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Who does not want to wake up in the morning full of energy and feeling great? This is what makers of juice cleanses – or juice fasts – promise you: a “reset” for your body. It sounds enticing, especially at the start of a new year.
There are pre-packaged juice plans with everything already mixed and instructions on when to drink what.
Or, if you are willing to put in the effort, you can save some money by switching on your juicer if you’ve got one.
Are juice cleanses really beneficial to health? We asked health experts what exactly juice diets do and how useful they are.

A simple juice cleanse – not to be confused with therapeutic fasting or so-called detox products – generally lasts between two and five days, and no longer than a week.
“During this period, you only drink fruit and vegetable juices,” says Niklas Schwarz, an instructor at the German University of Applied Sciences for Prevention and Health Management in Saarbrücken, Germany.
“In addition can be tea, water and vegetable broth. You eat no solid foods.”
You drink from three to six servings of juice per day, each a mixture of various types of fruits and vegetables. A serving contains 250 to 500 millilitres (8.4 to 16.8 ounces) of juice. “The total amount ranges from 1 to 1 1/2 litres,” Schwarz says.
Juice fasts and keto diet help dad lose 100kg, and his shame at his size
You can start immediately. Some people indulge in their favourite foods the day before, while others avoid foods such as meat and white flour products.
People with a pre-existing medical condition should consult their healthcare provider first, says Antje Gahl, a spokesperson for the German Nutrition Society.
They include those with high blood pressure or disorders of the liver, kidneys or thyroid gland; cancer patients; and diabetics.
“Women who are pregnant or nursing shouldn’t fast either,” Gahl says. “Nor is it suitable for the elderly and children, because they have a high nutrient requirement.”

A juice cleanse is straightforward for healthy people. Both Gahl and Schwarz say it can be the start of an overhaul of your eating habits.
“Then it’s a launch pad that makes changing your diet easier,” says Schwarz.
“The juices provide the body with many vitamins and secondary plant metabolites [substances that help plants survive, but that impart health benefits when consumed] along with minerals and fibre,” says Gahl, adding that the cleanses also lighten your bowels’ workload thanks to the juices’ easy digestibility.
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As to whether they make you feel better, she says it is purely subjective: “Establishing a direct connection is difficult.”
On the negative side, juice cleanses deprive your body of many nutrients, for example proteins and essential fatty acids. “So, in some respects, it’s an unbalanced diet,” she says.
This is why it is important to not do juice cleanses for longer than a week, and to spread the servings over the day rather than drinking everything at once.

“Otherwise, your blood sugar levels will rise relatively high and then quickly fall,” Gahl warns, which can cause an energy slump, not an energy surge.
A one-week juice cleanse usually results in a weight loss of one to 1.5 kilograms (2.2 to 3.3 pounds), and even as much as 3kg to 5kg, depending on your baseline, according to Schwarz.
“It’s not only fat though, but to a large extent the water that you always lose when you start a diet,” he explains. “The drop in digestive tract content reduces your weight too, and the lack of protein intake causes your muscles to break down some protein.”
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So the key to losing weight is to overhaul your diet after you have finished the juice cleanse.
“If you then resume your old eating habits, you’ll regain the weight in a week or two,” Schwarz says.
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How a juice cleanse can help you lose weight and reset your body to usher in healthier eating habits – experts weigh in

Juices provide the body with many vitamins, minerals and fibre and are easy to digest, lightening the bowels’ workload. Photo: Shutterstock

Doing a juice cleanse for up to a week can help you lose weight and pave the way for an overhaul of your eating habits. Photo: Shutterstock

A juice cleanse is straightforward for healthy people, and can be the start of an overhaul of your eating habits. Photo: Shutterstock

A juice cleanse may be supplemented with other liquids, including water, tea and vegetable broth. Photo: Shutterstock

The 36-hour monk fast British PM Rishi Sunak practises: a dietitian reveals how it works, and followers praise its physical and mental rewards

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak follows the 36-hour monk fast that practitioners claim improves digestion, mental clarity and sleep quality, as well as helping with weight loss and food cravings. Photo: EPA-EFE

Manish Bhatt has lost 20kg on the monk fast. He says the weekly practice has also improved his sleep and digestion and led to a greater sense of well-being. Photo: Manish Bhatt

Hong Kong-based dietitian Sally Poon says those who want to try longer fasts such as the 36-hour monk fast should start with shorter cycles of intermittent fasting. Photo: Sally Poon

Danish software engineer Damon Vestervand says the monk fast helps maintain his weight and boost his energy and athletic performance. Photo: Damon Vestervand 

American salon manager Rachel Herrington has done a weekly monk fast and a monthly three-day water-only fast for the past 18 months, and it has benefited her as a powerlifter and bodybuilder. Photo: Rachel Herrington

Manish Bhatt pictured with his wife Himani before he started the monk fast. He has since lost about 20kg. Photo: Manish Bhatt

Jia Ling’s weight loss journey: how YOLO actress-director shed more than 50kg through a 2-week diet cycle and intermittent fasting

Jia Ling shed over 50kg (110 pounds) in a year for her role in the hit movie YOLO. How? Afterwards the Chinese actress revealed the diet plan she followed, and other steps she took,  to lose the weight. Photo: Sony Pictures

Jia at the premiere of her film YOLO, which means “You Only Live Once”, in Beijing, China. Photo: Getty Images

Eggs feature in all three meals on day two of the diet. Photo: Shutterstock

A still from YOLO. Photo: Weibo

Day five’s lunch features chicken breast. Photo: Shutterstock

Eat oatmeal for breakfast on day seven. Photo: Shutterstock

Have sea bass on day 10. Photo: Shutterstock

She could hardly climb stairs, so she lost 34kg in 14 months: how a Singapore executive’s family holiday became ‘a now or never moment’

Jessie Lim 14 months ago (left) and today, after shedding 34kg in 14 months. Photo: Jessie Lim/Ultimate Performance

Jessie Lim with her husband. The Singaporean executive and mother of two decided she had to lose weight, and shed 34kg in 14 months through dietary changes and exercise, in the process dropping five dress sizes. Photo: Jessie Lim

Jessie Lim before her fitness journey (left) and afterwards. She had never entered a gym before committing to losing weight. Photo: Jessie Lim/Ultimate Performance

Lim and her personal trainer, Saydul Hasbi, at Ultimate Performance in Singapore. Photo: Ultimate Performance

Lim and her family on holiday in Freiburg, Germany, in 2021. Photo: Jessie Lim

Jessie Lim, her husband and two children in Barcelona, Spain, in December 2023 after she embarked on a weight-loss programme and went from 85kg to 51kg in 14 months. Photo: Jessie Lim

“Friends tell me I look 20 years younger. My doctor said that I not only look good, I look strong as well,” says Lim. Photo: Jessie Lim/Ultimate Performance

Lim and her husband at Stonehenge, in the UK, in August 2022. Photo: Jessie Lim

Lifestyle

Health & Wellness

Health

Food & Drink

Drinking only fruit and vegetable juices, water, tea and vegetable broth for a couple of days to up to a week can be the launch of better eating habits
You may lose a kilogram or more – but it will mostly be water weight, expert warns; if you do not change how and what you eat, it will pile back on


Just juice and water? Some say a cleanse will do your body good. Some say it deprives your body of nutrients. We ask experts about the benefits and drawbacks.


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