What is Juice Fasting?

With the changing trends in the world, weight loss is becoming one of the most important aspects of a healthy lifestyle today. With new research and technologies available, and under the light of several studies, new ways are cropping everyday which are said to be able to beat weight gain and help weight loss. One of these activities is juice fasting. Juice fasting is a comparatively new method that is used quite commonly nowadays for weight loss. 

What is Juice Fasting?

Juice fasting is a type of detox diet which has the practitioner have only vegetable or fruit juices. Because the person has nothing else except liquid foods, it is quite similar to fasting, it is sometimes known as juice fasting.

What are the common types of juices used in juice fasting?

Normally, vegetable juices like celery, tomato, cucumber and red or bell pepper are used for vegetable juices. Root vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes and beets are used while juice fasting. Dark grapes, apples, citrus, acai berry are also used as juices during juice fasting. Sometimes, herbs like spearmint, peppermint, basil, garlic, ginger, green onion, fresh turmeric root, chilli pepper, and milk thistle is also used during juice fasts. Broccoli and cabbage juice is also used for juice fasting.

How do ones go about juice fasting?

Generally, juice fasting is carried out by people twice in a year. Juice fasting duration lasts for about a week, some people carrying on for a whole month. One important aspect to keep in mind while juice fasting is that juices have little or no fibers in them. Therefore, the person on juice fast has to use a herbal or a saltwater laxative so that they expel the waste materials from their bodies.

Are there any side effects of Juice Fasting?

Till today, there are no specified or proven side effects of juice fasting. However, it has been noted that people with some medical conditions, should be extra careful while carrying out the fast. For example, people with diabetes, or people who have allergies to some kind of fruits should not undertake the juices of certain fruits, or fruits that have excessive sugar content.

Also, pregnant and lactating women should speak to their medical consultants before undertaking juice fasting. Also, if the people use acidic fruits like tomato and citrus may increase the acid base balance of the human body. 

Then, there are cancer patients, people who have a low immunity, and people who have undergone any kind of surgery, as well as people who suffer from low blood pressure, or have stomach ulcers or even those individuals who become tired very easily

Juice Fasting has not yet been proven by medical researchers as having any great effects on the weight loss aspects of the individuals. In fact, some medical researchers are of the opinion that drinking the right amount of water everyday is as good as going through a patch of juice fasting, and therefore consider it to be a simple waste of money.