Alright so that’s 2 carrots, 1 head of broccoli, 10 grapes, a couple slices of ginger, and some celery.
I gotta be honest, just writing that first sentence was painful, but there are still millions of people out there who actually believe that putting all those ingredients in a blender and drinking it will actually “cleanse” and “detox” their body.
Why do people do these cleansing and detox diets?
Because there is an incredible marketing/advertising force behind these diets. From the Master Cleanse to Natalia Rose and her crazy diets, these companies and people will do anything to convince you that detoxifying your body is the greatest thing in the world.
And let’s not forget about celebrities like Beyonce and Salma Hayek who endorse these very diets, because you know, people will do believe anything Beyonce says or does.
Also, we have these ridiculous movies that come out like Fat, Sick, And Nearly Dead. It’s a movie about an incredibly overweight and unhealthy man named Joe Cross who decides to go on a juice cleanse where he will drink nothing but fresh fruit and vegetables for 60 days.
And spoiler warning, the movie ends with Joe losing significant amounts of weight and becoming healthy again. But did Joe lose the weight because of all the fruits and veggies he drank? HELL NO! Joe lost weight because he was consuming an extremely low calorie diet, nothing more. Detoxing with juice had nothing to do with it at all.
But that’s the problem, most people are going to watch Fat, Sick, And Nearly Dead and think that it was the juice, not the reduced calorie intake that resulted in Joe’s weight loss, and that’s just going to continue fueling the fallacy that detox diets are good.
lost the weight but the whole juicing thing is ridiculous]
There is no proof people!
Like seriously, there are things in fitness and health that are somewhat arguable, but detox and cleansing diets are NOT one of them. There is literally not a single piece of scientific research that shows that these diets are effective.
I mean, even doctors and scientists deny the fact that “detoxing” does anything for your body. Everything you read about detox diets is just a combination of theory and really good marketing. It’s a big fat lie.
I mean, even if I wanted to, I couldn’t quote any research about detox diets because there is none. If you have any research to show me, then please, be my guest.
It’s impossible to “detox” your body
It’s crazy, but I think that people who use detox diets have this imaginary image in their mind that all the juice that they’re drinking is somehow “attacking” all the “dirty” stuff in their body and removing it. Tell me I’m wrong.
The official definition of detox is to rid the body of poisonous substances. So if you overdosed on prescription medicine or accidentally drank some rat poison, then only then would you actually have to detox your body with professional medical help.
But when it comes to losing weight and health, the term detox has ABSOLUTELY no meaning at all.
Your kidneys and liver detox just fine by themselves.
But how do people lose weight and get healthy with detox diets?
As you can see, I’m not a fan of detox diets and neither should you be, but then how is it that millions of people are able to use it with success?
The answer is simple – the people who use detox diets eat very little calories.
It has nothing to do with the fruits, vegetables, or maple syrup bullshit that they’re drinking. The ONLY reason that people lose weight with these diets is because they consume very little calories.
I can’t stress this enough, if you want to lose weight and get healthy, all you have to do is eat less and watch how much you eat. Blending up a bunch of fruits and veggies does absolutely nothing for your body except make you feel groggy because you have to drink that blended crap.
So what should I do to lose weight and get healthy?
Well for one thing, don’t go on detox diet. They work for weight loss, but that’s only because it forces you to consume an extremely low amount of calories.
If you really want to give your body a break from all the food you’ve been eating, then why don’t you give intermittent fasting a shot. Intermittent fasting is pretty much juice fasting without the juice and gimmicks. All you’re doing is staying away from food for a specified amount of time.
Check out my article on intermittent fasting if you want to learn more about IF.
Bottom line: just eat a sensible reduced calorie diet and don’t worry whether or not you’re “detoxing” your body or not, because that’s not possible. If you’re consistently losing fat each week, then you’re on your way to becoming healthier 🙂
You’ve been scammed, but that’s okay
In my opinion, companies and people who promote cleansing and detox diets are nothing but scam artists. They know exactly what to say and do to convince people to buy that $80 bottle of juice that will supposedly change your life.
