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Has anyone done a juice cleanse? I'm thinking about doing a 3 day cleanse that I found on Groupon. I'm just curious as what to expect. Is it awful? Did it help you get on a healthier diet after you were done?

Any advice/experiences would be appreciated!

I've never done it but the main issue I've heard is to stick close to home and your own bathroom during the process.

And be prepared to have serious BO. Also very low energy (another good reason to stay home).

I know at least a dozen people who have started cleanses not one who finished the way she or he intended. They really aren't healthy. A better option is a week or two of raw eating.

I would encourage you to look seriously at what is preventing you from eating healthy now, and focus on finding resources and motivation to overcome the excuses you are making. A cleanse is not a miracle quick fix that will get rid of whatever is preventing you from making healthy choices now.

****Warning this is a Rant with real sound medical advice****

If you want to jump start your diet, and exercise program, and feel this will help by all means go ahead, but be warned.....

Your body has it's own natural way of cleansing itself. It's called going to the bathroom. Your liver, and you kidneys, your lymph system, and your blood all play a part in filtering out the crap. If you feel yucky because you have been eating crap, that's because it's more than your body can filter out efficiently.

I would suggest eating a very clean, diet for 3 days instead, and see how you feel. Probably much better. This means NO PROCESSED FOODs. Fresh fruits/veggies, at least 5 servings of each daily. Lots of good lean proteins, fish, chicken, nuts, seeds, and beans.

HERE IS THE WARNING PART OF THE CLEANSE - When you do this you dehydrate your body, and depending on your tolerance, and what you are drinking you can cause minor things from headaches, to feeling sickly to significant things like Atrial fibrillation (irregular heart beat) and Renal failure, yes Kidney failure.

I have seen it happen in people in their late teens and 20's, I have seen it happen to people in their middle age. So my word of warning is a simple 3-7 day cleanse can turn into an all inclusive stay at your nearest hospital. Where the staff will be more than happy to poke you with needles, and the hospital itself will be more than happy to charge you or your insurance crazy sums of money to get you back to healthy.

Thus Ends my rant.

What tushnurse said.

What exactly is Groupon selling?

I have a friend who has become addicted to the really wacky olive oil/lemon juice/salt purge. She can't stop and won't listen.

I'm pretty sure she's destroyed her liver by now, she's done it so much.

Have a good look at what you're eating now, and get rid of all the processed stuff. Get back to basics and drink plenty of water with a squeeze of fresh lemon.

Make a list of what you're eating and post it here if you like. Sometimes just seeing it in black and white can be a revelation.

I had a patient yesterday who wound up hospitalized for 19 days and on parenteral nutrition for about three months--NOT permitted to swallow ANYTHING for that time--because of an (admittedly unusual) duodenal perforation caused by fiber supplementation during a juice cleanse.

She's damn lucky to be alive, that it was properly diagnosed and properly treated. She had NO history of any gastrointestinal disorders prior to this horrendous complication.

Our bodies do an exquisite job cleansing themselves. In fact, our attempts to "cleanse" can actually upset the processes that really DO cleanse us.

Intentional diarrhea and its attendant quick weight loss are not evidence of something positive done to the body. Really, you're hugely disrupting the brilliant homeostasis our bodies maintain on their own.

As I said, complications of the magnitude I described are rare. Dehydration, arrhythmia, and other adverse effects occur frequently.

And there is absolutely no benefit to the cleanse--none whatsoever.

ETA: I am a STRONG proponent of clean eating using whole foods. It's not necessary,though, to go raw. And there is significant evidence that lightly steaming vegetables increases the bioavailability of nutrients by softening the hard cellulose cell walls of plant-based foods. So don't think you have to choke down raw veggies if you prefer cooked. Just don't cook them beyond tender-crisp.

[This message edited by solus sto at 12:01 PM, November 8th (Friday)]

Thank you so much for the advice! It's great to hear from medical professionals because I've heard that cleanses can be dangerous, but they're still really popular.

The deal on Groupon is for a 3 day juice cleanse. You drink six of the juices a day and can supplement with small amounts of fruit and egg whites. I already keep a pretty healthy diet, lots of veggies and lean proteins, eggs and Greek yogurt. But I still have awful cravings for junk food. I was hoping a cleanse might help ease the cravings, but I certainly don't want to end up in the hospital! I think I will pass on doing a cleanse and just muscle through the cravings.