This week, we asked dietitians and doctors: Is there such a thing as a healthy juice cleanse? Here’s what they said.
When it comes to cleansing or detox — those seem to be the words of the moment — there’s no harm after one day. Is there any advantage? Probably not, but there’s no harm in one day. But to be on cleanses or juice fasting or detox for weeks, you’re putting your body at nutritional risk. There’s no way you can meet all your nutritional needs, which consist of vitamins and minerals, from a beverage. And the other thing is when you do go on these cleanses or detoxes, you also are prone to feeling irritable, tired, fatigued, and that shouldn’t be. One does not need to get healthy and feel like crap while doing it. It’s counterintuitive.”
– Keri Gans, registered dietitian, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association and author of “The Small Change Diet” (Simon & Schuster, 2011)
