Is a Green Smoothie Diet or Juice Fast Healthy?
I frequently get asked the question about whether or not a green smoothie diet is healthy and how long one should go on such a diet to lose weight, detox, etc. Another question I get a lot concerns juice fasts.
There is a lot of debate on the topic of juice fasts. On one side, you have those praising the benefits of juice fasting (i.e. detoxification, weight loss, feelings of lightness, “spiritual awakening”).
On the other side, opponents of juice fasting claim that frequent or long-term (30+ day) fasts disrupt metabolism and can lead to nutrient-deficiencies.
I’d like to share my take on this debate and whether or not juice fasting, liquid diets and smoothie diets are healthy or not.
To be honest, I’ve never had the desire to do a smoothie diet or juice fast – ever. I’ve never felt the need to do any sort of commercial or non-food cleanse or detox. If your diet is reasonably healthy, and you switch over to more natural products, cleansing or long-term smoothie or juice fasting just feels unnecessary (and unnatural) to me.
If you feel the need to cleanse and detox, especially on a regular basis, a change in your diet is probably in order. If your diet is working for you, you shouldn’t need to give your body a break from digestion, nor should you be building up “toxic residues”.
Our bodies are capable of purging small amounts of toxins and anti-nutrients we ingest, absorb and breathe in every day (that’s what our kidneys, liver and colon are for). We don’t need to give our body any assistance through long-term juice fasting, short term fasts/cleanses or through colon hydrotherapy.
As you can tell, I am not an advocate of juice fasting. But what about a green smoothie diet? After all, green smoothies are whole foods (unlike juices) complete with fiber, minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, plenty of protein and fat.
Should green smoothies replace meals?
I regularly drink meal-replacement green smoothies. For me, it’s a convenience thing. I’m not trying to lose weight or detox. It’s just really quick and simple to blend up a 40-ounce green smoothie for breakfast.
However, I would never, ever do (nor advocate) a green smoothie-only diet for a couple reasons.
First of all, many green smoothies are too low in calories to be considered a meal. It took me a while to get to the point where I could drink a 40 ounce green smoothie that satisfied me until lunch without feeling bloated or too full. A smoothie this size has, on average, 600 to 700 calories depending on what fruits you use.
If you are drinking a 16-ounce green smoothie, you’re probably only getting about 200 or so calories, maybe even less. Drinking 16-ounce green smoothies in place of meals could set you up for a serious calorie deficit and nutritional deficiencies over time.
Unless you are willing and able to drink a 40+ ounce green smoothie three to four times per day AND pack each smoothie full of sweet fruit (I’m talking 4 bananas, 1 mango, a few tangerines AND a handful of red grapes with an entire head of romaine lettuce), then you will not get enough calories and nutrients to stick to this diet and maintain your health.
Secondly, the other reason I don’t advocate a smoothie-only diet is because I don’t believe in temporary diets. If you want ultimate health and long-term results, you need to make long-term, permanent diet and lifestyle changes. If you return to old eating habits after the smoothie diet ends, the diet was completely ineffective.
This is why I don’t advocate green smoothie diets, severe calorie-restriction, juice or water fasts or any other temporary diet. Temporary changes simply do not lead to lasting results. Doing a smoothie diet or juice fast a few times each year does absolutely nothing to help you lose weight or detox if the rest of your diet is not in order.
You might get short term benefits with a short term green smoothie diet that meets your nutrition targets, but it is far better and far more effective to implement green smoothies on a daily basis as part of an overall diet plan.
If you are interested in doing a detox or cleanse, I can’t stress enough the importance of doing it with whole foods like green smoothies and whole fruits and vegetables. Our new e-book called Detox In 4 Days: A Seasonal Guide To Cleansing Your Body, Mind and Home outlines four different detox meal plans for each season as well as many other recipes, tips and advice on detoxification.
Have you tried a green smoothie diet? What about a juice fast? Give us your thoughts by posting a comment below.
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Tags: detox, diet, fast, green smoothie diet, juice fast, juice feast, Weight Loss
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What a WONDERFUL post!! I have never done a green smoothie diet or a juice fast mainly because I know I could never do it more than a day. But your information above is so great to hear. I’m always unsure if I should be doing some sort of “detox” plan and how you explained it above makes so much sense! I’m new to all this and I know I need to incorporate more whole foods and fruits and veggies. I have gotten a little off of it the past couple weeks and need to get back on my green smoothies, because they really do make me feel better and they are much more satisfying than any other mid-morning snack I was having before. Thank you for all you share with us!
Excellent post as usual..I did one smoothie feast and vowed I would never ever repeat it.. After all you can’t live on your blender doing all this work for you forever.. Unless I need to eat pureed food at some point in time I do not plan on rushing it..
Keep on keeping on..
I would like to add a caveat to your belief that short term changes don’t have long-term effects.
That’s true, if you do one 15-30 days juice fast, then never do another one, and I am a fierce opponent of “fad” diets, or those temporary weight loss diets.
However, if you make a 3-8 day juice fast part of your routine (ex: every month, I’ll do a 5 day juice fast), then it can be a great way of cleaning out toxins that do build up. Remember, the issue isn’t only toxins from food, but also from the air we breathe, water we drink, and things we touch. They all put toxins in our body, and simply put, with the air quality the way it is today, our bodies can’t effectively keep up without a little “synthetic” help.
If one were to have a 3 day juice fast, but then go back to eating potato chips and hamburgers, though, then you’re right, it’s completely useless.
The other place it is hugely beneficial to do a juice fast is when one is sick, or getting sick. The first thing an animal does when it gets sick is to stop eating – and that is what we should do as well. However, drinking juices still allows us to get some calories and huge amounts of nutrients, without putting digestive strain on our bodies. Andrew Saul over at Doctor Yourself has a great article about this, and explains how his family recovers much more quickly because of this routine.
Summary: Juice fasting/feasting is not a long term diet, but it can be a long term ‘piece’ of a diet, if it is part of one’s routine.
Thanks for your comment, Paul, but I wonder why you feel the need to do a 5-day juice fast every month? What prompts you do do this? Are there physical symptoms that manifest? Do you feel that your diet is not adequate in facilitating detox and cleansing on a daily basis? Why?
I agree with you somewhat about fasting when sick. The rare times I get sick, I’ll usually drink orange juice or eat a couple pieces of fruit (and that’s it for the day) with tons of water. But I only would do this for a 24-hour period. Prolonged fasting can slow the metabolism which can interfere with immune function. I want my metabolism and immune function in top form when I’m fighting off an infection so I don’t want to starve myself, even when sick.