Juice cleanes are becoming more and more popular. But are they safe? INSIDE EDITION has the story.
Anne Vincent is on day two of a four-day cleanse. INSIDE EDITION caught up with the events director at Jim Mannino Public Relations as she drank a juice made of green apple, lemon, ginger and cayenne pepper, one of six juices that she'll have today instead of solid foods. "So this will be lunch!" she said, pouring herself a glass.
"It just makes everything feel really much healthier," she said. "Your skin feels so much better, plumper, and fresher, and you're just really detoxing the system."
Some of Hollywood's hottest bodies are big fans of juice cleanses. Beyoncé did the master cleanse: a mixture of lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper and water for 10 days. Gwyneth Paltrow endorses a cleanse on her website. It involves juices like a carrot, kale, beets and ginger mixture for up to 21 days!
All this is adding up to a $5 billion industry, but many experts say there's very little scientific evidence that cleansing actually rids the body of toxins. Dietitian Keri Glassman, author of The New You and Improved Diet says cleanses aren't a good long term weight loss solution either.
"The reason you don't want to do a cleanse just for a quick fix weight loss is because it's just that; it's a quick fix, but it doesn't last. You often end up gaining weight, and often even more weight than you lost in the first place."
Jill Larson is the owner of Magic Mix Juicery in New York, which make juices with ingredients like kale, cucumber, and apple in a giant juicer. "I think kale is sexy, but that's just my opinion," she said.
"What you do is you throw whole fruits and vegetables in here that get grinded down into this linen bag," she explains. "Pure nutrients. Liquid nutrition."
But Glassman says you can get the same effects with a healthy diet. "If you're eating a real food diet that includes vegetables, fruit, lean protein, healthy fats, you don't necessarily need to do a specific cleanse."
Something both women can agree on is that having even one of these incredible healthy juices a day as part of a healthy diet is a great idea.
Larson said, "I think juicing should be a part of your life just like brushing your teeth."
