Fasting is a dangerous and short term diet plan that almost always leads to the weight that was lost being gained back after the regular diet is resumed. There are many risks to the body as the effects of fasting are similar to the side effects that occur in the body once it enters a state of starvation. For these reasons, juice fasts should be avoided – but unfortunately, many dieters still seek juice fasts as a quick fix to their weight loss programs.
Juice fasts restrict food intake to solely liquids for periods of ten to thirty days. The longer that a dieter partakes in the juice fast, the more potential harm that they are doing to their body. It is important to avoid juice fasts if you wish to lose weight. The fact of the matter is, restricting food will not lead to weight loss. Juice fasts are an ineffective and temporary weight loss tool which will only appease those seeking short term results from yo-yo dieting.
Juice fasts are often dubbed detoxifying cleansers for the digestive tract and the body. Although the liquid can often cleanse the digestive tract, juice fasts have not been proven to detoxify the body. The weight loss which is seen in common juice fasts is merely due to the nutritional loss which is experiencing during the period of fasting. Fasting for longer than a period of a few days can lead to harmful side effects occurring – here are some of these potential side effects of a juice fast.
Juice fasts can lead to persistent headaches. Headaches are one of the symptoms associated with fasting for long periods of time. When one fasts the body does not have adequate sources of glucose from the food and therefore a myriad of side effects can occur – headaches are one of these chief side effects and a sure sign of a nutrient imbalance. There are many individuals that suffer from headaches even after missing one meal – these individuals may be especially affected by juice and other types of fasting.
Fasting can lead to muscle loss. Not eating is one of the quickest ways to lose muscle in the body. When you are not providing the body with nutrients, there is one place that the body is sure to find the buildup of nutrients that it requires for energy – the muscles! When the muscles become part of this process the metabolism actually slows. Muscle is one of the key aspects of the metabolism and should be preserved. Juice fasts can deteriorate muscles which can lead to weight gain.
When the body enters the state of fasting and starvation it begins to produce higher amounts of uric acid. Uric acid production has been associated with higher instances of kidney stones. If you are fasting, be sure to hydrate the body to avoid these harmful side effects, or better yet, don’t fast at all!
Are these symptoms and side effects truly worth the temporary weight loss that occurs from the temporary state of starvation that we force upon our bodies?
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