Juice isn't a replacement for whole fruits and veggies, of course, but it does let you fit in foods that you might not eat otherwise—like beets or carrots—especially at breakfast, which is usually a no-vegetable zone. And consuming enough produce has its perks. People who consumed five servings of vegetables a day lived nearly three years longer than people who avoided veggies in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Upping your produce intake might help you reach a weight loss goal (produce is low-cal and full of water, which fills you up). Plus, because the cells in fruits and veggies are broken down by juicing, their nutrients are easier for your body to absorb
Before you go all in and replace meals with sips, know this about taking juicing for health to the extreme:
You're not flushing anything out. Your body runs on an auto-cleanse system that's managed by your kidneys, liver, and intestines, and there's no evidence that juice improves the process. If you feel "lighter," it's probably because you're eliminating junk food, not toxins.
You won't stay slim forever. You may lose weight, but most of it's likely to be water weight. When you cut calories, your body gets energy by releasing glycogen, a type of carb that holds on to water. As soon as you stop the cleanse, you gain the pounds back. Lasting weight loss comes from changing your diet long-term.
You might feel as if you have the flu. Fatigue, nausea, insomnia and headaches are some of the possible side effects. And if you have a , a juice fast can trigger a recurrence.