Why "Cleanses" are a Tremendous Waste of Time

Juice cleanses, or other similar food detoxes seem to be all of the rage these days. From the Whole 30, the 21 Day Sugar Detox, cayenne and lemon water cleanse, the options are seemingly infinite. Each one boasts claims that you will magically rid your intestines and other tissues of toxins or inflammation.

Before you get defensive, keep reading.

I should mention that I think, first and foremost, a healthy diet is the key to preventing or treating an array of different health problems, along with meditation, physical activity, and proper hydration. I believe fulfilling your micronutrient requirements (vitamins and minerals) should be high on everyone's list of priorities.

Now, let's analyze why (what I believe to be most) people start these cleanses in the first place: to lose weight and kickstart healthier habits. Perhaps you just got back from a vacation full of over-indulgence in junk food and alcohol. Maybe you put on a bit of unwelcome weight over the holiday season. Although I completely understand these frustrations, I think cleanses are a load of crap and a waste of money.

I am quite adamantly against them for a few reasons:

1. There is no "quick fix." When it comes to diet and exercise, everyone wants to see changes overnight. The fitness industry feeds on this desire to miraculously improve one's body as quickly as possible. Products claim to help you lose 20 pounds of fat in a month or gain 10 pounds of muscle in 3 weeks, but you must remember that these are just marketing schemes to coerce you into buying a product or subscribing to a new workout routine. The truth is that "health" is not a weekend vacation. A 7 day juice cleanse or a 30 day food detox is a start, but it is only the beginning of a lifelong commitment to wellness. Chugging down cayenne pepper for a week won't transform you into some immortal superhero!
2. Your calorie intake is too damn low! Nearly every juice cleanse I've seen brings you to around 1,000-1,300 calories a day. Unless you're in a vegetative state or you're 85 years-old, that number is way too small. If you're exercising, those numbers are along the lines of what I would call dangerous. There is no way your body can recover and progress if you're starving yourself. Not to mention, juice is low in protein and devoid of most of the fiber that comes with fruit and vegetables, so you won't feel full after consuming these juices. I'm willing to bet that your juice-only diet will leave you feeling lethargic and foggy, rather than leaving you alert and ready to take on the day.
3. It's not sustainable. I advise my clients to eat everything in moderation. I do not recommend they explicitly cut out certain foods, because, well, they're going to crave those foods nonstop! Of course I want them to eat their greens and fulfill their protein requirements, but I don't want them to go crazy in the process! Diets like the Whole 30 have an absurd amount of "no-no" foods. White potatoes, grains, dairy, refined sugar and legumes are all off limits for Whole 30ers. First of all, it can be pretty tiring to have to turn down your mom's meals because it contains XYZ, and second of all, it reinforces a disordered relationship with food! Even if you complete 30 days of "clean eating" with no cheats whatsoever, guess what you're probably going to do on day 31 or day 45? You're probably going to go on a binge-eating spree and scarf down every food you just limited from your diet for the past month and send your digestive system into agony. Why bother cleansing your system if you're only going to inevitably return to your old eating habits? Why limit your cookie intake for four weeks, just so you can snort an entire sleeve of Thin Mints afterwards?

Your kidneys and your liver are organs whose prime function is detoxification. They are more than capable of that job with or without your cleanses. The weight loss industry throws around words like "inflammation" to create fear or buzz. Commercials leave people believing they have chronic inflammation, food allergies and toxins they never even knew about before.

There aren't yet any studies to suggest that these types of cleanses actually serve any benefit to you or your body, but yet tons of "nutrition experts" swear by anecdotal evidence or bogus allegations.

I believe in moderation. If you want to have a piece of cake, have it. Just make sure you're not having the entire cake to yourself, and prioritize nutrient dense foods. Spend your whole day eating food that will fuel your body and provide you with the vitamins you need to sustain organ function. Then, every once-in-a-while, have a snack, if you want one. You'll feel less likely to completely derail your progress and binge if you aren't so strict with your diet.

Drinking the occasional fruit juice is fine, but there's absolutely no need to go on a juice-only diet unless your jaw is fused shut or you have some sort of digestive issues that you'd like to alleviate. Avoid the marketing scams and find some balance in your nutritional habits. It's pretty well-recognized that crash diets don't work, so find one you're prepared to commit to for the long haul, not just a predetermined amount of time!