegetable juice packed with vitamins and nutrients will make you feel great, but it’s important that you do your cleanse safely. If you are considering a juice cleanse for the first time, here are some important tips to keep in mind.
What is in your Juice?
First things first, I am not a huge proponent of juice cleanses. The reason is because of the crazy blood sugar rollercoaster that you end up having. Juice is primarily fructose, or fruit sugars, which cause your blood sugar to rise dramatically. Your pancreas then pumps out some insulin to try to bring that sky-rocketing blood sugar level down. When your blood sugar rapidly rises and drops, you start to feel moody, irritable, have bursts of high energy then no energy. All this also affects your ability to burn fat. The fat burning hormone cannot turn on when your blood sugar levels are cycling so extremely.
So what can you do about it? Incorporate more protein. Protein helps to extend your blood sugar levels so that you don’t experience such dramatic highs and lows. Unfortunately, most juice cleanses do not include any protein.
If you do decide to do a juice cleanse, also think about adding more veggies to the juices. Veggies typically have less naturally occurring sugars, so the effect on your blood sugar levels is less.
Also, consider keeping some pulp in your juices. This fibrous pulp helps you to feel fuller for longer and can improve your digestion.
Ease In And Out Of The Cleanse
If you go straight from eating your normal diet to doing a juice cleanse, it can take its toll on your body. You need to give your body time to get used to it, so ease in and out of the process. Start cutting back your diet and eating lighter meals, with lots of fresh fruit and veg. Taking inspiration from the Mediterannean diet is a good way to go. In the days leading up to the cleanse, try to cut back to just eating fruits and vegetables in small portions, so your body is prepared.
After you finish your cleanse, it can be tempting to binge on lots of food, but after not eating any solid food for a day or two, your body will struggle to digest it all. Start with small portions and gradually build up to your normal diet over the course of a few days.
Use A Good Quality Juicer
People don’t realize that there is a big difference between juicers but there is. A cheap, low-quality one will not extract all of the goodness from the vegetables. Not only does this mean that you aren’t getting the most out of your juice cleanse, but it also means that you will get hungrier because your body needs more nutrients. So, get a good quality juicer from a site like goodnature.com and squeeze every last bit of nutrition from your vegetables. Make sure that you don’t get mixed up between blenders and juicers either.
Keep Exercise To A Minimum
Exercising while you are on a juice cleanse is ok, but you need to be careful. Your body is not consuming a normal amount of calories, so your energy stores will be low. However, exercising and sweating will help you remove more toxins from the body, so a little bit of exercise is ok. Instead of your normal routine, go for a brisk walk or even a light job if you’re feeling up to it.
And now for the most important tip…
Listen To Your Body
Everybody reacts differently to juice cleanses, so listen to the signs that your body gives you. If you feel shaky and light-headed, that’s not good and you should eat a healthy meal. Don’t force yourself to continue if it’s not good for you. There are variations on juice cleanses that involve drinking juice throughout the day and then having one healthy meal in the evening, which works better for some people.
So if you’re thinking of doing a juice cleanse, please keep these tips in mind. The most important thing is that you stay safe while getting healthy, no matter if you choose to do a juice cleanse or something else!
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