On the juice diet, or juice fast, the body takes in essential vitamins, minerals, and calories in liquid form through a variety of vegetable and fruit juices. Proponents of the juice diet tout its beneficial effects, including detoxification, better digestion, strengthening of the immune system, and a higher energy level. Some also believe the juice diet helps weight loss, although diet books and Web sites frequently debate this point.
A Brief Diet
Solid food provides the body with essential nutrients, protein, fat, fiber, and calories. Fruits and vegetables are composed of quickly digested carbohydrates. For this reason, juice dieters remain on the fast for a single day, or at the most a few days. Many make the juice diet a monthly or annual ritual. The juice diet will slow the body's metabolism, which results in slower burning of fat. Without taking in solid food, juice dieters normally lose energy and will experience hunger as the body adjusts. In some cases, juice dieters use their "fast" for a day or two in preparation for a regular weight-loss routine that includes solid food.
The Best Foods to Juice
Juice dieters rely on vitamin-rich fruits, including pineapples, apples, mangoes, peaches, and berries, as well as nutritious vegetables, including carrots, celery, kale, cabbage, spinach, and beets. Pomegranate, grape, and cranberry juice offer plentiful antioxidants that help in fighting or preventing cancer. Many diet Web sites and books also recommend wheat grass juice, made from the extract of the agopyron plant. This powerfully concentrated juice is taken in very small portions, and helps the body obtain needed calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc.
Best Ways to Juice
Dieters peel rough skins and remove pits and seeds before juicing. Experts recommend using freshly extracted juice from a processor, rather than prepackaged juices from the supermarket, most of which contain salt, sugar, and preservatives. Modern juice extractors separate juice from fiber, allowing nutrients to be more easily absorbed. There are specialty juicers available for certain foods, such as wheat grass.
The Best Times for the Juice Diet
For variety's sake, juice dieters constantly change ingredients and recipe combinations. Since different fruits and vegetables have a different chemical makeup, this helps the body to maintain a full range of needed vitamins and minerals. Juice fasts can lead to dehydration, so dieters favor juices high in water content, such as watermelon, cucumber, and celery. Some juice fasts allow a wider range of liquids including tea, broth, and soluble dietary supplements. Nearly all juice diets recommend avoiding coffee, sugar-filled drinks, and alcohol.
Portion Control
Total daily intake of juice ranges from 32 to 64 ounces, taken in regular portions of 8 or 12 ounces, as well as plain water. Some juice diets recommend undergoing the juice fast in warmer seasons, when fruits and vegetables are maturing or fully ripe and more readily available. Juice dieters also avoid taking strongly acidic citrus juices, or restricting their intake to such juices later in the day. At this time, the stomach and digestive systems have been actively functioning for a time and can better handle acidic juices without cramping or upsetting the stomach.
Return to Solid Food
A juice fast ends as the dieter gradually returns to a normal diet. This begins with regular fruits and vegetables. Later, as the body readjusts, dieters allow fish and then meat. Many regular diets emphasize the use of nutritious juices, including grapefruit or wheat grass juice, as a regular daily supplement when undergoing a rigorous solid-food diet. Juice-fast proponents claim that a strict juice fast, done regularly, will cleanse the body of toxins and greatly improves digestion.
Juice Diet Cautions
Juice diets are not a good idea for everyone. Doctors recommend that pregnant or nursing women avoid a juice diet. They also warn against it for those recovering from surgery, those with chronic illness, or those with anemia, low blood pressure, or diabetes. Temporary side effects of a juice diet can include fatigue, dehydration, stomach cramps, diarrhea, and headaches.
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