Juices can be part of a balanced diet that helps you achieve a moderate weight, but juice itself doesn't have a special capacity to burn fat or eliminate toxins, as some people may claim. However, some juices may have fewer calories than other beverages, such as soda or energy drinks. There's no formal research to support the idea that juices help you lose weight. Juicing is the process by which juice is extracted from fresh fruits and vegetables.
The juice contains most of the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants found in whole fruits. Some people say that drinking juice is better than eating whole fruits because the body can absorb more nutrients from the juice and the digestive system doesn't have to work as hard to digest the juice. Since weight loss comes down to eating fewer calories than you consume and juices severely restrict calories, juices can help you lose weight, at least in the short term, Caspereo says. However, a nutritionist at the University of California, Los Angeles says that a juice-based cleanse (sometimes referred to as juice) probably isn't the quick fix you're looking for.
What do experts think about juices for weight loss and, more specifically, the claims that juices are cleansing? Juice diets, specifically, last one to three days, Caspero says, although rarely do people drink juice for up to 14 days. Because juices eliminate fiber, a prebiotic that promotes gut health, prolonged fasting with juices could negatively alter the gut microbiome. Making juice involves squeezing the pulp out of vegetables and fruits to remove the fiber, which is left in the juice machine, explains Caspero. The most common type is juice fasting, in which people replace their meals with squeezed fruits and vegetables.
However, while juices may be rich in some nutrients, drinking juice exclusively isn't a healthy and sustainable way to lose weight.
