January 26, 2025
Why juice cleanses don’t work, the biggest little farm, and yesterday is heavy, put it down.
I’m going to say something that may burst some bubbles…
Juice cleanses DON’T WORK.
At least not as promised.
Now, before I get into the why of the above statement, I want to be explicitly clear, that I am not saying that drinking cold pressed juice is bad, or not good for you.
I’m specifically referring to “juice cleanses”, which I see being promoted everywhere this time of year.
We proudly sell organic cold pressed juice that is freshly pressed, so I am a big believer in its nutritional benefits.
But, what you are about to read is also why we don’t sell “juice cleanses” this time of year.
I drink cold pressed juices myself, as it’s a great way to get a diversity of fruits & veggies in a quick shot that is also far more bioavailable than having to eat and digest the whole foods themselves.
So, I’m all for drinking cold pressed juice as part of your daily nutrition.
However, when it comes to “cleansing” the body, also known as “detoxification”, I do not lean on drinking 4-6 juices a day and expect them to work.
Rather, I fast.
I also do a host of daily or weekly lifestyle hacks/habits that improve your lymphatic system function, your body’s built in system responsible for removing waste products, toxins, and cellular debris.
All of which are essentially free, and certainly won’t cost you $60/day like a juice cleanse.
Okay, let’s dive into why juice cleanses don’t work.
Detoxification 101
The human body detoxifies (cleanses) on its own.
We poop, we pee, we sweat, and when we sleep, our lymphatic system helps our body dump waste products and toxins from the day.
Those who are trying to sell you juice cleanses will say technically true things that make sense like, “we live in a toxic environment, far too toxic in most cases for our body to keep up, therefore, you need to cleanse the body…with juice!”
I actually agree with this sample hypothetical statement, aside from the “you need juice” part.
The reality is, that we do live in a highly toxic world that quite frankly, is bombarding us from many angles, such as microplastics, more synthetic chemicals than we could ever comprehend, glyphosate nasty preservatives in our food, heavy metals, and many more environmental toxins.
No doubt, this can definitely lead to toxic buildup in the body.
Why?
Yes, the body detoxifies on its own, has its own built in mechanisms for detoxification, but it can only do so much. It wasn’t built for the level of toxicity it now faces from environmental factors on a daily basis.
Okay, so we should take time out to cleanse the body from time to time then?
Absolutely, but through fasting, in my opinion, and mostly on a daily basis, through intermittent fasting, and other lifestyle hacks/habits which I will run through at the end.
Again, the body detoxifies on its own when it doesn’t have other things to do like breaking down and digesting food, so to ramp up detoxification, you simply need to let it be and let it do its thing.
Which means…FASTING.
Your liver, kidneys, skin, lymphatic system, et cetera, to focus on detoxification at accelerated levels, can’t be focusing on anything else.
Like digesting food.
The reality is, that yes, you are consuming less calories when drinking juice, and it doesn’t require as much effort to digest and synthesize, but make no bones about it, by drinking juice, especially the amount of juice recommended throughout the day to “cleanse” the body, you are making all your internal organs work on processing and assimilating those calories and nutrients.
That requires work.
Which means your internal organs simply cannot be focused on detoxification at an accelerated level.
Your body has two parts of its autonomic nervous system, (autonomic, meaning autonomous, meaning parts of your central nervous system that work on their own, automatically) the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
The sympathetic nervous system controls your “fight or flight” response to stressors, and the parasympathetic nervous system is considered the “rest & digest” portion of your central nervous system.
With respect to your parasympathetic nervous system, it really should be “rest OR digest”.
Your parasympathetic nervous system is what controls all healing and repair mechanisms in the body. You want this engaged as often and as heavily as possible, especially when sleeping.
Now, remember, this is your autonomic nervous system, and the parasympathetic also controls digestion.
This means that when you put food into your body, and again, it’s undeniable that a cold pressed juice is a food, your body automatically begins digesting it, and assimilating those nutrients.
With respect to a cold pressed juice, yes, those nutrients are much easier to digest and assimilate than say, a double cheeseburger, but nonetheless, that cold pressed juice engages your digestive system.
