Intestinal flora, ravenous appetite, muscle loss: the most common stumbling blocks and what you can do instead without going crazy in everyday life
Lent is here, and suddenly they're everywhere again: juice cures. Many people feel lighter, clearer, "cleansed" afterwards. I totally understand why this is tempting. But from a gut health perspective, I have a few clear reservations.
In this episode, you'll find out:
👉 why juice fasting steals fiber from your microbiome, which it desperately needs as food
👉 why "juice only" can have an unfavorable impact on diversity in the gut
👉 why lots of fructose spikes blood sugar quickly, and then often leads to cravings
👉 why weight loss is often water (keyword: glycogen stores)
👉 why juice fasting tends to be an additional stressor for many people in stressful everyday life
👉 why you also get the "reset effect" without living liquid for 5 days
My conclusion: Many positive effects don't come from juicing, but from cutting out alcohol, sugar, snacks and convenience foods. And from the psychological reset.
Juice fasting disadvantages: Why juice cures often take more from your gut than they give
Lent, supermarkets, pallets full of juice bottles. And yes, I admit it: I understand the appeal. A few days of clear rules, no thinking, no cooking, just "go for it". Many people report less bloating, better skin, weight loss and mental clarity.
The only question is: is it really from the juice?
Or is it from suddenly not drinking alcohol for 5 days, not snacking on sugar, not eating convenience foods and giving your digestive system a break?
I'm a fan of fasting. I really am. But I'm critical of juice fasts from a gut perspective. Here are the main reasons.
1) No fiber: The microbiome stays hungry
When juicing, fiber is lost to a large extent. But it is precisely this fiber that feeds your gut bacteria. If you leave them out, this can:
- reduce the diversity in your gut
- reduce the formation of short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate, which are important for the intestinal mucosa
People on juice diets in particular often already have digestive issues. And then it's kind of ironic when the very thing that stabilizes the intestinal barrier in the long term is missing. There is even evidence that "juice only" can have unfavorable effects after just a few days. can promote shifts in the microbiome.
2) Lots of sugar, little brake: blood sugar and cravings
Many juice diets consist largely of fruit and fruit juice. Without protein and fat as a "brake", blood sugar rises quickly. And that can mean
- more insulin, greater fluctuations
- more ravenous appetite
- for some, more inflammation, more restlessness
If you absolutely want to drink juice, my tip would be: vegetable juice instead of fruit juice, and not liters of fruit in liquid form.
3) Weight loss: often water, sometimes muscle mass
The quick effect on the scales feels spectacular. However, part of this is simple physics: when glycogen stores are depleted, water is lost. What's more, the body is more likely to break down muscle mass if there is very little protein. In the long term, this is counterproductive for losing weight because muscles are your "fat-burning machine".
4) Reset without learning: juice diets are rarely sustainable
For many people, juice fasting is a break, but not a reset. You don't learn:
- how to eat your fill in a gut-friendly way
- how to structure your everyday life
- how not to go back to "now more than ever" eating afterwards
And yes, after a few days of eating only liquids, the need for "I need something real now" can become quite loud.
5) Everyday life vs. time out: juice fasting is often additional stress
Fasting is a stress stimulus. It can be useful if you set it consciously, with rest, sleep, walks and few appointments. But in a busy working day, it can backfire: more cortisol, less resilience, and then "detox" becomes more like "holding out with gritted teeth".
6) Chewing, vagus, bile: three underestimated factors
More happens when you eat than just "calories in". When you chew:
- saliva is produced, digestive enzymes are activated
- the vagus nerve receives the signal "relaxation, digestion is running"
- >fat releases bile, which is important for some digestive processes
With juice, the danger is great: drink, down, go on. And the whole part is missing.
7) Pasteurized and bought ready-made: not the same as fresh
Many commercial juices are pasteurized. This is not "bad" per se, but it is simply no longer "pure nature".
If someone really wants to juice, then "home-made" would at least be more controllable (more vegetables, less fruit).
My conclusion: the effect is often the omission, not the juice
Many positive effects occur because you juice for a few days:
- Reduce alcohol, sugar, snacks, convenience foods
- Eat less, eat less often
- give your bowels a break
- have clear mental rules
You don't need a juice diet for this.
The alternative that I really recommend: 21 days detox + intermittent fasting
If you want the reset, but in a way that's suitable for everyday life, then our 21-day detox and
intermittent fasting program is the better route:
- you get recipes that fill you up
- you learn principles that you can use in the long term
- you can integrate intermittent fasting without going to extremes
- optional topics such as enemas, colon hydrotherapy and support for elimination are also included (if this suits you)
And: I'll be supporting the program again this time via our community with a forum, regular tips and planned live calls.
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