Food & Drink: Filtering out the perks of a juice cleanse

On day one, it felt weird not to be eating food but it wasn’t as bad as I anticipated.

When I picked up my juice on day two, I checked in with Cortney Firstenberg, owner of Be Well and a certified functional nutritionist. I told her that my body felt achy. She told me that I was experiencing, “juice flu,” and that it’s normal to have body aches and headaches. She told me not to take Advil, but drink hot herbal tea. I powered on, chugging juice and peeing frequently.

By mid-morning of day two, I felt something I call “juice brain” — my thinking was fuzzy and it was hard for me to focus. But by mid-afternoon that same day, I felt OK and was able to concentrate on work.

By day three, I had grown used to the routine and felt good, but I admit I’m glad I opted to have a salad each day (instead of just juice). My favorite salads were an Asian-inspired kale salad with edamame, chickpeas and a miso dressing, and a Mediterranean-style salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, Kalamata olives and fresh dill and a creamy tahini dressing.

The five juices I drank each day were fresh and tasty. Firstenberg even slipped in a cold brew with nut milk on day two (coffee is allowed black or with nut milk).

Not for everyone

In popular culture, juice cleanses/fasts have been touted as a way to lose weight or detoxify the body, but they may not be wise for everyone.

Recently, I spoke to Jendy Newman, a registered dietitian for 20 years and a certified diabetes counselor who currently works at PeaceHealth. When I asked what she thought of juice cleanses, she said, “I wouldn’t do it.”

Newman explained that for a lot of people juice cleanses are not healthy because of medical issues (such as diabetes or hypertension) or medications they are taking. For people interested in losing weight and/or living a healthier lifestyle, she recommends “finding new ways to create new food routines that help us eat less processed food and include a variety of vegetables and fruit at every meal.”

She said that these dietary changes, in addition to physical activity, are the best way to lose weight and keep it off.

Many medical professionals have stated that detoxing your body is unnecessary; your kidneys and liver naturally detox your system.

There’s also concern that long-term juicing puts your body in starvation mode, lowering your metabolism and leading to what some call “yo-yo dieting.”

In addition, juices can lack fiber that is necessary for digestion.

Despite an apparent lack of scientific support, juice cleanses remain popular and proponents say they see benefits from these semi-fasts.

I think people are drawn to juice cleanses because fasting, as our ancestors knew, is a way to lighten the body, mind and spirit. When we cut ourselves off from our earthly desires, there is a sense of control over our bodies that frees us to focus inward.

I am not a total juice disciple and must confess that the day after my cleanse I ate a cheeseburger — and it was delicious. Still, after my cleansing experience, I lost a few pounds, found myself eating a healthier diet (minus the burger) and I had no interest in drinking coffee. I am not sure if I will do a juice cleanse again, but I do plan on eating more vegetables and less processed food.

Rachel Pinsky can be emailed at couveeats@gmail.com, or follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @couveeats.