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Over the years, we’ve heard about plenty of extreme measures that people have taken in the name of their health or their weight. Some trends, like the grapefruit diet and the cabbage soup diet, are now understood to be more harmful than helpful. But other fads have maintained a strong enough following that they have endured—and it is in this category that we find juice cleanses.
While the jury is still very much out among health and nutrition professionals on the potential benefits of juice cleanses, enough people have done and loved them that an entire industry has blossomed around them. That’s why I set out to get the facts on juice cleanses and help you determine for yourself if one could be beneficial for you. And if so, perhaps one of the popular cleanses below may be a fit. Read on to learn more.
Davenport recommends this cleanse from Pressed Juicery, a one-day cleanse in which you’ll drink four juices and two smoothies, a combination that will keep you full and help ease you into the cleansing experience. Plus, all the juices and smoothies are 15 ounces, a relatively large size compared to the juices in some of the other cleanses on this list, that will take a bit to sip down.
A tasty one-day cleanse perfect for easing you into juice cleansing.
This one-day cleanse from Juiced! offers seven unique juices (in seven different vibrant colors, promising a wide array of antioxidants and other powerful plant compounds) for a price that comes out to just $5 per juice.
High-quality, cold-pressed juices at a very reasonable price point make this cleanse a solid pick.
If you need creative flavor combinations like Turmeric Carrot Gingerade and Blueberry Cinnamon Chia to get you excited about a juice cleanse, look no further than this one-day cleanse from Lemonkind. Its juices are packed with produce, plus powerful health-boosting superfoods like chia seeds, sea buckthorn, and chlorella.
For interesting flavors and juices packed with additional nourishing ingredients, look no further.
If you’ve tried a few one-day cleanses and enjoyed them, you may be ready to extend to a three-day cleanse. For an option that also boasts all organic ingredients, this juice cleanse from Pulp & Press is a quality (albeit, slightly pricey) pick.
If you’re looking to really load up on organic fruits and vegetables, and cost isn’t a concern, this is the cleanse for you.
One of the biggest gripes that nutrition pros have with juice cleanses is the lack of fiber and protein, which can lead to extreme feelings of hunger and metabolism disruptions that can cause overeating post-cleanse. Enter this three-day juice cleanse from Raw Generation, in which you’ll drink three cold-pressed juices and three-plant-based smoothies each day to the tune of 42 grams of protein and 24 grams of fiber per day.
An excellent high-protein cleanse for folks who want to keep their energy up and cravings down.
In addition to eight juices per day, the user guide for this cleanse (which you can download here) comes with a recipe for an optional breakfast of overnight oats that can be eaten each day. The juices also feature some unique ingredients like probiotics, vitamin D3, mint tea, and spirulina powder for additional health boosts. Plus, the juices are cold-pressed, the juicing method thought to do the best job of maintaining high levels of nutrients in the juice.
A good quantity of unique, cold-pressed juices at a reasonable price.
For the ultimate one-day juice regimen, go with this juice cleanse from Raw Fountain. You get just raw, cold-pressed fruit and veggie juices, plus three lemon and ginger shots, two ingredients that are often touted for their ability to support liver functions. Just make sure you’re ready, as six 12-oz. juices isn’t much—though plant-based snacks like fruits, vegetables, or nuts are recommended if you get hungry.
A simple, straightforward, one-day juice plan.
When you are only drinking juices and not eating any solid foods, you’re essentially mimicking fasting without actually doing it, explains Kelli Davenport, MS, RDN, LDN, a registered dietitian with Top Nutrition Coaching. “During a fasted state, the body begins to use up glycogen stores which can strengthen the immune system by signaling the body to get rid of damaged cells and produce new ones, thus promoting healing.” This process, known as autophagy, has been found in numerous studies to kick in after 24 - 48 hours of fasting and is proving to be the key process behind many of the longevity, energy, and immune-boosting benefits of intermittent fasting.
The other prevailing hypothesis behind the benefits of juice cleanses: “When you are consuming only juice, and no solid food matter is being ingested, you are allowing your digestive system to take a bit of a break,” says Davenport.
Many people who’ve happily completed a juice cleanse will espouse numerous benefits, from weight loss to more energy and brainpower. At this point, most of these perks are based solely on anecdotal evidence from consumers, and the jury is still out research-wise, but health experts do have an idea of where some of them come from.
“It is likely that the weight loss coming from juicing is because less calories are being consumed than normal,” Davenport says. “Also, some fruits and vegetables have a diuretic effect, which causes the body to excrete more urine, resulting in the loss of water weight.” As far as that energy boost, Davenport suspects it is coming more from removing unhealthy foods from the diet than the juices themselves, as foods like added sugar, processed carbs and unhealthy fats tend to be the primary culprits behind fatigue and sluggishness. During a juice cleanse, you are removing these, so you may experience a boost as a result. This is also the reason why someone who eats a clean, nutrient-dense diet may not experience as profound effects from a juice cleanse as someone for whom it is a more drastic change.
