It would seem that juice cleanses have reached the status of high fashion. Need to lose a few inches around the waistline? Need a quick cure for the chocolate chip cookie cravings? If you have enough money you can have designer juices brought straight to your house. Sounds perfect doesn’t it?

Earlier this spring a writer at Elle magazine researched the juice cleanse craze by trying it herself. She called her excitement “juice mania” and was thrilled by sluggish feelings brought on by the detoxification process (though her gurus don’t like the word detox as it’s too trendy.) She doesn’t mention consulting a health professional before beginning her cleanse, but she did consult one after going too long and too far with her “juice mania” and getting sick.

Mania, I guess, is a good word for the mentality that gets us into these situations. We buy into the hype, believing we can achieve perfection and look like a celebrity in a matter of days. It’s not the juice’s fault if we get sick. We forget that prior to 5 days of eating healthy we’ve stuffed our bodies full of junk food gradually, day, by day for months, even years.

A juice cleanse should be approached with careful planning and clear objectives. Take it slow. The turtle wins the race. Do some research and get a reference book. Talk to a health professional. High fashion comes and goes. You want your health to stay.

You can read her full article here.