If your parasympathetic nervous system is engaged in digestion, it’s very difficult for it to be also heavily engaged in the “rest” activities, which include detoxifications, reducing inflammation, boosting immune system function, et cetera.
If you want to accelerate cleansing/detoxification in the body, you need to not be forcing your body to process foods (I would argue small amounts of bone broth may be the only real exception), you need to give your internal organs a break entirely, to allow them to really dig in and do some deep work.
You do this by fasting.
Giving your body a break entirely from any kind of food is how you ramp up your detoxification efforts.
Fasting v. Juice Cleanses
Let’s walk through some of the claims that are made about juice cleanses and compare them to fasting, which is free.
Claim: "Juice cleanses promote detoxification."
Maybe, but show me the science behind that claim because I can't find it.
Even if so, fasting is better, and more effective for the reasons mentioned above.
Claim: "Juice cleanses improve digestion."
Again, maybe a little.
An extended fast (over 24 hours) will not only enhance detoxification efforts dramatically, but it will actually improve the biodiversity and overall population numbers of your gut microbiome, which is something a juice cleanse won’t do.
Claim: "Juice cleanses stabilize blood sugar, increase metabolic flexibility."
Maybe, but cold pressed juices often have sugar in them. Naturally occurring fructose, which is a natural sugar the body is adept at processing better than processed sugar, but nonetheless, probably not a claim that can be fully backed up.
It is undeniable that not eating for an extended period of time is more effective at stabilizing blood sugar and improving metabolic flexibility than drinking 4-6 juices in a day.
Now, let’s look at some pretty remarkable benefits of fasting that go beyond the above, and aren’t even claimed by the juice cleansers.
✔️ Rebuilds and repairs immune system
✔️ Jumpstarts ketosis
✔️ Preserve memory and learning functioning
The Research
I recognize that this has been somewhat of an opinion piece thus far, and I’ve yet to cite any actual research backing my statements up, so here you go.
First, I performed internet searches trying to find hard, clinical research or studies backing up the claims made by those promoting and selling juice cleanses, and I couldn’t find any.
Interestingly enough, I came across tons of ads selling juice cleanses that could be shipped to your house.
I even searched the National Institute of Health and PubMed.
There is plenty of research on some of the long term benefits of drinking cold pressed juice, which again, as I stated in the beginning, I am a total advocate for, however, nothing showing positive, detoxifying benefits of doing actual juice cleanses.
In fact, I did manage to come across one review of multiple studies from the NIH titled “Detoxes” and “Cleanses”: What you Need to Know, and I quote from it:
“A 2015 review concluded that there was no compelling research to support the use of “detox” diets for weight management or eliminating toxins from the body. A 2017 review said that juicing and “detox” diets can cause initial weight loss because of low intake of calories but that they tend to lead to weight gain once a person resumes a normal diet. There have been no studies on long-term effects of “detoxification” programs.”
Now, on the flip side, there is ample hard, scientific research and studies showing the efficacy of fasting, and thus, backing up many of the statements I’ve made above.
Here are just a couple examples:
In a paper published in the “National Library of Medicine” title, Intermittent Fasting: the science of going without they state, “Fasting has been shown to improve biomarkers of disease, reduce oxidative stress and preserve learning and memory functioning.”
Finally, a paper also published in the “National Library of Medicine” titled, The Effect of Fasting on Human Metabolism and Psychological Health states, “Fasting is a prevalent approach to weight loss and is a feasible method for treating some diseases like type 2 diabetes.”
Other Ways to Boost Detoxification
★ Sauna. Working up a good sweat for 15-20 minutes has been shown to reduce inflammation, improve cardiovascular health, and yes, enhance your detoxification efforts.
★ Dry Brushing. Dry brushing is a technique that not only exfoliates the skin, but jumpstarts your lymphatic system, thus, improving your body’s own detoxification mechanisms. CLICK HERE to watch a quick video on it.
★ Rebounding. I actually wrote about rebounding in the very first edition of “The Weekly Thread” in a piece titled, Bringing back the exercise trampoline.
