Juice fasting, or juice cleansing, is a way to detoxify your body and lose weight while drinking combinations of nutrient-dense fruit and vegetable juices. The reason this type of diet works for weight loss is because it causes you to reduce your caloric intake greatly. However, only consuming fruit and vegetable juice but nothing else for 10 days deprives your body of vital nutrients like protein, fiber, and fat, which isn't healthy. Therefore, it's best to follow a well-balanced, reduced-calorie diet and work healthy juices into your meal plan.
Risks and Side Effects
Numerous risks and side effects are associated with a 10-day juice fast. This type of fast is a very low-calorie diet (800 calories or less daily), which is only safe while you are under medical supervision. Your menus will be deficient in protein, fat, and certain vitamins and minerals. Likewise, you may experience tiredness, frequent urination, constipation, diarrhea, headaches, dizziness, nausea, and mental fatigue if you follow the diet for 10 days. If you do decide to go ahead with any juice fast, consult your doctor before, during, and after the fast.
Sample 10-Day Juice Fast Menu
Numerous resources are available to help you choose a juice recipe to use in your meal plan. Pick at least one fruit or vegetable and add your selections to a juicer with water. If you do choose to do a juice fast, select different combinations of fruits and veggies (of all different colors) to use for weight loss juices to make sure you're getting a variety of vitamins and minerals during your fast.
The following sample menus are typical when following 10-day juice fast diets. Serving sizes are generally 1 to 2 cups at each meal and snack, and total calories will range from 600 to 800 calories.
Day 1
- Breakfast: Apple beet juice
- Snack: Carrot apple juice
- Lunch: Cucumber celery carrot juice
- Snack: Pear beet juice
- Dinner: Carrot beet ginger juice
Day 2
- Breakfast: Celery carrot spinach juice
- Snack: Mango apple juice
- Lunch: Apple cucumber kale juice
- Snack: Orange cucumber juice
- Dinner: Carrot sweet potato juice
Day 3
- Breakfast: Pear carrot juice
- Snack: Strawberry orange juice
- Lunch: Apple celery spinach juice
- Snack: Melon ginger juice
- Dinner: Apple pumpkin juice
Day 4
- Breakfast: Pear beet juice
- Snack: Mango apple juice
- Lunch: Cucumber celery carrot juice
- Snack: Orange cucumber juice
- Dinner: Carrot sweet potato juice
Day 5
- Breakfast: Strawberry orange juice
- Snack: Apple celery spinach juice
- Lunch: Carrot apple juice
- Snack: Celery carrot spinach juice
- Dinner: Carrot beet ginger juice
Day 6
- Breakfast: Apple cucumber kale juice
- Snack: Apple beet juice
- Lunch: Pear carrot juice
- Snack: Melon ginger juice
- Dinner: Apple pumpkin juice
Day 7
- Breakfast: Orange cucumber juice
- Snack: Apple beet juice
- Lunch: Carrot beet ginger juice
- Snack: Mango apple juice
- Dinner: Cucumber celery carrot juice
Day 8
- Breakfast: Melon ginger juice
- Snack: Strawberry orange juice
- Lunch: Pear carrot juice
- Snack: Carrot sweet potato juice
- Dinner: Apple cucumber kale juice
Day 9
- Breakfast: Apple pumpkin juice
- Snack: Pear beet juice
- Lunch: Apple celery spinach juice
- Snack: Carrot apple juice
- Dinner: Apple cucumber kale juice
Day 10
- Breakfast: Carrot beet ginger juice
- Snack: Pear beet juice
- Lunch: Carrot sweet potato juice
- Snack: Strawberry orange juice
- Dinner: Celery carrot spinach juice
Benefits
Following a 10-day juice fast leads to rapid weight loss, which is a benefit if you're overweight or obese and are at risk for health complications related to obesity. You could lose up to 5 pounds per week on this plan. Likewise, you may have more energy overall after losing weight. If you choose a variety of fruits and vegetables in your juicing menu, you'll be ingesting lots of vitamins and minerals.
Healthier Alternatives
To reap the benefits of a juice fast without the risks and side effects, simply follow the diet for just one or two days instead of 10 -- or complement the juice fast with other healthy foods, eating at least 1,200 calories daily.