Another popular reason for the perks of juice cleanses is that juices made only with fruits and vegetables offer a concentrated dose of antioxidants, powerfully healthy plant compounds. “Antioxidants help decrease inflammation, as well as helping rid the body of components called free radicals, which can build up and damage cells creating a host of many chronic health problems, including heart disease and cancer,” explains Davenport. While you do get many of these from a fruit and vegetable juice, there are other good-for-you nutrients that are lost. You’re losing the fiber in the pulp and losing vitamins and nutrients that are UV-light sensitive and that get broken down during the juicing process, says Kim Shapira, MS, RD, a dietitian and nutritional therapist and author of “This Is What You’re Really Hungry For.” What that means: By the time they reach your stomach, there isn’t anything healthy left for you to absorb.
A final perk: A juice cleanse may introduce you to new fruits and vegetables you’ve never tried before, and therefore expand your tastes. Shapira asserts that, in turn, you might swap out an inflammatory food for a more nutrient-dense fruit or vegetable.
All that said, there are potential drawbacks to juice cleanses as well. While some health and nutrition pros see it as giving your digestive system a break, others see this as an abrupt change in your eating habits that could wreak havoc on the body. “Changing your digestive habits creates stress in your body, which disrupts [processes] that actually lead to weight gain,” notes Shapira. “It’s better to be consistent in your practice and eat when you’re hungry.” One of the biggest culprits: When you go from eating a normal amount of food throughout the day to extreme calorie restriction, which is often the case with a cleanse, it will force your body into “starvation mode,” during which your metabolism slows and your body holds onto water and fat, yielding the opposite of the results you are looking for.
Speaking of hunger, one of the most important nutrients for keeping hunger and cravings at bay is fiber—which you’re not getting from juices. All methods of juicing remove the beneficial fiber from the fruits and vegetables. “When you don’t have fiber to slow digestion, it can cause diarrhea and malabsorption of the vitamins,” Shapira says. You’re also not getting the perks of the fiber itself, namely the way it supports the growth of healthy bacteria in your gut and the fact that it makes you feel full. “Consuming liquid calories may not satisfy you like solid food, which could make you feel extremely hungry and uncomfortable,” says Davenport.
Juice cleanses also typically involve some degree of calorie restriction, which isn’t smart to maintain for an extended period. “Restricting calories for too long will slow your natural metabolism, potentially leading to weight gain when you begin eating again,” Davenport says.
If you’re generally healthy and you’ve gotten the go-ahead from your healthcare practitioner, it’s likely fine to try a juice cleanse for up to a couple days, provided that you listen to your body throughout.
There are plenty of folks who should not do a juice cleanse, as it may be dangerous for their health, notes Davenport. These include:
If you’ve gotten the green light to do a juice cleanse, and you don’t experience any negative side effects from your first one, you can likely safely do one up to every few months or so. But it’s best to consult with your physician or nutritionist about frequency.
That said, Shapira and Davenport agree that fruit and vegetable juices can be a smart way to incorporate a wider variety of produce into your daily diet without going on a cleanse. “Incorporating juice into your daily routine is a great way to enjoy the benefits of fresh fruit/vegetable juice without having to make drastic changes by doing a cleanse,” says Davenport. “You can get the benefits of juice cleansing without the risks by adding one or two juices to your regular diet that is made up of clean, whole foods.”
While many of the juice cleanses on this list share similarities, there are some factors to consider when choosing the best juice cleanse for you.
If you’ve never done a cleanse before and are really concerned about getting hungry, you might want to start with one that includes more, larger juices than one that is fewer juices in smaller packages.
“I’d recommend a program that uses dairy-free protein, fruit, and vegetable smoothies,” says Davenport. “This way you are still consuming the fruits and vegetables that offer the magnificent health benefits while getting the fiber and protein needed to slow the absorption of the natural sugars, and increase satiety.” Especially for beginners, our picks that are higher in protein are a great place to start.
Especially once you factor in shipping costs, juice cleanses tend to be pricey. Is your health worth the investment? Absolutely, but you may want to consider if you’d rather spend that money on fresh, whole fruits and vegetables instead.
To choose the juice cleanses I included here, I consulted with nutrition experts on what makes a good juice cleanse. From there, I used my expertise as a health and nutrition journalist and scoured the market to find the best available, prioritizing companies that ship nationwide so that all my picks could be an option for all readers.
Most of the juice cleanses on the market are between one and seven days long, but I have only included cleanses that are either one or three days long. While longer cleanses may be possible for some people, and may make them feel better and healthier, going that long without solid foods is not typically recommended without the supervision of a healthcare practitioner.
It depends who you ask. Simply eating fresh, whole fruits and vegetables that you buy at the grocery store will likely be more satisfying and much less expensive than a juice cleanse while offering all the same health benefits. Still, for folks who need a nudge to start a weight loss journey or embark on a healthier lifestyle, provided that they are generally healthy otherwise, a juice cleanse can provide such a nudge. Plus, it may open your eyes to fruits and veggies you didn’t know you enjoyed that you can then incorporate into your meals going forward.
Most people lose weight on a juice cleanse because of the calorie restriction and the loss of water weight thanks to the absence of solid foods. That’s why juice cleanses are not recommended as a primary method of weight loss. Instead, they can serve as a way transition to a healthier eating regimen. This last part is key, as it’s easy to overeat in the days following a cleanse, especially if you weren’t drinking enough water during the cleanse and constantly felt hungry.
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