The Weal – Juice Cleansing

//The Weal – Juice Cleansing

The Weal – Juice Cleansing

Increasing our immune system, increasing energy, promoting healthy digestion, or even just wanting to lose some weight after the Christmas season are all reasons as to why many choose to cleanse. 

Unfortunately though, many people take cleansing to the extreme following fads, drinking only fluids and depriving themselves of key nutrients. Not to mention some cleanses can cause serious problems, interfere with medication and irritate the colon. We need to trust our body, as it actually works on on cleansing itself regularly via our kidneys and liver.  However, there’s nothing wrong with assisting our bodies and getting back on track with lighter foods and balanced eating. So do I support cleansing? Well, it all depends on what exactly it is you’re doing. Do I support going on a juice cleanse? Not really.  I was recently interviewed by Yashica Anandani, who is a Lifestyles Writer for “The Weal” and was able to give my opinion on juice cleansing.  You can read the full article below: 

Having gorged on a number of delicacies over the holiday season, some may be looking for a quick way to detox their digestive tracts. After a holiday season of gluttonous snacking, people may now desperately need a new set of instructions on how to rid themselves of food-related toxins.

That’s where the Juice Cleanse Diet comes in.

The juice-based diet is a detox method where a person can only consume fruit and vegetable juices to obtain nutrition for a given period of time. A detox is usually performed in order to rid the body of any toxins or impurities, and help it restart its entire digestive system.

Charis-Lynn Curtis, holistic therapist and founder of a Calgary-based three-day juice cleanse company Bava Juice, was inspired to create a gut cleansing method after dealing with clients who had certain health issues and needed to juice everything they ate.

After her second trial at volunteering to help them juice their food, Curtis decided that making a business out of delivering a three-day juice cleanse diet would prove to be a less labourious and more nutritionally beneficial way for people who either don’t have much of an appetite for healthy food, or simply can’t make the time to snack healthy.

The Bava Juice Cleanse consists of four different types of colourful juices that are delivered to your doorstep to be consumed for the diet’s customary three day stretch.

After having sold out every single kit for the last six months, Curtis said that what drew people to the product are the results. The cleanse, she said, helps deal with a variety of health issues, such as weight loss, digestion, inflammatory disorders, immune system problems and food allergies. However, one of the main reasons for such a detox method, she said, is the psychological awakening and gradual understanding of your body’s nutritional requirements.

“After practically living on sunshine, it wakes people up to what they need to eat in order to stay healthy,” Curtis said.

Stella Su, a hairstylist at Green Apple Hair Salon, plans to go on a juice cleanse within the next week, mainly to lose all the extra weight she says she’s gained over the past few months. After watching a documentary on a man who went on the juice-cleanse-diet for 60 days and lost 75 pounds in the bargain, she said that after going on it for a week, she hopes to lose at least 10 pounds.

But how safe is it to live on just juice for such a long period of time in order to lose a couple of pounds?

This is where nutritionist Alexandra Karagiannis comes in, by explaining the health hazards and benefits of such a diet. Karagiannis said that while a regular cleanse can help bring a person ‘back-on-track’ after ingesting so many calories over the holidays, a juice cleanse in particular should never be followed for more than three days because, “you’re inevitably depriving your body of essential nutrients in the long run.”

“But if you’re looking for a longer duration, it’s best to go on a detox that is well balanced with the right amount of protein, fat and carbs.”

While such cleanses do help get rid of water weight and toxins in the body, much weight loss shouldn’t be expected, Karagiannis said.

Cleanses instead pave the way for a well-balanced diet right after by making you crave less for fatty foods, and will help your mind and body go on a more structured plan soon after the cleanse.

Source: The Weal

2019-01-28T10:25:01-07:00 In the News|