Whether you want to lose weight, heal your organs, or rid your body of toxins, it seems that there's always a juice cleanse for whatever ails you. While the science behind these cleanses is dubious about their long-term effects, many people can benefit from a detox regimen here and there.
That said, because these cleansing programs can be pretty intense, they can have various adverse side effects. Before starting any juice detox diet, you need to know what to expect. That way, you can mitigate any potential downsides so that you'll always feel your best. So, with that in mind, let's look at some of the most common reactions to juice cleanses (i.e., headaches) and what you can do about them.
Table of Contents
What is a Juice Cleanse?
A juice cleanse is often billed as a way to detoxify your body. You ingest a wide array of chemicals and preservatives from various foods and other products, so a juice cleanse can help you get rid of them. At least, so they claim.
Realistically, your body is already pretty good at removing toxins - after all, that's what your liver and gallbladder are for. That said, following a juice cleanse diet can add a lot of vitamins and minerals that you may otherwise be lacking, which can help your body work more efficiently. For example, drinking beet juice adds antioxidants to your system, while apple juice can provide vital flavonoids and polyphenols.
Another primary advantage of a juice detox is that you can start to identify any foods that may cause adverse reactions. For example, you might be allergic to dairy or gluten and not realize it. By going on a detox program, you can slowly reintroduce foods and see how your body reacts. From there, you can adjust your regular diet accordingly.
What Side Effects Can Happen From Juice Cleanses?
With so many detox regimens out there, it's hard to know where to begin. First, you want to be careful of any juice cleanses that promise life-changing results. Typically, these programs last anywhere from a couple of days to about a week or so - not enough time for lasting changes. So, if a 3-day juice cleanse recipe promises a flatter tummy or healed organs, you need to take those claims with a grain of salt.
Regardless, going from your regular diet to a juice detox can be a shock to your system. Depending on the severity of the program, you might experience various detox symptoms. Let's break each one down, including why it happens and what you can do to prevent it.
Headaches
In most cases, people can report headaches in the first couple of days after starting a new juice fast. In some instances, these headaches may be a relatively mild, dull pain. Other times, they can be pretty severe and might require pain relief medication. No matter what, a sudden onset headache is nothing to ignore as it could get pretty disruptive.
Why It Happens
There are quite a few reasons why you might experience a juice cleansing headache. Usually, it's a result of changing your diet so drastically. Your body tends to adapt to your routine, so any sudden changes can throw it for a loop. For example, if you switch from processed food to cold-pressed juice, you may experience a bigger shock. Some typical reasons why you might get a headache include:
- Caffeine Withdrawal - If you're used to drinking several cups of coffee (or energy drinks) per day, quitting cold turkey can cause both dizziness and headaches as your brain struggles to adjust to the change.
- Dehydration - We'll talk more about dehydration later, but your brain needs a lot of water to function correctly. If you're not drinking enough, your brain will let you know.
- Sugar Withdrawal - Refined sugar is an addictive substance. In many cases, it can be as addictive as hard drugs like nicotine or cocaine. While you will get some sugar from fresh fruit and vegetable ingredients, your body might crave more. When juice fasting, you need to pay close attention to your blood sugar levels.
- Hormone Imbalances - Your diet has a profound impact on everything from your mood to your energy levels. If your nutrient intake is off-balance, it could throw your hormones out of whack. When that happens, you might experience headaches and other pains throughout your body.
How to Prevent It
Once you determine the precise nature of your juice cleanse headache, you can take steps to relieve the pain and pressure. Typically, the best way to avoid this kind of headache is to:
- Drink More Water - Hydration is a critical factor for your overall health.
- Exercise - You don't want to go too hard on exercise during a juice cleanse, but don't get complacent or lazy. Movement helps your blood flow to and from the brain, which can alleviate headaches.
- Taper Off Caffeine and Sugar - If you drink a lot of caffeine or eat a lot of sugar, don't cut them out all at once. Slowly reduce your intake so that you can avoid the worst withdrawal symptoms.
Fatigue
Your body needs calories, fat, and protein to thrive. During a juice cleanse, you remove all three from your diet. While a couple of days shouldn't be too bad, you need to be careful if your detox regimen lasts a week or more. Since you're not replenishing your body's natural energy stores, you'll feel tired and sluggish.
In some cases, people report extra energy when going on a juice cleanse. But, it depends on the person and their diet before and after the program. If you usually eat heavy, fatty foods, a cleanse can make you feel less bloated, which provides a little more pep in your step.
