Juice fasting may seem like a good idea, but a recent study may change your mind.
However, a recent study in the British Medical Journal found that people who consumed fruit in the form of juices (more than three glasses of fruit juice a week) actually increased their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 8 percent, while those who consumed their fruit whole lowered their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 2 percent (1).
The problem is that the process of juicing extracts the nutrients and water from a vegetable or fruit and leaves behind the fibrous pulp. While the act of squeezing out some of the good stuff in fruits and vegetables—antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, etc.—screams healthy elixir, this processing also removes the nutrient-rich skin along with healthy fiber and a substantial amount of vitamins and minerals. There is also one other major caveat: sugar is squeezed out, too.
Depending on what fruits and vegetables are chosen to juice, the sugar content can climb pretty high. Without the fiber to slow down absorption, drinking the juice can send blood sugar levels spiking and crashing, leading to feelings of extreme hunger, irritability, and fatigue. For example, a juice containing three beets, two carrots, two stalks of celery, one cucumber, and one small apple is about 40 grams of sugar—compare that to the 39 grams of sugar in a 12 oz. coke (2;3). These high sugar amounts result in poor blood sugar control and increased risk of chronic disease over time.
What’s not in a juice during a juice fast is another matter. If calories during a juice fast remain low, you’re sure to stimulate fat metabolism. But with that breakdown of fat, there will be release of toxins and your body will need certain nutrients to help properly detoxify. For example, B vitamins and amino acids act as important co-factors for the detoxification process (4;5). Any juice fast lasting more than two days is also sure to lead to muscle breakdown because of lack of protein. Protein is vital for maintaining muscle while calories are being reduced, because any reduced-calorie diet, including juice fasts, can result in weight loss, but without proper protein, muscle will be lost as well (6-9).
In addition, getting adequate fiber – both soluble and insoluble fiber – is needed to help promote regularity, which is vital to overall detoxification goals. Juice fasts lasting a week or longer may actually hinder the elimination of toxins from your body because of lack of fiber.
Looking to obtain the benefits of cleaning up your diet, getting more fruit nutrients, and detoxification without the blood sugar spikes and under-nutrition? Look to Isagenix:
- IsaFruits and Greens, for example, provide a hefty variety of antioxidants from whole fruits and green plant concentrates without the high amounts of sugar.
- Cleanse for Life is especially designed to nourish your body (while not spiking your blood sugar), helping you safely lose weight and detoxify when used as part of Cleanse Days on a Cleansing and Fat Burning System.
- Plus, IsaLean Shakes supply the necessary quality protein needed for helping you hold onto hard-earned muscle as you lose weight and maintain healthy blood sugar control, while also supplying you with needed nutrients and fiber.
The Isagenix system is also backed by clinical research—more healthy weight loss, more healthy fat loss, and twice as much visceral fat loss, while improving cardiovascular health markers in ways better than the leading “heart healthy” diet (see results here) (10). Suffice it to say, that’s an outcome far superior in comparison to what researchers reported for drinking juice in the British Medical Journal.
What to take away? Eating enough whole fruits and vegetables continues to be key, but try to skip the juice and avoid juice fasting. When it comes to choosing a reliable, safe, and convenient way to lose weight and cleanse safely, leave it to Isagenix.
No comments:
Post a Comment