Juicing is hugely popular, with celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and even the Duchess of Cambridge, said to be fans. Juicing proponents claim that consuming these freshly pressed drinks will not only give you clearer skin and more energy, but it will also clean your body of toxins and help you lose weight.

It’s true that juicing fruits and veggies can be healthy, but healthy doesn’t always mean skinny.

So, can you really lose weight by juicing? Let’s take a closer look!

What are juice diets

Most juice diets recommend replacing at least one meal a day with fresh juice. Juice cleanses, on the other hand, require that you commit to an all-liquid diet instead of your regular meals.

You can either make the juices yourself by investing in a high-quality juicer or buy ready-made drinks from local companies.

The problems with juice diets

1. Calorie intake

People don’t often realize that liquid calories count just as much as calories you get from solid foods do. And liquids are much easier to over-consume than other foods. A large glass of pressed juice may contain up to 350 calories, more if it mostly contains fruits instead of veggies.

You can only lose weight if you consume fewer calories than you burn in a day. So, if you’re replacing a 300-calorie meal with a 350-calorie juice, you’ll actually end up consuming more calories than before.

2. You might always be hungry

Juicing removes all the fiber content from the fruits and veggies you use plus there are no protein or healthy fats in the freshly pressed drink. A juice meal may thus be less satisfying than say a large salad with avocado and seeds.

If you don’t feel full after consuming a meal, you might end up eating more calories later in the day, which will actually hinder your weight loss efforts.

3. You’ll hurt your metabolism

Most juice diets and fasts don’t provide you with enough calories, which can eventually slow down your metabolism. Sure, you’ll lose some weight initially, but as soon as your body senses it might be starving, it will try to avoid expending excess energy.

4. Juice diets only work for the short-term.

Yes, you’ll quickly start dropping pounds when you replace some or all meals with juices, but the weight loss is not permanent. The weight you lose comes from the loss of water and less food in your stomach. As soon as you start eating normally, you’ll gain all of it back.

Juicing for weight loss

Juicing is not a miracle method for losing excess body weight, but it can help you drop pounds when used sensibly.

Juices make great healthy snacks that will provide lots of essential vitamins and minerals. Stick to mostly low-calorie veggies such as spinach, chard, cucumber, celery, zucchini plus others and use fruits only to lightly flavor the drinks. Consider adding healthy fats and proteins in the form of nuts and seeds.

Wrapping It Up

Juicing can be an excellent way to add more vitamins and minerals in your diet, but it’s not a great weight loss strategy, at least not for the long-term. If you really want to lose weight, make sure to follow a balanced diet that also includes grains, lean meats, low-fat dairy, and legumes on a daily basis.

About The Author:

Karmen is a freelance writer/virtual assistant living in the beautiful country of France. She studied contemporary history at uni but always felt a pull towards everything nutrition and health-related. She finally got her nutritionist diploma in 2016 and has been writing articles about health, nutrition, and fitness ever since. She is currently working as a Marketing Consultant providing services to small businesses in different niches and works as a writer/editor at Wicked-Reviews.com.