★ Supplement with activated charcoal. Charcoal is a known binder, which means excess toxins, heavy metals, and more will bind to it and be flushed out of your system safely with the charcoal. CLICK HERE to check it out.
I will actually be running an extended 36 Hour Fast (as well as doing one myself) in our private Facebook group called “The Quest” starting this Sunday (01/26) night at 8pm.
If you’re interested in learning more about the benefits of fasting, I do have videos posted in the private group.
I’ve also created a digital guide on Gut Health, and there is a fasting protocol in there that I’ve created and I follow during any fasts I personally do and run, which you can follow any time you want to do a fast if you’d like.
Once you join “The Quest” to view all content and videos related to the benefits of fasting, the fasting protocol, and more, tap the “FEATURED” tab near the top of the group page to find all relevant pinned posts.
Juice cleanses DON’T WORK.
At least not as promised.
Now, before I get into the why of the above statement, I want to be explicitly clear, that I am not saying that drinking cold pressed juice is bad, or not good for you.
I’m specifically referring to “juice cleanses”, which I see being promoted everywhere this time of year.
We proudly sell organic cold pressed juice that is freshly pressed, so I am a big believer in its nutritional benefits.
But, what you are about to read is also why we don’t sell “juice cleanses” this time of year.
I drink cold pressed juices myself, as it’s a great way to get a diversity of fruits & veggies in a quick shot that is also far more bioavailable than having to eat and digest the whole foods themselves.
So, I’m all for drinking cold pressed juice as part of your daily nutrition.
However, when it comes to “cleansing” the body, also known as “detoxification”, I do not lean on drinking 4-6 juices a day and expect them to work.
Rather, I fast.
I also do a host of daily or weekly lifestyle hacks/habits that improve your lymphatic system function, your body’s built in system responsible for removing waste products, toxins, and cellular debris.
All of which are essentially free, and certainly won’t cost you $60/day like a juice cleanse.
Okay, let’s dive into why juice cleanses don’t work.
Detoxification 101
The human body detoxifies (cleanses) on its own.
We poop, we pee, we sweat, and when we sleep, our lymphatic system helps our body dump waste products and toxins from the day.
Those who are trying to sell you juice cleanses will say technically true things that make sense like, “we live in a toxic environment, far too toxic in most cases for our body to keep up, therefore, you need to cleanse the body…with juice!”
I actually agree with this sample hypothetical statement, aside from the “you need juice” part.
The reality is, that we do live in a highly toxic world that quite frankly, is bombarding us from many angles, such as microplastics, more synthetic chemicals than we could ever comprehend, glyphosate nasty preservatives in our food, heavy metals, and many more environmental toxins.
No doubt, this can definitely lead to toxic buildup in the body.
Why?
Yes, the body detoxifies on its own, has its own built in mechanisms for detoxification, but it can only do so much. It wasn’t built for the level of toxicity it now faces from environmental factors on a daily basis.
Okay, so we should take time out to cleanse the body from time to time then?
Absolutely, but through fasting, in my opinion, and mostly on a daily basis, through intermittent fasting, and other lifestyle hacks/habits which I will run through at the end.
Again, the body detoxifies on its own when it doesn’t have other things to do like breaking down and digesting food, so to ramp up detoxification, you simply need to let it be and let it do its thing.
Which means…FASTING.
Your liver, kidneys, skin, lymphatic system, et cetera, to focus on detoxification at accelerated levels, can’t be focusing on anything else.
Like digesting food.
The reality is, that yes, you are consuming less calories when drinking juice, and it doesn’t require as much effort to digest and synthesize, but make no bones about it, by drinking juice, especially the amount of juice recommended throughout the day to “cleanse” the body, you are making all your internal organs work on processing and assimilating those calories and nutrients.
That requires work.
Which means your internal organs simply cannot be focused on detoxification at an accelerated level.
Your body has two parts of its autonomic nervous system, (autonomic, meaning autonomous, meaning parts of your central nervous system that work on their own, automatically) the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
The sympathetic nervous system controls your “fight or flight” response to stressors, and the parasympathetic nervous system is considered the “rest & digest” portion of your central nervous system.