The fitness/health industry is full of lies and deception. It’s one of those industries that “if it sounds good on paper then people will do it” type of things, if you get what I’m saying.
Hopefully I’ve convinced you that cleansing and detox diets are nothing but a big fat scam. Now if you know anyone who works at Master Cleanse, then feel free to spam them with this article.
What do you think? Do you “detox” your body? Let me know below.
Ha! Juicing convenient? I think not. Buying all the fruits and veggies, somehow fitting them in your fridge, rinsing them chopping, rinsing then chopping and more chopping, finally juicing and then cleaning the beast and having to find somewhere in your kitchen to store the device. Not my kind of convenience but every one is different. Yes, juicing is not a magical thing that tricks are body into weightless and muscle growth; I am shocked people would fall for that. Absolutely the reason Joe Cross lost weight was due to calorie restriction. Weight loss is scientific and is calories in vs calories out. Did losing weight help with his disease? Most likely! Being at a healthy weight can only do the body good rather than carrying excess weight around. Did the overload of fruits and vegetables so hence micronutrients and antioxidants help his disease? 100% There are numerous testimonials of the disease fighting properties that consuming that amount of fruit and vegetables does for your body; and there is no way you could physically eat as many that you can juice! Meaning you can’t get the full benefits of just eating your fruits and veggies opposed to juicing them due to the amount. I’m not claiming that this is a detox but having fresh juices here and there and the good that it is doing for your body is not a scam. You need to simmer down on your positioning as there is nothing wrong with having fresh juices.
Exactly. Now if our bodies were ridding itself of toxins AND undigested foods, then we would all have a bowl movement 20/30 minutes after eating, ANYTHING. And seeing as our society is constipated (laxative industry is worth billions), chances are there is actually something to real metabolic detoxifications. I know because I was taught it by Biochemist- chemistry of nutrition. Also, the joe lost the weight because he was ONLY ingesting water dense fruit and veggies, of which gave his body the ability to pass old and new stool, out of his body with ease. That is the whole point of detox really, to remove poo. 😉 that is why I actually believe that for those that are obese and going through a detox, and the end of it, it only makes sense to finish it off it a colonic. Hydrate the body on a cellular level for a period of time and keep cooked and processed foods from it, amazing things start to happen… The bodies natural detox processes can kick in full force and begin eliminating old crap and other foreign bodies…
Ugh auto correct … Please excuse my many type Os
I totally agree with you about the juice fast bullshit!
What are your thoughts about a low carb diet?
I see that you still live by the one calorie is one calorie maxim, which I totally disagree with.
If you eat 1000 calories worth of fat vs 1000 calories worth of carbs, you put on considerably moore weight with the carbs. Therefore it’s not true.
The calorie in/out is an oversimplified dietician-desk-diet filosofy that is losing foothold in modern nutritional sience.
Low carb horrible for long term dieting and performance.
“If you eat 1000 calories worth of fat vs 1000 calories worth of carbs, you put on considerably moore weight with the carbs. ” How is that true?
Why is that an enigma to you? Carbs raises insulin thus storing it as fat, fat dont raise insulin and therefore don’t store the consumed energy as fat:)
I am under 50g carbs a day, been there for a year now, no problem with my performance, at the gym, at work, or in bed for that matter. I dont count calories, ever!
My weight is stable at perfect bmi, my bloodwork is impressive and i feel good.
Calorie in/out thinking is out.
Go to dietdoctor.com and read up baby!
That’s great for you, but I never recommend low carb to my readers or clients.
Plus there have plenty of studies showing low carb/keto diets don’t result in greater weight loss than higher carb diets.
Aah these studies, the first thing I look for reading a “study” is who payed for it and who benefits from it. There’s a study for all tastes.
Have you heard about at study called human history?
Is it so hard to comprehend that we are not intended to eat grain and sugar?
