The Latest Craze: Juice Cleanses and, Do they Work?

Juice cleanses—they're the latest celebrity endorsed detox fad to hit the market. While replacing solid foods with a liquid diet to increase weight loss and remove the body of toxins isn't really innovative (colon cleaners have been around forever), many health experts say that at the very least it's a healthier alternative to the “Master Cleanse”—a diet that requires consumers to have nothing more than glasses of water with a dash of maple syrup, cayenne pepper and lemon juice.

While it isn't proven that juice cleanses actually work (some experts even claim they're more trouble than they're worth since they can cause diarrhea and other gastrological problems), if you're going to attempt any kind of cleanse it's best to try a juice cleanse. This is because the fruits and vegetables in the “liquid” provide essential nutrients and vitamins that your body needs to thrive as well as provides adequate calories, so you can still preform your daily tasks without feel so sluggish.

Do note that your body already has “natural” detoxifiers—your liver, kidney and skin—and therefore you shouldn't expect a designer cleanse to create this huge transformation i.e. extreme weight loss. If anything, you need to use the cleanser as a way to jump-start your new motivation to have a lifestyle change and eat all the right foods forever after. Otherwise, going back to your junk-food eating ways will put you in the yo-yo dieter's category, and this type of dieting can actually have long lasting damaging effects.

So, formulate an entire health-plan to stay on track after the cleanse is completed. That said, below are some of the more popular cleanses you may be interested in looking into.

The Blue Print Cleanse

Cost: $58/Day

The Blue Print Cleanse, which is endorsed by Food and Wine magazine, requires its participants to drink one pint of juice, 6 times per day. Each bottle contains about 200 calories and comes in 16 different flavors like pineapple, apple, and mint; cashew nut milk, water, cinnamon and agave; and romaine, celery, cucumber, spinach, kale and parsley. While the drinks are unfortunately low in protein, they are low in fat and loaded with tons of antioxidants.

The iZo Cleanse

Cost: $100/Day

The Izo Cleanse, which is endorsed by actresses Emily Deschanel, Daisy Fuentes, and Patricia Heaton among others, requires its participants to drink one pint of its organic, vegan juice 12 times a day. Ingredients include fresh organic juice, oriental herbal tea and almond milk just to name a few. However, this might not be the best cleanse for those who are unfamiliar with exotic and “grassy” flavors.

The Cooler Cleanse

Cost: $58/Day

Lastly, the Cooler Cleanse,which get its name because the juices are delivered in a cooler filled with ice packs to your doorstep daily.  This cleanse requires its participants to drink six bottles of raw vegan juice and milk which total to about 1,200 to 1,400 calories a day. Again, these drinks are unfortunately low in protein but also low in fat. Some flavors include Grapefruit and Mint, Sweet Greens and Young Coconut Water just to name a few.