With respect to your parasympathetic nervous system, it really should be “rest OR digest”.
Your parasympathetic nervous system is what controls all healing and repair mechanisms in the body. You want this engaged as often and as heavily as possible, especially when sleeping.
Now, remember, this is your autonomic nervous system, and the parasympathetic also controls digestion.
This means that when you put food into your body, and again, it’s undeniable that a cold pressed juice is a food, your body automatically begins digesting it, and assimilating those nutrients.
With respect to a cold pressed juice, yes, those nutrients are much easier to digest and assimilate than say, a double cheeseburger, but nonetheless, that cold pressed juice engages your digestive system.
If your parasympathetic nervous system is engaged in digestion, it’s very difficult for it to be also heavily engaged in the “rest” activities, which include detoxifications, reducing inflammation, boosting immune system function, et cetera.
If you want to accelerate cleansing/detoxification in the body, you need to not be forcing your body to process foods (I would argue small amounts of bone broth may be the only real exception), you need to give your internal organs a break entirely, to allow them to really dig in and do some deep work.
You do this by fasting.
Giving your body a break entirely from any kind of food is how you ramp up your detoxification efforts.
Fasting v. Juice Cleanses
Let’s walk through some of the claims that are made about juice cleanses and compare them to fasting, which is free.
Claim: "Juice cleanses promote detoxification."
Maybe, but show me the science behind that claim because I can't find it.
Even if so, fasting is better, and more effective for the reasons mentioned above.
Claim: "Juice cleanses improve digestion."
Again, maybe a little.
An extended fast (over 24 hours) will not only enhance detoxification efforts dramatically, but it will actually improve the biodiversity and overall population numbers of your gut microbiome, which is something a juice cleanse won’t do.
Claim: "Juice cleanses stabilize blood sugar, increase metabolic flexibility."
Maybe, but cold pressed juices often have sugar in them. Naturally occurring fructose, which is a natural sugar the body is adept at processing better than processed sugar, but nonetheless, probably not a claim that can be fully backed up.
It is undeniable that not eating for an extended period of time is more effective at stabilizing blood sugar and improving metabolic flexibility than drinking 4-6 juices in a day.
Now, let’s look at some pretty remarkable benefits of fasting that go beyond the above, and aren’t even claimed by the juice cleansers.
✔️ Rebuilds and repairs immune system
✔️ Jumpstarts ketosis
✔️ Preserve memory and learning functioning
The Research
I recognize that this has been somewhat of an opinion piece thus far, and I’ve yet to cite any actual research backing my statements up, so here you go.
First, I performed internet searches trying to find hard, clinical research or studies backing up the claims made by those promoting and selling juice cleanses, and I couldn’t find any.
Interestingly enough, I came across tons of ads selling juice cleanses that could be shipped to your house.
I even searched the National Institute of Health and PubMed.
There is plenty of research on some of the long term benefits of drinking cold pressed juice, which again, as I stated in the beginning, I am a total advocate for, however, nothing showing positive, detoxifying benefits of doing actual juice cleanses.
In fact, I did manage to come across one review of multiple studies from the NIH titled “Detoxes” and “Cleanses”: What you Need to Know, and I quote from it:
“A 2015 review concluded that there was no compelling research to support the use of “detox” diets for weight management or eliminating toxins from the body. A 2017 review said that juicing and “detox” diets can cause initial weight loss because of low intake of calories but that they tend to lead to weight gain once a person resumes a normal diet. There have been no studies on long-term effects of “detoxification” programs.”
Now, on the flip side, there is ample hard, scientific research and studies showing the efficacy of fasting, and thus, backing up many of the statements I’ve made above.
Here are just a couple examples:
In a paper published in the “National Library of Medicine” title, Intermittent Fasting: the science of going without they state, “Fasting has been shown to improve biomarkers of disease, reduce oxidative stress and preserve learning and memory functioning.”
Finally, a paper also published in the “National Library of Medicine” titled, The Effect of Fasting on Human Metabolism and Psychological Health states, “Fasting is a prevalent approach to weight loss and is a feasible method for treating some diseases like type 2 diabetes.”
