Fuck a Juice Cleanse.
Can I be bold for a second?
If you have a history of body dysmorphia, chronic dieting, restriction, or other types of freaky food behavior, juice cleanses aren’t going to do shit for your precious body or your awesome mind.
Even if you ate a lot of holiday cookies, even if you feel anxious and tired, even if you want your body to quickly change, even if your digestion is sucking right now, even if lots of amazing people you know or look up to are going to do them.
My personal opinion is that there are no reputable studies or science behind the very idea of detoxing via juice cleansing, but because I certainly haven’t read all there is to read on the subject, I will say the jury is out on if juice cleanses even do what they say they are going to do in the first place.
What I do know, is that MANY people are coming to me completely stressed out by their holiday indulgences and wondering if the answer might be a liquid cleanse. In every instance I have emphatically said “No, please please please do not stop eating food”.
There is simply no magic bullet to “fix” past action.
Sure, if you want to stop eating rich holiday foods, now is a great time to simplify your diet. Get stoked on whole foods, get your vegetables in, maybe even steer clear of refined oils or animal products if you feel so inclined. Be chiller with your body, chances are that might come completely naturally if you’re tuned in to how you’re feeling anyway. Be super mindful, but still eat.
I am a huge fan of the work of Sid Garza-Hillman, and this one thing he said in regards to cleansing has really stuck with me. It is as follows:
What you do before a juice cleanse and what you do after is what actually matters.
Simple, right? Obvious, even.
I am going to come out and say something that has been swimming around my brain for awhile now: Juice cleansing is downright dangerous for those who have struggled with eating disorders. Some folks may do juice cleanses and be fine, some folks may even have struggled with food and cleanse with no mental affect. My opinion, though, is that those instances are probably rare. Generally, the simple act of NOT EATING is just not a safe or wise thing for a person in recovery to do.
I know lots of people think juice cleanses are wonderful and healthy. Indeed, the micronutrient consumption is off the hook. But as both a health and wellness coach and a person who has struggled with all of the eating disorder ever, I just can’t condone them.
Not eating for an extended period of time would trigger the fuck out of me, even years into my recovery, and I imagine it would be the same for others. It’s okay to be really careful with yourself around decisions like this. Admitting vulnerability actually makes you stronger, not weak.
If you think you need a nutritional reset, but I’ve crushed your hopes of juice cleansing, please don’t worry. Steam up some green veggies. Make a miso tahini sauce. Bake a sweet potato. Saute up some tempeh. Eat slowly, and don’t be a jerk to yourself. You’re getting healthier by making a meal that will nourish you at any time.
You’re going to be okay without the juice cleanse.
I promise.
Thank you for this!!!! I hate this time of year when everyone is all about the jucie clensing even more than usual!!!! It drives me crazy!!!
I love this! I think the mental idea of cleansing is great, BUT I don’t like cleanses that avoid caloric intake. Those are the popular ones- juice cleanses, the master cleanse, and special powder cleanses. I think it reenforces the idea that think equals health, and that really isn’t true. I remember awhile ago I saw an article for the “hungry person’s cleanse” and it was filled with cooked veggies, lentils, and certain grains. All with specific properties that would still give a fairly large amount of a vitamin bomb to the average American. It looked great but I never saved the article which stinks. That would of been a cleanse I would get behind.
Very much agreed. Love your bold-ness.
It seems intuitive to use an extreme to contract an extreme.
Holiday indulgence => Juice for Days.
just hang out in the middle, because friends have birthdays, and birthdays have cakes.
Thank you I couldn’t agree more! Juice cleanse is temporary~watch your portions ,LIVE LIFE& exercise Boom!
I have recently been on a week long juice cleanse. I didn’t find it hard (with the exception of day two- nausea and headaches) and have never had so much energy (smashed 4 hours of exercise everyday). Not surprisingly, I did notice the difference after a week (I lost 8lbs) however since my return (a week ago) I CANNOT STOP EATING!! It’s horrible; it’s like I’m scared someone’s going to take the food away again so I’m attempting to eat it ALL! I have eaten more cakes in the last week than I’ve had Birthdays. Any ideas on how to better control myself? It’s sugary things I am craving and once I start there’s just no stopping… I can’t keep going like this!
Any suggestions much appreciated
Ah. Yes, I totally understand. I just want to say that its okay. It WILL stop. And this is (one of) the fundamental reason(s) that I am so opposed to juice cleanses. This sort of thing is extremely common. In the meantime, I would suggest trying to just go slow. Ask your body what it lacked during the cleanse (protein, fat, chewing) and try to get some of that. Brown rice and avocado and grilled veggies. Perhaps steer clear from the sweets until it feels like you can have them in a way that you enjoy.
This advice is very general, but please feel free to email if you’d like to chat further (lacyisripped@gmail.com). Hugs to you.
I also read that eating roasted root vegetables that are naturally sweet can help kill sweet cravings. So like roasted carrots, yams or sweet potato with your meals can help. I’ve done it a few times, I don’t usually crave sweets but occasionally I get hit with it and this technique really does help.
Love this post!!!!!! Juice cleanses are the WORST for me. I dated someone for a while who loved them and used to tell me to just “toughen up” and get through it, even though I knew my body felt wrong.
Now, I drink juice or have shakes in addition to eating well (“well” meaning simply, gently; as Lacy described with whole, plant-based foods, grains, beans, simple sauces and dressings, but no hard-and-fast rules) and not only do I feel better physically, but I swear I’m finally starting to conquer my EDs. Eating for nourishment is so incredibly self-loving and kind, it’s been impossible for me to keep being mean to myself while doing it.