We have lived and thrived for 2,5 million years without that shit, I mean where did we encounter it?!
I assume (might be wrong) you are an american?
Speaking about low-carb lifestyle with the fatfearing american is like talking feminism with a saudi:)
Yes i am american, what does that have to do with anything?
If you want, show me definite studies showing that low carb diets are superior to higher carb diets (strictly in terms of weight loss). If you prove me wrong I’ll shut my blog down, paypal you $10k, buy you a new car, and publicly make a youtube video declaring myself a fraud. I’m completely serious.
Keith,
Have you tried THRIVE yet?
What is that?
What about this:)
http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1900694
Or this
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=sv&tl=en&prev=_dd&u=http://www.sbu.se/sv/Publicerat/Gul/Mat-vid-fetma-/
Or maybe this
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract;jsessionid=4953CF2B3E76682E3514183695C7135C.journals?aid=9016489&fileId=S0007114513000548
I can do this all day:)
I don’t think you are a fraud and I don’t need your 10k.
This one is for the skeptical.
https://intensivedietarymanagement.com/all-diets-fail-how-to-lose-weight-xi/
Me too.
Big problems…
Just looking at this for example since it’s the most recent – http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1900694
I recommend reading this article – http://examine.com/blog/is-low-carb-really-the-best-weight-loss-diet/ which deconstructs the study in much more detail since they had access to the full study content and not just the abstract which is all you see.
This is also good.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-789X.2012.01021.x/abstract;jsessionid=7396D07C42DB2B84642D35158B132AF9.d04t04
I mean, there’s people who don’t think we were on the moon either. There is people who think 9/11 was a orchestrated by the cia.
No matter what you throw at these people they will find something that confirms there theories.
Diets are like religion and politics, based on belief systems instead of common sense.
But tell me, if grains and sugar are so good and superior for us, why is it that we’ve only eaten it for 10,000 years of our human history?
How did we survive and get to this point?
What is going on? Are you really bringing conspiracy theories into the conversation?
The article i showed had absolute nothing to do with confirming one’s theories or biases. The article was completely unbiased in every way possible.
You said it yourself, low carb is a religion. I don’t believe in any “diet religion.” I just believe in facts.
I mean, isn’t it obvious too you that there’s something funky about carbs?
We stopped eating fat and started eating sugar, what happened!?
I mean how many clues does one need?
Nope, nothing funky besides the fact that most people just eat too much in general.
Do i agree most people can and should cut back a bit on more processed stuff like chips and cookies? Of course, but they aren’t the direct cause of obesity.
I don’t need clues, i need facts and the facts show (like i’ve clearly shown you) that a calorie deficit is what causes weight loss not low carb “loopholes.”
So you mean that obesity is mainly due to bad character and not that we are eating bad foods?
I like to think it’s both.
Things like stress can cause a person to eat more to feel better so that’s where one’s character comes into play. But obesity isn’t caused by any specific food.
I think it’s the other way around. Bad foods and the impact of it causes bad character and bad health.
Sugar and starchy foods are addictive, really really addictive. Sugar and most starchy foods are processed artificial “nutrients” that causes chaos in the body and the brain. And it’s only the last century really we’ve eaten this super refined genetically modified crap.
Nowhere in history have humans consumed carbs like we do now.
Nowhere in history have humans been so sick as now.
But you dont se it, you need “proof”, isn’t that proof?
What makes you so confident the high carb path is the way to go, i mean, eating carbs is to us a new thing, wouldn’t you suspect that the new thing is causing all this?
No that’s not proof.
Plenty of people have lost weight via low carbing and plenty have lost weight via high carbing.
What you will find is that those who with the most muscularity and what the average person would deem a desirable physiques(e.g. fitness models) all don’t do long term low carb diets. They might once they get a bit close to their goal weight or a competition but their lifestyle typically includes plenty of carbs.
Look if you have your beliefs about low carb, fine. You’re not going to convince me no matter what and it seems i can’t convince you either so good luck.
