I've spoken about green juice several times as of late, firstly as a daily habit I advocate in Becoming A Lion Among Sheep, and secondly as a small investment in your health and well-being with Mike Cernovich's Fit Juice Trilogy.
The question I've had as of late though since the release of F.U. Fat is whether I recommend drinking green juice for weight loss, or if beverages (including green juice) should only be consumed during a bulking phase.
In short, the answer to 'Can green juice be used for weight loss' is a loud and resounding 'Yes!' from me - but let's have a look at this answer in a bit more detail...
Here's why I recommend you drink green juice for weight loss
Juices are loaded with nutrients, nutrient deficiency leads to hunger
When you're providing your body with the vitamins and minerals it needs you will not get those urges and cravings to demolish greasy, unhealthy foods.
Ask anyone that drinks green juice if they have a continual hunger or craving for bad food - I've never encountered one that said they did.
Ask anyone that needs to lose weight if they drink green juice... once again, I've never encountered one that said they did.
Juices are quick to make and can be made in advance (no excuse to have not prepared and cheat on your diet as of result)
Unhealthy, calorie dense foods are cheap and readily available.
Healthy, low calorie foods on the other hand require preparation - when you're preparing solid meals this can take quite some time...
Green juices for weight loss on the other hand are quick to make and can be prepared in advance and stored as per the Fit-Juice guide here.
Spend 15 - 20 minutes prepping your produce, juicing and cleaning your juicer and you've got several days worth of juice good to go.
Green juice loaded with chlorophyll assists in detoxifying your kidneys and liver
No need to spend ridiculous amounts of money on a professional detox, drinking green juice will naturally detox your body - allowing you to process nutrients better and potentially lose water weight etc.
The #1 concern I hear is "What about the sugar content in juices? Won't it cause me to gain unwanted weight or get a fatty liver?"
There's a few points I'd like to make about the sugar content in green juice....
Your green juice will only have a moderate level of sugar (fructose not glucose) if you load it full of fruit.
The aim of juicing is to start with a larger fruit to leafy green ratio to allow your tastebuds to adjust -eventually allowing you to end up with the majority of your produce being leafy greens.
From a caloric standpoint the only way you will gain weight (or stagnate in your fat loss progress) is if your body is in a calorie surplus - you could eat celery all day, but if you're in a calorie surplus (aka. consuming above your total daily energy expenditure) you'll gain weight. If you eat nothing but chocolate muffins all day but maintain a caloric deficit you'll continue to lose fat. weight loss is a game of calories in vs. calories out.
So in short, green juice can be used to lose weight or gain weight (while providing your body with a plethora of nutrients) dependant on how many calories your consuming per day, including your juice and any other food you eat.