Juice cleanse: a simple and easy way to have a powerful rejuvenating effect on your body, mind, weight, and mood. Nothing difficult, just having a few nutritious juices and getting major improvements for so many aspects of your health.

 WHAT IS A JUICE CLEANSE? A BRIEF INTRODUCTION:
 Juicing or juice cleanse is gaining popularity day by day and has become a popular health trend in the last few years. Juice cleanse is a term that refers to a period of about 3 to 10 days in which your diet mainly consists of vegetable and fruit juices. There is no consumption of caffeine, alcohol, or other toxins during this time but obviously, you can have water. The main purpose of juice cleansing is to detox the body and bring it back to its natural state by removing all harmful substances that accumulate over time such as refined oil, sugar, or artificial chemicals from colorings, additives, preservatives, or simply food waste that is removed regularly and can compromise the quality of your health.
Vegetables and fruits serve as a rich source of numerous biologically active components such as antioxidants, phytochemicals, and some other compounds that contribute to enhancing health and well-being and decreasing the risk of chronic diseases (Tome-Carnerio, 2015) but generally, people don't eat much fruits and veggies, so juice cleansing allows them to bring these nutrients into their life (Henning, 2017). Fruits and vegetables are the most ubiquitous source of one such active component known as polyphenols which have superb antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties. You are going to have all these effects on your body by taking in 3-8 fruits and vegetable juices a day (Abuajah 2015, Li 2014).
A study on twenty healthy adults found that consuming only fruit and vegetable juices for 3 days improved the general well-being score of the individuals at the end of the study. The main positive contributors found to enhancing health were an increase in vasodilator nitric oxide, a change in intestinal microbiota linked with better weight management, and a decrease in lipid oxidation (Henning, 2017).
 Juicing makes the healthy constituents of fruits and vegetables more accessible for your body to digest resulting in conferring more benefits. This liquid nourishment is easy on your gut as it is better absorbed and gives the gut the time to relax along with providing nourishment to the cells and removing toxins, wastes, or stuck particles from the colon.
Juice cleanse not only offer detoxifying effect but is also linked with a range of other associated health benefits. Let’s dive deeper and know some of these health-promoting aspects of a juice cleanse.

WHY IS A JUICE CLEANSE SO BENEFICIAL FOR YOU:
 Read on to know a few incredible health-friendly miracles of bringing this simple juice cleansing mechanism into your life.

Weight loss: Fruits and vegetable juices are low-calorie and mostly a daily juice cleanse makeup about 1300 calories which is quite less than that required by most people to carry on daily activities and this calorie deficit ultimately results in burning the stored fat to fulfill the energy requirements resulting in weight loss. A study by The University of California, Los Angeles found that juice cleansing promoted the growth of specific intestinal microbiota which aid in weight loss. On day 4 of the study, the bacteria linked with obesity 'Firmicutes' was significantly decreased whereas there was an increase in 'Bacteroidetes' promoting weight loss (Henning 2017, Obert 2017 ). The loss of all waste of processed foods, refined carbs, and saturated fats that are stuck for long giving unnecessary weight also helps.
In a study involving 20 participants, a 3-day juice cleanse resulted in an average weight loss of 1.75kg with some reduced weight loss retained after two weeks. A juice cleanse serves as a great beginning and motivation for those struggling with weight loss to start their journey towards their desired weight loss goal (Henning 2017, Montesi 2016).
It is also believed that juice cleansing can shrink the stomach which makes it easy to eat less once you are back to your regular eating (Thom, 2021).
Juice cleansing can also help you adopt the habit of intermittent fasting in which you eat for a limited number of hours and drink water or unsweetened drinks for the remaining hours and this approach is linked with healthy weight management. As juice cleansing controls your unnecessary munching, it gives you a better connection with your hunger signals (Stockman, 2018).

