Liquid Diets and Juice Fasting
One of the most poorly understood diets is the liquid diet. Most commonly, when people refer to a “liquid diet”, they are talking about juice fasting. Many dieters are told that if they “juice fast” for a period of time they will lose weight. Whether juicing involves fruits or vegetables, drinking only juice for a period of days at a time can be difficult, hard on the body and can actually have a negative impact your health. Juice fasting puts stress on the gastrointestinal system, specifically the Pancreas. As the Pancreas reacts to the rapid and ongoing influx of glucose in the bloodstream as a result of drinking the juice, Insulin is secreted in large amounts to bring down blood sugar levels. Repeated demands for Insulin as a result of high blood sugar levels can contribute to the following:
- Insulin resistance
- Diabetes
- Hunger
- Irritability
- Nervousness
- Anxiety
- Mood swings
Also, if you are most interested in losing weight, one of the worst ways to try and lose weight is through juice fasting. Juice fasting actually puts the body into starvation mode. When you re-introduce “normal” and solid foods back into your diet, your body will retain water, store carbohydrates as fat and you will gain your weight right back again. This is a pattern I have seen many times over the years, especially living in an area where juice fasting is often thought of as “healthy” and recommended in circumstances when it should not be.
It is possible to lose weight naturally while incorporating healthy fruits and vegetables. However, these fruits and vegetables need to be eaten in their whole food form so that you can also benefit from the other parts of the foods – such as the fiber. People attempting to lose weight on a juice fast or liquid diet can experience the following:
- Gas
- Nausea
- Electrolyte imbalances
- Bloating
- Diarrhea
- Headaches
- Weight gain
Be smart about your health and be sure to ask your Naturopathic Medical Doctor about the most effective way to lose weight and keep it off. In general, the doctors at Hoffman Medical Group, and Tru Health Medicine in Santa Rosa do not recommend Juice Fasting or any Liquid Diet.
You can learn more about The Hoffman Medical Group by calling: 707-292-8882
The doctors offer their weight loss programs in the following areas: Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Sebastopol, as well as Sonoma and other parts of Sonoma County.