Are Juice Fasts Paleo?

fresh-squeezed-carrot-juice-sm.jpgIn the quest to achieve weight loss or health with a Paleo diet (or any diet, for that matter), the topic of juice fasts often come up. Juicing is popular in weight loss and detox circles, but is it a good idea? Do juice fasts have proven results? Do you need to combine juicing with a Paleo diet to lose weight?

Juice Fasts Are Not Paleo

Paleo is a diet that encourages whole foods, and while eating plenty of vegetables and fruits is an essential part of a Paleo diet, juicing your vegetables and fruits is not. Juicing may include foods that are Paleo, but it is not a Paleo concept. When you do a juice fast, you lose out on the fiber that whole vegetables and fruit contain. While you will still get an infusion of vitamins, you’re also getting the sugars contained in the juices without the fiber that helps it to be digested more slowly. For many, this can cause a spike in blood sugar which can actually make it harder to lose weight.

The cavemen didn’t juice because they didn’t have juicers. They ate whole vegetables and fruits. If you want to dramatically increase your vegetable intake while eating a Paleo diet and you want to increase your odds of losing weight, try making Paleo protein smoothies that also include Paleo fat and plenty of greens. You can also include fruit, too. The benefit of this is that you’re eating a more balanced meal, and the carbs found in the vegetables and fruit will be used slower, helping less to be stored as fat and more to be used as longer energy sources.

How To Detox If You’re Not Juicing

The concept of detoxing is one that intrigues many people who are trying to lose weight, eat for health, or manage chronic conditions. We all want to be healthier and it seems logical that eliminating toxins from our bodies should get us there fast(er). Because detoxing is so popular, we wrote an entire eBook all about it (soon to be published). It explains what real detox is, what you can do to support it, and practical ways that you can make detoxing a lifestyle and not a fad diet. Our eBook, along with our meal and fitness plan programs, are designed to help you achieve real results that last.

You can get a free 14-day trial of our meal plan and fitness plan here.

Aimee McNewAimee McNew

Aimee McNew, MNT, CNTP, is a certified nutritionist who specializes in women’s health, thyroid disorders, autoimmunity, and fertility. She is the author of The Everything Guide to Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis: A Healing Plan for Managing Symptoms Naturally (Simon & Schuster, 2016). Follow her on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.