Headache instead of losing weight: how the juice cleanse works and what you have to expect during the fasting period
Created: 02/24/2022, 11:46 am
By: Juliane Gutmann
Strawberries, oranges, rocket salad and beetroot: During a juice cleanse you can decide for yourself which ingredients your smoothie should have.
However, only fruit and/or vegetables are allowed.
© Giorgio Fochesato/Imago
A juice cleanse should detoxify the body and increase well-being.
But it can also have negative effects.
A nutritionist explains what is important.
Are you annoyed about a few kilos too much?
Faster success is needed?
Short detox cures promise weight loss, more energy and positive effects on the metabolism.
But caution must be exercised with such prophecies.
After all, juice cleanses and other "quick" diets can put enormous strain on the organism* and lead to physical complaints.
The "detoxification promise" is also to be viewed with skepticism
.
Thus, the body of a healthy adult who does not consume excessive amounts of alcohol, eats a balanced diet and does not take excessive amounts of medicines is perfectly capable of "detoxifying" itself.
The liver and kidneys are among the most important detoxification organs in the human body.
Wondering how a juice cleanse works exactly?
Basically quite simple:
You replace your usual meals with freshly squeezed juices that consist only of fruit and vegetables
.
You can either detoxify for three, five or seven days, according to the portal
gq-magazin.de
.
Various providers have already jumped on the detox juice cure bandwagon and offer ready-mixed juices - often overpriced - online or in stores.
All you need is a good blender and fresh fruit and vegetables of your choice to start a juice cleanse.
Weight loss survey
Juice cleanse as an introduction to a change in diet - or in an eating disorder
According to the Apotheken Umschau, Niklas Schwarz, an expert in nutritional advice at the German University for Prevention and Health Management in Saarbrücken, advises avoiding alcohol, nicotine and coffee about a week before the actual start.
In addition, only light food should be on the plate in the days before the start of the juice cleanse.
During the fasting cure itself, each meal is replaced by around 250 milliliters of fruit or vegetable juice.
In between, only water, unsweetened tea and vegetable broth may be drunk - solid food is taboo.
This type of fasting can have positive effects, such as weight loss.
However, the danger of the yo-yo effect increases with short-term diets.
In this case, the old weight is quickly reached again after the end of the fasting cure - or is even exceeded.
According to Niklas Schwarz, there are also reports of headaches and listlessness as a result of the cure, according to the Apotheken Umschau.
The German Society for Nutrition (DGE) also points out that a strict detox diet can lead to a nutrient deficiency in the long term, such as protein and fat.
It should also be borne in mind
that very rigid eating habits with extremely low protein and energy intake can increase the risk of eating disorders
.
“
So far, there has been a lack of scientific evidence for the effect of so-called detoxification or detox diets
.
The extent to which the metabolism is stimulated by such a diet is questionable,” says the DGE website.
However, society does acknowledge that a detox may make it easier to get started with a change in diet.
However, it should not be done without medical supervision.
(jg) *Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
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