Other Ways to Boost Detoxification
★ Sauna. Working up a good sweat for 15-20 minutes has been shown to reduce inflammation, improve cardiovascular health, and yes, enhance your detoxification efforts.
★ Dry Brushing. Dry brushing is a technique that not only exfoliates the skin, but jumpstarts your lymphatic system, thus, improving your body’s own detoxification mechanisms. CLICK HERE to watch a quick video on it.
★ Rebounding. I actually wrote about rebounding in the very first edition of “The Weekly Thread” in a piece titled, Bringing back the exercise trampoline.
★ Supplement with activated charcoal. Charcoal is a known binder, which means excess toxins, heavy metals, and more will bind to it and be flushed out of your system safely with the charcoal. CLICK HERE to check it out.
I will actually be running an extended 36 Hour Fast (as well as doing one myself) in our private Facebook group called “The Quest” starting this Sunday (01/26) night at 8pm.
If you’re interested in learning more about the benefits of fasting, I do have videos posted in the private group.
I’ve also created a digital guide on Gut Health, and there is a fasting protocol in there that I’ve created and I follow during any fasts I personally do and run, which you can follow any time you want to do a fast if you’d like.
Once you join “The Quest” to view all content and videos related to the benefits of fasting, the fasting protocol, and more, tap the “FEATURED” tab near the top of the group page to find all relevant pinned posts.
The Biggest Little Farm is a heartwarming documentary that chronicles the journey of John and Molly Chester as they leave city life to pursue their dream of sustainable farming. The film follows their efforts to transform 200 acres of barren land in Ventura County, California, into a thriving, biodiverse ecosystem named Apricot Lane Farms.
Guided by the principles of regenerative agriculture, the Chesters face numerous challenges, including financial struggles, pest infestations, droughts, and wildfires, as they learn to work in harmony with nature.
The documentary highlights the interconnectedness of life, showcasing how each element of the farm—from animals to plants to soil—plays a vital role in achieving balance.
Beautifully shot over eight years, the film celebrates resilience, environmental stewardship, and the power of human determination, offering an inspiring message about the possibility of living sustainably while fostering a deep connection to the natural world.
Click here to see how you can watch “The Biggest Little Farm”, and to learn more.
Guided by the principles of regenerative agriculture, the Chesters face numerous challenges, including financial struggles, pest infestations, droughts, and wildfires, as they learn to work in harmony with nature.
The documentary highlights the interconnectedness of life, showcasing how each element of the farm—from animals to plants to soil—plays a vital role in achieving balance.
Beautifully shot over eight years, the film celebrates resilience, environmental stewardship, and the power of human determination, offering an inspiring message about the possibility of living sustainably while fostering a deep connection to the natural world.
Click here to see how you can watch “The Biggest Little Farm”, and to learn more.
“At night, no matter who you go to bed with, you go to bed with yourself. Hit it head on, or let it slide, either way, that’s where growth takes place.”
-Matthew McConaughey, “Greenlights”
It’s now said that the biggest fear we have as humans, trumping public speaking, is sitting in a room by ourselves, alone with our thoughts, for an extended period of time.
I suspect this is because we don’t do nearly enough of this to begin with, or as I like to call it, internal housecleaning.
To be anxious is to be human, it’s not an affliction, it’s part of the human condition.
Whatever it is that may be haunting you, as McConaughey states, “hit it head on” and address it directly, or genuinely let it go and let God.
The more internal housecleaning we do, the more comfortable we get with the inner cartography of our own mind, and the greater authority you develop over those internal thoughts.
Yesterday is heavy my friends, put it down.
I suspect this is because we don’t do nearly enough of this to begin with, or as I like to call it, internal housecleaning.
To be anxious is to be human, it’s not an affliction, it’s part of the human condition.
Whatever it is that may be haunting you, as McConaughey states, “hit it head on” and address it directly, or genuinely let it go and let God.
The more internal housecleaning we do, the more comfortable we get with the inner cartography of our own mind, and the greater authority you develop over those internal thoughts.
Yesterday is heavy my friends, put it down.
