Juicing is a hot trend with pop up shops everywhere. The concept is great and for the general population picking up a green juice is a great alternative to coffee or pop. The problem is juicing can also go very wrong and most people are not aware of this. I don’t obsess about stopping into juice shops daily. I do occasionally pull out my juicer to make some fresh juice with whatever overload of veggies I may have.
I do believe juicing can provide some amazing nutritional benefits and impact overall health for the better. A healthy vegetable juice for example can fill in the holes in ones diet that may not be otherwise meeting their daily needs. Some concentrated juices such as celery juice are very powerful anti-inflammatory treatments and can help provide longterm relief for chronic pain or inflammation. Lemon juice is also very cleansing to the body especially first thing in the morning.
The problems start when people go on a juice cleanse out of guilt for an unhealthy lifestyle. These folks are going from an otherwise unhealthy diet to ultimately a few days of pure potent juices and no food to help counterbalance their unhealthy lifestyle choices and hopefully shed a few pounds.
Not only does this shock the body but it leaves one feeling very empty and really not any more healthier than when they started. This type of approach doesn’t really eliminate toxins and can lead to blood sugar swings, low energy, headaches, and ultimately the risk of someone binging once they get off the cleanse.
On the other hand some people have used a juice cleanse to completely say goodbye to their unhealthy habits and jump start a new approach to health and wellness. In that case it can be supported when followed up by proper nutrient dense foods.
A three-day detox juice diet won’t remove toxicity or improve health anywhere near as much as maintaining a healthy lifestyle the other 362 days of the year.
So do we really need to go on a juice cleanse to eliminate toxin buildup in our body?
The answer may surprise some…..
NO! We don’t need to cleanse our bodies to maintain health. The body already “cleanses” itself!
Really its true!
If you live a generally healthy lifestyle your body’s own lymphatic system will keep your body in balance.
The Lymphatic system is the bodies own natural detoxification system.
You can keep your lymphatic system healthy and strong by exercising daily and eating high-antioxidant foods such as…
- green leafy vegetables
- cruciferous veggies (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, etc.)
- berries
- omega-3 foods like salmon and wild seafood
- nuts and seeds (chia, flax, hemp, pumpkin, etc.)
- unrefined oils like extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil
- herbs and spices (ginger, turmeric, garlic, for example)
Bottom Line : Amazing good ol’ green juice is nature’s liquid multivitamin! Most of us could benefit from drinking some weekly but its not going to save you from an otherwise unhealthy lifestyle!
Be Well! 🙂
Susie R.
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