I watched ‘Fat Sick & Nearly Dead’ and actually there is nowhere in the film that suggests to people they should go out and buy an $80 bottle of juice. What the film does advocate, however, is buying fruit and veg and juicing them to make a blended drink… which you then use as a way to avoid bad food for however long you decide to fast. Cross does make it clear that there are less extreme ways to do it, including mixing juice and food.
Again, there was no mention of paying for anything other than the juicer (and these vary wildly in price from under £50 to £300+) and the fresh ingredients. So what if people believe they are detoxing when all they are really doing is consuming less calories? if he believes it is all about ‘detoxing’ and if the people who lose weight and find a healthier way to live think it is due to detoxing, well does it really matter at the end of the day? Just so long as people are getting healthier and eating less rubbish. Maybe people need the ‘detox fiction’ to be able to believe in it. Doesn’t mean they are stupid – at least they are trying something to improve their health.
I’m as skeptical as the next person when it comes to food fads and diets, but if Joe Cross’s film has helped turn many peoples’ lives around (and it seems to have done) then I don’t really see the problem…
Like i said multiple times, juicing is about convenience.
You said it doesn’t matter if people believe they’re detoxing or not, I disagree.
Under no circumstance should we feed people lies and misinformation. Saying juicing “detoxes” your body when it doesn’t is a straight up lie.
Thats like saying buying $100 fat burning pills help people lose weight and they might due to placebo effect but who cares if we’re scamming them and they’re just the equivalent of sugar pills since they make people feel better.
Nutritionists recommend juicing. Just not using steriods juice. Two totally separate things.
I successfully lost 150lbs juice fasting in 2012 3 separate fasts of 45,45, and 31 day . 338 to 188 but I was in desperate need It’s mostly bullshit but not completely If you Make some serious commitments. For instance I was prediabetic with enlarged kidneys, that’s gone but my blood pressure was through the roof, and I’m still on mess for it. Today I’m 216 and train 6 times a week the fast pbviously produced some great benefits
Congrats, Eric.
So how did he get off prescription drugs than? Your ignoring a vital part of the film. He didn’t just lose weight, he became much healthier. You can be thin and very unhealthy. Look at any super model. You can’t stop taking steroids on a whim. He was on a serious medication. I don’t believe in cleansing either, but frankly, this article is just as full of bullshit as it claims to point out.
How is this article BS, you just said “I don’t believe in cleansing” which pretty much is what I’ve been saying.
Get lost you idiot mother fucker. Suck my cock.. madar chod bhosdee vale
will your cock detox me?
The thing is, I never took medications for these issues. I didn’t have insurance, found out on an unrelated visit. I was young, felt invincible but still wanted to look better. I started a juice fast shortly after. At the time it was more vanity than health. 2 yrs later with a decent health care provider I visited the doc I knew it was time to take overall health more serious. The only concern was blood pressure. I’m
Not saying it’s a magical cure all just that, in some capacities, I’ve found success.
Ok cool.
Yeah not saying juicing doesn’t have its benefits of helping people get more nutrients and improve overall health. It’s just some of the claims of detox or ridding your body of toxins thats BS.
I really have to wonder if you even saw the movie Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. It says almost nothing about detoxing (one person in the movie mentions it in passing). It specifically focuses on improving health by increasing nutrient intake. There is nothing ridiculous about that idea.
Sir, He got off the medication by losing the weight. Just like an overweight person who is diabetic and takes insulin. If you losing the weight the chances of you not having take insulin any more are very good. He lost the weight by essentially going down to a 500 calorie a day diet, and in the movie he didn’t exercise once. And if you say his second movie he said it was hard for him to maintain his new weight. Why, because he went from a liquid diet to a solid food diet. So he essentially went off his diet, and what happens when people go off their diets after they lose weight. They gain weight back.
He was pre diabetic. Getting more healthy helps any one who is over weight and pre diabetic.
