Like many people, Brennan Reurink heard about the wonders of cleansing through a friend, who had raved about the benefits. She decided to sign on for a five-day juice only cleanse with her boyfriend after getting a great deal online. She hadn’t heard about any risks, and was excited to try something she had heard so much about.
Brennan says the first day was the hardest, as she experienced bad headaches and fatigue. (Her boyfriend was angry and irritable because he missed food.) Even though there were a choice of flavors, they were limited to six pre-mixed juices a day. By mid-week, Brennan said she found her groove, but didn’t feel a drastic change in how she felt or her energy levels. The shocker came on day 5, when Brennan had dropped 14 pounds. She wasn’t trying to lose weight, and was startled by the drastic change. Within a week of finishing the cleanse, she had gained half of that weight back.
Brennan says the experience was interesting, but one she won’t be repeating. It didn’t make her feel like a million dollars, and the drastic weight loss was concerning. “At the end of it, it was like OK, that’s done. Now on to the next thing.”
It’s funny how the fads come and go. Cleanses and detox diets have actually been around for more than one hundred years. But Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator April Thorimbert says, it’s not always a good thing when history repeats itself.
She says when “cleansing” first became popular in the early 1900s, it was thought they would remove residual feces and non-specific toxins from the intestine and poison from the liver and body. This theory was medically discounted in 1919. And while many people do notice bowel changes during cleanses, she says that’s largely smoke and mirrors as it’s really the result of fibres and/or herbal products being processed by the body.
She also says cleanses and detox diets are a big mental game. People trying these approaches are expecting an improvement so often report one. Also, because liquids spend less time in the stomach, their macronutrients are absorbed more quickly compared to solid food, making some people feel “lighter” and therefore “better”.
In short, Thorimbert says there is no scientific evidence to suggest these approaches improve health. There are, however, many potential risks, including cramping, headaches, bloating, fatigue and nutrient deficiencies. Your health is at greater risk from a cleanse if you have a pre-existing medical condition like diabetes, heart disease, liver disease or are pregnant or breastfeeding.
While it’s not sexy or the latest Hollywood trend, Thorimbert says the best cleanse you can give your body is ensuring you include intact fruits and vegetables, intact whole grains, lean proteins and low-fat dairy in your regular diet. These approaches have actually been proven to improve health and help achieve long-term weight maintenance. And she says to remember that your body already has built in mechanisms to eliminate toxins from your body, like your lungs, liver and kidneys. You don’t need the latest diet fad to do that for you.
This is an irresponsible article that has not checked with the millions of people whose health have improved from doing a nuritionally sound juice cleanse with fruits and vegetables, protein powder, flax seed for 10 days. Your article and videoclip cites people who did not need to lose weight. Why not include stories of people who needed to lose weight and their results. Clearly your opinion is biased and you just wanted a case to prove your shallow thesis. Dr Mark Hyman a renown Functional Medicine Dr. as well as Dr Oz, renown heart surgeon & TV talk show host espouse the benefits of a proper juice detox cleanse. If any one is interested in seeing the other side of this false narrative, please check out JJ Smith author of the #1 bestseller book “10 day green smoothie cleanse” who has have helped thousands turn around their health and lose weight especially when they are obese and overweight and have not had any help from Drs. and nutritionists. Check out JJ Smith’s facebook page “10 day green smoothie cleanse” and look at the stories and pictures of transformed lives!! Contact JJ Smith or any of the people that she or Dr. Oz or DR. Hyman have helped to get the truth on this important health and weight loss option. The cleanse is an important jumpstart to a healthy weight loss program that does include a balanced clean diet after the cleanse that can include a smoothie or 2 a day. It is very disappointing that a renown hospital like Sunnybrook would post such a misleading article & video of only one side of the coin!!