The Bachelor’s Bella Varelis has raised eyebrows by promoting a questionable juice diet that promises to ‘detoxify’ the body.
The influencer is currently on her third day of the fad diet, and took to Instagram on Thursday to give her fans an update.
In her video, Bella explained that she’d been restricting her diet to juices, soups and smoothies in an attempt to ‘detoxify her body of bad habits’ including binge eating.
‘have a really bad relationship with food and I needed to give my body a detox and a reset to, you know, rid the toxins of my body and find some mental clarity,’ said Bella, who does not have any medical qualifications.
Bella said she’s already seen a positive change, telling fans: ‘I don’t think I’ve woken up with this much energy in and no anxiety in quite literally years.’
‘I feel really good. And I’m not craving anything bad for tomorrow,’ she added.
Bella also insisted that juice cleanses are ‘not about starving your body’, and pointed out that she even indulged in an apple and some walnuts n the first day.
While juice cleanse brands claim that their diets can help customers lose weight, clear toxins and improve their complexion, there is very little research to support this.
The Bachelor ‘s Bella Varelis raised eyebrows on Thursday by promoting a questionable juice diet that promises to ‘detoxify’ the body
In fact, many dieticians say these diets are unhealthy can can cause damage to the body.
Speaking to Body + Soul, Accredited Practicing Dietitian, Kathryn Hawkins, said juice cleanses ‘are not actually a healthy thing to do’.
In fact, Ms Hawkins said while the body may appear slimmer during the cleanse, the juices are actually leading to water loss and can cause your ‘muscles to waste’.
Posting to Instagram, Bella explained that she’d been restricting her diet to juices, soups and smoothies in an attempt to ‘detoxify her body of bad habits’ including binge eating
This is due to the juices being low in protein and complex carbs – two things we need regularly in our diet.
‘You can appear lighter and smaller as muscles are atrophying,’ she said.
Not only this, but the cleanses can also cause you to crash and have mood fluctuations as they ‘spike your blood sugar levels’.
Bella also insisted that juice cleanses are ‘not about starving your body’, and pointed out that she even indulged in an apple and some walnuts n the first day
And when it comes to the ‘detoxing’ part, Ms Hawkins said our bodies simply don’t need it.
Instead, healthy food choices are a better option for detoxing, with Ms Hawkins encouraging people to ditch sugar-heavy foods, fried foods and processed foods and replace them with fresh fruit, veggies, proteins and wholegrains.
Australian dietitian, Susie Burrell, has also weighed in on this issue and said while there is ‘nothing technically wrong with a juice detox’ compared to ‘toxic weight loss programs’, there is an issue with them on a nutritional level.
While juice cleanse brands claim that their diets can help customers lose weight , clear toxins and improve their complexion, there is very little research to support this. (Stock picture)
‘If followed for a short (3-5 day) period, you will drop a couple of kg and feel lighter and more energised as a result. The biggest issue nutritionally is that fruit juice in particular is packed full of sugar, up to 30-40g or 6-8 teaspoons per glass,’ Susie said.
‘As such, drinking large volumes of fruit based juice plays havoc with both glucose and insulin levels long term.’
Susie ultimately agreed with Ms Hawkins with her stance on the cleanses and said all in all, they are ‘inadequate in essential nutrients including protein to be followed for long periods of time’.
