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The Detox Paradox: Should We Cancel Juice Cleanses?

Amid the pandemonium of diet culture, people have been pairing green juices with their ketogenic diets. These juices are called “keto-aligned juices,” and unsurprisingly, the wellness industry has been making hollow claims about their efficacy. These juices are supposed to “include high-fat ingredients, such as MCT oil or avocado.”  Allegedly, these “keto-aligned” juices “make sticking to your keto diet easier.” With utter vagueness, some companies also assert that keto-aligned juices “serve as a meal replacement, support weight management, and detox the system.”

Detox the system?

Wow, what does that mean? 

While the keto diet is meant to support the body's fat-burning process with low-carb, high-fat components, people also ”juice detox” for this purpose. Juice detoxing involves the restriction of solid foods, replacing them with juices in the name of body goals and detoxification. And unfortunately, this is just one extreme juice program the industry purports.

From the “adrenal mocktail” to the Kylie Jenner juice cleanse, there are all types of juice programs, and some wellness platforms are running amuck, touting their health benefits and creating sales opportunities out of disarray. While the average cost of a 12 oz pressed juice (imagine a can) is $5.50 -$13,  the cost of production is only around $1.72-$3, including all of the ingredients! Yet, it’s a marketing success.

But, at the same time — it's true that many juice at home. And within several cultural communities, juicing also has deep roots in traditional medicine. So, not all juice regimens are costly, trendy, or restrictive, and many of them are valid. 

This blog specifically refers to the way pressed juices are currently being marketed in mainstream advertising and media as quick fixes and full-on systems detoxes that destroy miscellaneous toxins. All the while, these “toxins” have yet to be clearly defined. 

So, of course, we'll get into the benefits of fresh fruit. But first, let's talk about how the body actually detoxes on its own.

Your body detoxes itself through something called “metabolic detoxification” or biotransformation. Biotransformation is a natural, bodily function, and it removes toxic substances. The two main detoxification organs are the liver and kidneys. Your lymphatic system, digestive tract, and lungs also play a part in how your body detoxes.

 

How does the body detox?

Metabolic detoxification is an extremely complex and integrated process, and it is much more dense than the following explanation. But, to make a long story short in layman’s terms  – here we go. 

 

The Liver and Kidneys: What do they do?

The body recognizes that toxins cannot be excreted if they're just floating around. Most toxins are lipid-soluble, meaning they bind to fatty molecules in the body. But, in order to be properly expelled, they actually need to be water-soluble. More simply, combining them with water needs to be possible. So, liver enzymes help toxins become water-soluble by making them capable of binding to amino acids, glutathione, etc. 

 

Once the toxins have binding ability, they are conjoined with these components. However, this transformation and binding process create reactive waste products that need to be cleaned out too. 

 

Otherwise, they will pile up. So, the liver also works to make these byproducts more easily picked up by water in the body. Once things are less reactive and more compatible with water, the toxins and byproducts can be excreted through renal biliary routes (solid waste, etc) or renal routes (urine). 

 

The biliary route eliminates toxins through solid waste. It’s known for biliary excretion, which is when the liver secretes substances into bile, and then, transports the bile to the gut for excretion. The biliary tract is part of the digestive system and works with the circulatory system to remove waste from the blood. On the other hand, renal routes primarily focus on the kidney, filtering waste and enabling the passing of urine. 

 

When metabolic detoxification is impaired, the body becomes overburdened, causing inflammation among other health problems. Consequently, this could lead to illness.

 

What are toxins?

"The word toxin is defined as a harmful compound made by bacteria, plants, or animals." Yes, toxins naturally exist in nature. However, "the word “toxicant” refers to harmful compounds made by humans or compounds introduced into the environment by human activities like pollution. Each toxic substance has a defined dose or concentration at which it becomes harmful."

 

"Toxicants can enter the body through the air, drinking water, and food. Toxins, on the other hand, can be found in the environment." As mentioned before, they can also be produced by the body. In this blog, we use the word “toxin” to define both.  

 

Through metabolic detoxification, the body cleanses itself of these substances. However, the detoxification system greatly depends on proper nutrient support. Nutritional support for the biotransformation system is extremely important because it’s an energy-dependent process. Your body needs proper nutrients and energy to detox itself. Likewise, juice detoxes, which primarily involve meal replacement and restrictive eating, may not have the desired outcome. 

 

"The human body uses molecules held in the fats, proteins, and carbohydrates we eat or drink as sources of energy to make ATP. " So, Juice detox diets do not offer enough of these nutrients to adequately support detoxification. 