1,200-Calorie Plan
Using a well-balanced 1,200-calorie plan is a safer way of losing weight. Eating just 1,200 calories daily is an effective weight loss strategy for many women, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Men will lose weight with 1,200-calorie plans as well, but often require slightly more calories to shed pounds at a safe rate. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015 show the following as a nutritious, well-balanced 1,200-calorie daily meal plan:
- 1.5 cups of vegetables (or vegetable juice)
- 1 cup of fruit (or fruit juice)
- 4 ounces of grains
- 2.5 cups of dairy foods
- 3 ounces of protein foods
- 4 teaspoons of oils
Sample 1,200-Calorie Meal Plan
Using the Dietary Guidelines 2015 as a guide, the following is a sample meal plan you can use to create safe, healthy juice fast weight loss menus:
- Breakfast: 1 cup of fruit or vegetable juice, 2 ounces of grains, 1 ounce of protein, and 1 teaspoon of oils
- Snack: 1 cup of dairy
- Lunch: 1 cup of fruit or vegetable juice, 1 ounce of grains, 1 ounce of protein, and 1 teaspoon of oils
- Snack: 1.5 cups of dairy
- Dinner: 1 cup of fruit or vegetable juice, 1 ounce of grains, 1 ounce of protein, and 2 teaspoons of oils
Sample 1,200-Calorie Menus
Using the sample 1,200-calorie meal plan above, the following are sample well-balanced juice fast menus:
Day One
- Breakfast: 1 cup fruit/vegetable juice, 1 cup of oatmeal topped with 1/3 ounce of sliced almonds, and two egg whites
- Snack: 1 cup of nonfat Greek yogurt
- Lunch: 1 cup fruit/vegetable juice, and one slice of whole grain bread topped with 1 ounce of tuna and 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise
- Snack: 1.5 cups of protein-fortified almond milk or soy milk
- Dinner: 1 cup of fruit/vegetable juice, 1 ounce of salmon, ½ cup of cooked quinoa, and 2 teaspoons of olive oil
Day Two
- Breakfast: 1 cup of whole-grain cereal, 1 cup of low-fat milk, and 1 ounce of walnuts
- Snack: 1 cup of fruit/vegetable juice
- Lunch: 1 cup of fruit/vegetable juice, 1 ounce of tofu, ½ cup of cooked brown rice, 1 cup of leafy greens, and 1 tablespoon of Italian salad dressing
- Snack: 1.5 cups of cottage cheese
- Dinner: 1 cup of fruit/vegetable juice, 1 ounce of grilled chicken, 1/2 cup of whole-grain pasta with seasoning of your choice, and 2 teaspoons of olive oil
Day Three
- Breakfast: 1 cup of fruit/vegetable juice, 1 English muffin, 2 egg whites, and 1 teaspoon of trans-fat free margarine
- Snack: 1.5 cups of soy milk or protein-fortified almond milk
- Lunch: 1 cup of fruit/vegetable juice, one slice of whole-grain bread topped with 1 ounce of lean turkey and 1 slice of reduced-fat cheese
- Snack: 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt
- Dinner: 1 cup of fruit/vegetable juice, one small tortilla with ¼ cup of cooked beans, and 1/3 of an avocado, sliced
Day Four
- Breakfast: 1 cup of fruit/vegetable juice, one mini bagel, and 1.5 tablespoons of nut butter
- Snack: Reduced-fat cheese stick
- Lunch: 1 cup of fruit/vegetable juice, 1/2 turkey burger, 1/2 whole-wheat hamburger bun, and 1/6 avocado
- Snack: 1.5 cups of cottage cheese
- Dinner: 1 cup of fruit/vegetable juice, ¼ cup of lentils, ½ cup of cooked couscous, and 2 teaspoons of olive oil
Day Five
- Breakfast: 1 cup of fruit/vegetable juice, 1 cup of cooked quinoa, and 1 ounce of pumpkin seeds
- Snack: 1 cup of soy yogurt or regular yogurt
- Lunch: 1 cup of fruit/vegetable juice, 1/2 veggie burger, 1/2 whole-grain bun, and 1/6 avocado
- Snack: 1.5 cup of protein-fortified almond milk or soy milk
- Dinner: 1 cup of fruit/vegetable juice, 1 ounce of shrimp, ½ cup of whole-grain pasta with seasoning of your choice, and 2 teaspoons of olive oil
Juice Fasts
The bottom line is that completing a 10-day juice fast means you should be monitored by a healthcare provider, and drinking only juice for 10 days isn't very healthy. However, you can still include a variety of healthy juices in well-balanced, reduced-calorie weight loss menus containing at least 1,200 calories per day. Or, try the juice fast for just one or two days instead of 10.