Why it Happens
If you drop your daily calorie count substantially during a juice detox, your body will struggle to keep its energy levels up. Also, if you drink caffeine regularly and cut it down during the program, doing so can make you feel lethargic too.
Your fatigue level will depend on various factors, such as age, activity level, metabolism, and what your diet was like before the cleanse. As we mentioned, some people might feel more energized during their detox.
How to Prevent It
Before starting a liquid diet cleanse, you should have a clear objective in mind. Do you want to lose a couple of pounds or reset your body's internal systems by eating super clean and healthy for a few days? Either way, there's no reason to get too extreme with a detox regimen.
The best way to avoid fatigue is to keep your calorie counts close to what they usually are. That said, you need to pay attention to your fat and fiber intake as well. Both ingredients can help you feel full for longer, which can mitigate the next side effect we'll be discussing: stomach pain.
Stomach Pain
As we mentioned, your body likes to keep itself in a constant state of equilibrium. Your stomach is the same way. As you ingest various foods, your digestive tract learns how to process them as efficiently as possible. Once you throw that system out of whack with a juice cleanse, your stomach can deliver some pretty dramatic reactions, including bloating, pain and discomfort.
Why it Happens
The main reason you might experience stomach pain during a juice detox is that your digestive system is craving food. If you reduce your calorie intake significantly, your stomach doesn't know until it's too late. For example, if you typically eat lunch at the same time every day, your stomach starts producing acid to digest that food before it hits your mouth. If you skip that meal, you'll have extra acid that won't get used.
Another reason for stomach pain from a juice cleanse program is that you're not getting the proper nutrient balance. Since these regimens cut fiber and fat from your diet, your body may not adjust quickly.
How to Prevent It
If the pain stems from hunger, you can try consuming calories more frequently throughout the day. Instead of three full meals, you can drink five or six juices at regular intervals. This way, your stomach can keep processing calories and nutrients and won't feel empty for too long.
If the pain comes from a nutrient imbalance, you might want to add some different foods to the cleansing program. Overall, there is a bit of trial and error when doing these detox diets. What works for one person might not work for another, so you might have to experiment a few times to get it right.
Dehydration
Water is an essential part of your body. In fact, you're made of up to 70 percent water at all times. So, not drinking enough can have serious consequences, including fatigue, headaches, and other aches and pains. Other symptoms of dehydration can be chapped lips, mental fog, dizziness, cottonmouth, and a loss of skin elasticity.
Why it Happens
Although fruits and veggies contain water, they don't have enough to hydrate your body. So, even though you're only drinking your calories, you're still not getting enough H2O in your system. Not only that, but if you experience diarrhea during a juice cleanse (more on that next), you could lose even more water.
How to Prevent It
The simplest way to avoid dehydration is to drink more fluids. Add water to your fresh juice and drink a few glasses between meals. Yes, you'll wind up going to the bathroom more often, but that's a good thing. Frequent urination means that you're well hydrated. If you're struggling to drink water, try herbal tea during your master cleanse.
Diarrhea
When your digestive system works correctly, you should have soft yet firm stools. As your body absorbs nutrients, it leaves waste, which moves through your intestines until you evacuate yourself. Diarrhea can have many causes, but the core reason it happens is that something is disrupting your digestion. For example, certain viruses and bacteria can cause diarrhea because your body is trying to flush them out as quickly as possible, so your food doesn't get digested as thoroughly as usual.
Why it Happens
When drinking juice during a detox program, you're eating few (if any) solid foods. Because of this, only liquid moves through your digestive system. During the first day or so, you'll still have leftover food in your intestines, so you shouldn't notice diarrhea immediately. After the second or third day, only raw juice is left, making trips to the bathroom less enjoyable.
How to Prevent It
Realistically, the only way to avoid juice cleanse diarrhea is to ingest solid foods as well as juice. You can also mitigate the effects by eating a lot before starting your cleanse so that more food is in your intestines before you clear them out. Otherwise, diarrhea is relatively unavoidable, particularly for detox programs that last more than three days.
Bottom Line: Juice Responsibly to Avoid the Worst Side Effects
Although a juice cleanse can yield some positive side effects, you don't want to rush into anything too extreme. As we mentioned, there will be some trial and error to figure out which recipes can deliver the best results. Some people prefer green drink juices, while others like the taste of exotic fruits and vegetables. Overall, remember that a juice cleanse is a temporary program, so don't feel like you have to get it right the first time.
Sources:
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/Press_releases/2004/09_29_04.html
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320464#can-sugar-cause-a-headache
https://www.healthline.com/health/hormonal-headaches#causes
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dehydration/symptoms-causes/syc-20354086
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