Posted on August 14, 2014 by Jenny Cromack

I have seen many fad diets come in and out of fashion but the one that is going strong and constantly covers my Facebook news feeds are the liquid diets. I have my views on this and I have had to refrain, numerous times, from sharing these so I have collected numerous information and statistics to explain why liquid diets are not the answer to weight loss.

How To Turn a Good Thing Bad 

Packed with vitamins, minerals and oxidants, juices are renowned as health boosting beverages. Juicing is a convenient way to infuse your diet with healthy plant foods and reach the recommended 9 portions of fruit and veg a day. Juices are a great addition to a normal healthy balanced diet but following a diet were juicing is the majority meal are possibly not as healthy as they sound.

Effects on Blood Sugar Regulation

Juicing removes naturally occurring fibre from foods causing your body to absorb them much quicker than whole fruit or vegetable. This leads to a rapid increase in blood sugar rather than a sustained release of energy. “Diabetes Care” July 2008 found that increasing fruit and vegetable juice intake, as opposed to whole fruit and vegetables , raises your risk of developing diabetes. Sweet fruits and high sugar vegetables like carrots are more likely to spike blood sugar levels when they are juiced and this can cause problems for diabetes and other blood glucose disorders.

Stomach Upsets

Many fruits contain a indigestible sugar called sorbitol which can lead to distress in the digestive system especially when it is juiced into a more concentrated form. Too many liquid juices containing apples, prunes, pears and peaches can lead to stomach cramps, diarrhea and gas.

Weight Gain
Juices–particularly fruit juices–are energy dense, delivering a high dose of calories relative to volume. Coupled with their lack of satiating fiber, juices may encourage excessive calorie intake because they provide concentrated energy without relieving hunger. As a result, frequently juicing your foods may hinder weight-loss efforts or contribute to weight gain, especially when compared to eating fruits and vegetables whole.

The Desired Weight Loss
The main reason people give for following a juice diet is to lose weight. However this rapid weight loss can have very negative consequence. You only have to Google the negative effect of liquids diets and you can see numerous tales of peoples nightmare stories. Medical experts cite a host of possible medical problems associated with juice detox diets. They include loss of important nutrients in the body, which can lead to illness, loss of skin elasticity because of rapid weight loss, and sickness.

Although you initially lose the weight, your weight will YO-YO as soon as you go back onto solid food and ultimately you will put the weight back on.

In short, maintaining a completely liquid diet is detrimental to health and cannot be maintained.“But all the celebrities do it and they look incredible” we hear you argue.The truth is all those celebrities that claim they strictly follow a liquid diet will have nutritionists ensuring they are getting the appropriate nutrients and a personal trainer to keep them working hard.

The Secret to Maintaining Weight Loss
The truth is there is no secret to losing weight and maintaining it. It’s just about eating a healthy balanced diet free from processed foods and exercising regularly. It’s all about a lifestyle change that is achievable in the long term.  You can’t continue eating juiced meals all of your life, firstly it’s not only bad for your health but in the long run it’s going to be boring, make you go insane and impact your social life.

If you are sick of following diets and watching your weight Yo-Yo up and down contact one of the motive8 north Personal Trainers to see how following a personalised nutrition and exercise plan can help you not only achieve your goals but maintain them in the long term.