Sorry, But That Juice Cleanse You’re On Is Probably A Total Waste Of Time

It’s that time of year again, when we suddenly swap out glasses of wine for raw juices, ditch stuffing and spuds for sweet potato chips and replace our Terry’s Chocolate Orange with, um, a regular orange.

But if you’re going hammer and tong cutting out food groups and embracing a juice cleanse your efforts may be a complete waste of time according to Dr Veronique Chacay, a dietician at the University of Queensland.

Why so? It’s all because our bodies are well capable of cleansing themselves, meaning there may be a better way of improving your health than going on that grueling, and let’s be honest, miserable detox.

There’s no scientific basis or high-level evidence showing the benefits of commercial short-term detox programs.

“There’s no scientific basis or high-level evidence showing the benefits of commercial short-term detox programs,” Dr Chacay writes in a piece for The Conversation. “[The Body] will perform its detoxification tasks regardless of whether you’re undertaking a rigid detox cure, or a gourmet food and wine tasting marathon.”

She goes on to warn that there is no one detox or juice cleanse capable of undoing weeks of bad eating habits.

Nutrition coach Lyda Borgsteijn agrees and warns that in some cases a juice cleanse can do more harm than good. “The calories still add up,” she tells us. “Although, fruit is healthy for you, the amount that goes into one juice can often be far more than you would consume by eating the whole fruit and so, not only do the calories start to add up but also sugar.”

The thing to remember? Even if juicing doesn’t necessarily work, the important thing is that you’re embracing a healthier lifestyle and making smarter foods swaps that may help to improve your health in the long haul.

The key according to Dr Chacay is “providing the right ingredients for optimal function daily, rather than opting for a quick-fix detox.”

• body
• Detox
• diet
• health
• Juice Cleanse
• nutrition