Either you misread my comment or I made a complete typo. I never said the article was BS brother. Essentially I was agreeing with you, just saying that I found success with it and it’s not complete BS
Looked back at my original comment. My punctuation was atrocious, I see that it looks like I could’ve been calling the articel bs but I wasn’t
I strongly doubt claims that this is “the biggest scam” in fitness. Searching on google for ‘diet pills’ brings as first suggestion “… that work.” I assume there’s your biggest scam if people have to search specifically for pills that work.
As for detoxing, I take it as a figure of speech. I don’t believe in the actual biological effects of detoxing, but juicing diets itself have improved the lives of many. This is undeniable and something the article acknowledges: “Joe lost weight […].” And that was the goal.
There are plenty of scientific researches that says fruits and vegetables are working. Regardless on whether you blend them or not, science confirms that they are essential for a healthy lifestyle.
You might take it as a figure of speech, most people don’t.
Of course I agree that fruits and veggies are hugely important, I never said they weren’t. But the whole juicing thing is total BS.
I agree. If this gets more nutrients in your body. It does not hurt. The biggest scams are the ones that you have to eat their food for ever. Years ago one was slapped with a lawsuit because the food had something in it that caused gall bladder stones.
Has anyone ever read the book : the grainbrain? Its written by neurologist dr perlmutter and describes in great detail the devestating effect of processed foods, carbs and gluten on the body and brain. All underbuild with results of scientific studies. After reading this, its kind of hard to deny a body can detox.
It’s true what you mentioned, but that does not deny that helps people to change their habit of life, which actuamente have with 90% of processed food, you can not deny that people make conscious and have again a second oprtunidad with everything we eat and why so many people sick with cancer, for everything we eat today is a healthier scam any, method that sell other companies, so it’s real, but necessary for life to exist today .
I agree with this article from the standpoint of “detoxing”or “cleanse” as a means to lose weight.
You then go to hit on the point to lose weight only thing that you have to do is reduce your calorie intake. Which is true. Since this is the theory of WeightLoss then no diet plan really works. I get what the article is saying through the angle how you wrote it. This is excellent click bait. Just know that if I wanted to go to Los Angeles. I could fly, drive or ride the train. Just because someone chooses a route to get to that destination does not mean the way they got there is the wrong way. They’re there right??
How is this clickbait?
Considering you write a blog on nutrition you’re surprisingly uneducated and ignorant. You come across as having a personal grudge against the juicing community.
Clearly we lose weight by calories in vs calories out no one is arguing that point. Juicing helps you to achieve that goal quickly and efficiently. No one said you can’t eat the vegetables instead, quite the opposite. However if you see how many fruits and veg go into one juice you’ll see it would be illogical to suggest someone could eat that many in one sitting. You’re basically increasing the amount of micronutrients you would normally be able to consume in a day.
Again with the detox. Yes the juices do detox your body. It’s just a simplified way of putting it. Your body is what actually does the detoxing, I mean are you so petty you need to put it into those words perfectly? Your liver does the detox, and the fruits and vegetables you consume aid your liver function by their contents.
Also if you’re replacing the crap you would put in your body by eating junk, with healthy fruits and vegetables – is that not detoxing your body by eliminating the bad stuff you put in it? You have to put SOMETHING in it to live. So choosing the right things to put in it over the wrong things allow your body to detox. Got it?
As for high carbs v low carbs. Good god how stupid can you be? Calories in vs calories out. It’s shocking this has to be broken down to you this simple. Calories in, food you eat. Calories out, what your body uses. Even if you’re not exercising your body is burning calories at all times. Your body burns more calories on a low carb diet and it uses your fat stores for energy rather than the high carb meal you just ate.
Shut down this blog, you are a fraud and a phoney!
I love you 🙂
Kisses
Your liver metabolizes and your kidneys secrete to put it in simple lay men’s terms. Your logic otherwise is completely skewed, hence it’s wring. Sorry. Advanced physiology is not your strong point.lol