 Improves gut health: It gives the digestive system a much-needed break from the hard job of continuously breaking solid foods and deriving energy from them. It is the time of rest and recharging for the digestive system. As bioavailable nutrients from the juices are directly absorbed into the stomach lining, it is also beneficial for those suffering from the leaky gut syndrome.
A three-day juice cleanses increased the gut bacteria Bacteroidetes and Cyanobacteria. Bacteroidetes, play a crucial role in the development of the immune system and gastrointestinal tract health. This bacteria promotes healthy metabolism and good overall gut health (Susanne, 2016).
 The enzymes in raw juices improve digestion. Ginger is a remedy for nausea and pain as it eases slow digestion by accelerating the process of nutrients moving from the stomach to the small intestine. A juice ingredient turmeric is also great for the health of gut bacteria and has been known for treating gastric disorders for centuries. Orange juice also positively influences the digestive system (Mennah, 2017).

Improves overall health: Fruit and vegetables are packed full of nutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory compounds that are easy to absorb in your body through juice intake. A University of Reading study found that vitamin C levels were higher in juices than in blended drinks, like smoothies (George, 2009) meaning that you can have more of these nutrients through juices than following a clean diet.
Another 3-month study from Texas A&M University found a significant increase in total antioxidant capacity in the blood of individuals who consistently took juice throughout the study period (George, 2009). Antioxidants like phenolic compounds and vitamin C in juices reduce free radical damage to cells, this damage can otherwise accelerate aging. The micronutrients in juices sustain tissue function and metabolism. Having all these nutrients is linked with better overall health, a better feel, reduced risk of disease particularly heart disease and cancer, and an improved sense of well-being (Susanne 2016, Cassileth2010).
 A UCLA Medical School study found that three-day juice cleanse can reduce blood plasma nitric oxide levels that help the blood vessels to relax to improve blood flow and reduce stress on the heart. Another review study based on randomized controlled trials and epidemiological research found that vegetable and fruit juices can aid in lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels (Zheng, 2017).

Helps detox the body: Juice cleanses can speed up your natural detox process by supporting the organs involved in detox. Having juice combinations that naturally work in cooperation to give a cleaning effect is a good idea (Zhang 2018, Hodges 2015, El-Beltagi 2020). Juice cleanse helps you eliminate bloating culprits such as high sodium, indigestion, and inflammatories making you feel better inside and out.

Increases Energy: Focusing on having juices throughout the day aid in stabilizing the blood sugar levels and avoiding any crash that occurred from eating high carb foods. A stabilized blood sugar level keeps you energetic for the whole day. Secondly, a detoxified body also gives you a fresh feel and energy. Enriching your body with nutrients that are easily and swiftly absorbed will fuel it with stable energy and a fresh mind as compared to caffeine which gives instant high energy and then sudden crash (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics).

Improves skin health: Juice cleanse can give you healthy glowing skin. A study on citrus-based juices found that their antioxidant activity helped preserve the health of the skin preventing skin aging (Kim, 2015). Pomegranate juice is also found to prevent skin aging (Kang, 2017). When you have a detoxified body and better internal healing, your skin also gets improved.

Decreases inflammation: Processed foods including meat, sugars, dairy, and alcohol are all full of inflammation-causing substances. The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agents in the fruits and veggies juices can significantly reduce inflammation in your body and promote healing (Zheng, 2017). Particularly, ginger, cayenne, and turmeric additions work best for this.

Gives you a well-hydrated body: According to the European Hydration Institute, over half of the world's population is dehydrated. Even 1% of dehydration affects mood, brain function, energy levels, and organ functioning (Pross, 2013). A well-hydrated body with the intake of juices allows you to work more efficiently with improved energy levels, mood, and optimal functioning of the organs.

Repairs damaged tissues: Your body is nourished with nutrients and has increased energy. The energy that is normally used for breaking down solid foods is now redirected towards healing the damaged tissues and organs. The break given by juice cleanse to your body allows it to focus on areas that need healing but keep on getting neglected when there is too much more to take care of.

Conclusion: Juice cleanse sounds like a natural healthy way to have plenty of vegetables and fruits to take you into the world of cleansing and make you feel that you did something good for your body. It puts you on the track to a happier, and healthier body by resetting and recharging your systems. If you are interested in juice cleansing, it better is to start with a one-day cleanse to see the response of your body. Always consult your healthcare provider or registered dietician before introducing any big change in your diet.



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