 

Do pressed juices in combination with a healthy diet help metabolic detoxification?

 

Potentially enzyme boosting

"Genetic variability and dietary factors may affect detox enzymes." For instance, "CYP1A2 is a detoxification enzyme, and cruciferous vegetables broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, watercress, and cabbage may increase CYP1A2 activity."

 

Water and vitamins

Furthermore, many fruits and vegetables, especially watermelon, contain an abundance of electrolytes. They also contain nutrients such as potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus. 

 

"Water helps the kidneys remove wastes from your blood in the form of urine. Water also helps keep your blood vessels open so that blood can travel freely to your kidneys and deliver essential nutrients to them."

 

Quick tip: Tried this and loved it! The keeps water cold all day and also has the following features:  BPA-free, built-in straw reaching the bottom or tilting back, lid lock, easy-to-clean straw, and no spills.

 

 

 

Electrolytes: What are electrolytes?

Electrolytes also help with hydration because they support the balance of fluids inside and outside of cells.

 

Fiber: What does fiber do?

Furthermore, pressed juices are a great source of fiber.  "Fiber isn't digested in our stomach like other foods. Instead, it passes through it and into our colon." Fiber can help prevent the build-up of solid waste and ease the process of emitting it from the body.

 

However, during the cold-pressed juicing process, most of the fiber that's found in pulp is removed. So, chewing a well-rounded diet of whole foods would be more beneficial. This offers a greater availability of nutrients and fiber. 

 

So, ultimately it's better to rely on the whole fruit or vegetable rather than a pressed juice. But yes, pressed juices are a convenient way to get an intake of these nutrients  – albeit this method should be done in moderation. 

 

Antioxidants: What are antioxidants?

Cold-pressed juices also retain many of the nutrients from the original fruit or vegetable. So, they offer an abundance of antioxidants. Antioxidants destroy free radicals, which are toxins in the air or body, and they also reduce inflammation. They do this by giving the free radical one of their electrons. Although the antioxidant becomes scavenged, it protects your DNA and tissues from being damaged by these toxins. 

 

Takeaways

Cold-pressed juices can definitely be a helpful part of a nutritious diet, but before you buy every color at the organic market, here are some key takeaways.

 

Pressed juices cannot treat acne.

As mentioned before, pressed juices contain antioxidants. When ingested, they can decrease inflammation in the body, which could help support the skin. 

Produce, especially carrots, and grapes, also contain vitamin A, which supports the skin's cellular turnover, helps to expose a new layer of skin, and gives it a glow. However, in and of themselves, no evidence suggests pressed juices treat acne.

 

Pressed juice cannot catalyze weight maintenance.

Pressed juices may help with sugar cravings, and in moderation, they may help reduce the habitual consumption of refined and sugary foods. There are no “fat-burning” juices though. But, when paired with exercise, pressed juices can help boost your workout due to their carb and natural sugar content. 

The electrolytes and antioxidant components can also improve workout recovery, and this might improve your workout consistency. You can also look for fruits like raspberries that contain polyphenols. These are very powerful and anti-inflammatory antioxidants. 

However, as of right now, when pressed juice is referenced outside of habit changes and exercise, evidence for weight maintenance remains unseen.

As a side note,  it is worth mentioning that "persistent constipation causes SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) to some level, and SIBO tends to be associated with weight gain" (although it is not a cause of weight gain). But, fiber, which pressed juice contains, nourishes the beneficial bacteria in our gut. 

 

All pressed juice brands are not made equal. 

Cold-pressed juice is normally unpasteurized so it can retain nutritional value, but some brands use high-pressure processing (HPP). HPP is a “ non-thermal preservation technique that uses high water pressure to kill harmful bacteria. This extends the shelf life of juice. HPP is a gentle process that preserves vitamins and nutritional values, but it also removes yeast and bacteria.

 

Furthermore, you'll want to avoid pressed juices with added sugar and even fruit purees. No-added sugar fruit purees can serve as a good introduction to integrating more fruit into your diet. However, “replacing a serving of fresh fruit with a serving of fruit puree does contradict public health recommendations.”

 

Remember to align with your body.

Ultimately, remember that your body is a beautiful vessel that is intelligent and efficient. Remember – you can be kind and gentle to it while simultaneously bettering your health. At times, intensity can be a helpful tool for sticking to health regimens, but our body needs support, grace, and allyship to be successful too! Making space for self-care, movement, water, and plant-based foods is a great way to encourage and champion it! 

Cover photo cred: Lacuna

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