A fairly common complaint in pediatric offices is toddlers’ diarrhea, which is often caused by overconsumption of fruit juice.
  

Some enterprising soul found they could market this childhood ailment to women by calling it a “juice cleanse” and making spectacular health claims:

“A juice cleanse will jump-start your diet!”

It’s hard to imagine a more effective way to sabotage an exercise program or eating plan designed to create a small, sustainable calorie deficit, than by kicking it all off with a period of profound undernourishment that will leave you starving and weak.

“A cleanse is a great way to get back into healthy eating habits”

Fasting requires the mental fortitude to suppress hunger. Mindful eating requires enhanced awareness of the body’s hunger and satiety signals. These are entirely opposite disciplines; fasting is not a shortcut to healthy eating habits. Also, purging is purging, whether it comes from the produce section or the laxative aisle. Vitamins and chlorophyll and superfruit labels don’t make it any less disordered. 

  

“Juices boost your immunity!”

Look, fruits and vegetables are unarguably good for you. But you know what’ll suppress your immune system? STARVATION.

“blah blah blah detox!!”

Just stop talking. Unless you’re currently hooked up to a dialysis machine, your liver and kidneys are doing a perfectly admirable job of clearing toxins from your bloodstream. The liquid torrent pouring from your anus isn’t removing stored toxins from your body; you’ve just confused poisoning with constipation. 

If you like juice, go ahead and drink it, but eat some food too, in appropriate quantities for your level of activity. If you’ve overeaten and feel bad about it, juice cleansing only propagates the binge-and-restrict cycle. You don’t need to do penance for dietary sins by sucking down (and then excreting) gallons of green liquid; just use the energy you’ve consumed to engage in some exercise you enjoy, and make better choices tomorrow. And if you still have the urge to indulge in a common childhood illness marketed as a heathy-living purification ritual, can I interest you in artisanal lice hand-harvested from organically raised Tibetan yaks? You’ll burn tons of calories vigorously cleansing every human, animal, and surface in your home for days on end. But at least you won’t be hungry.