Juice cleanses are all the rage, but the jury is out on their health benefits. Still, if you’re curious to try one out, here’s what you need to know beforehand:
Text: Zarelda Marie Goh/Additional Reporting: Atika Lim
Photos: Pixabay
During a cleanse, your body doesn’t get all the nutrients it’s used to, and “often reacts by slowing down its metabolism”, says CEO of The Nutrition Clinic, Pooja Vig.
This can make losing weight harder in the future. Also, fruit-based juices may spike your blood sugar levels.
Pooja recommends weaning yourself off caffeine, sugar, and alcohol several days prior to a cleanse to prepare your body.
If you jump right in, you might cause unnecessary physical and mental stress to your body such as mood swings since your blood sugar will be affected.
The juices should be made with a cold-pressed juicer. Cold-pressed juicers produce no heat, retaining more of the fresh ingredients’ nutrients that may be burned away with heat.
They press rather than shred the ingredients, keeping healthy dietary fibres intact.
That’s how many more sick days people who work in open-plan workspaces take, compared to those who have their own office. Sidestep this statistic by washing your hands frequently.
It stops the spread of flu viruses by up to 50 per cent and cuts stomach bug risk from 90 per cent down to 10 per cent.
Despite the fact that it’s a juice, it’s good to chew before your swallow these sips to break down any more fibre for a better digestion.