Forget The Juice Cleanse, This Is Why You Need Protein In Your Detox Plan.

A lot of people ask us, “what’s the difference between your bone broth reset and a traditional juice cleanse”? Traditional juice cleanses are promoted as a healthy way to purify the body but in reality, can lead to lean muscle loss, malnutrition, and unstable sugar levels. They are restrictive dietary regimens designed to provide the bare minimum nutrition so your body kick starts starvation mode (which can actually slow your metabolism) and flushes pounds (mostly water weight). A short term solution for immediate weight loss that, unfortunately, does not lead to long term weight goals.

For us at BRU, a good cleanse is less about weight loss and more about health gain. 

Freeing your body of toxins, resetting your glucose levels, and healing your digestive system are the main pillars of a BRU Reset, providing the foundation for successful eating habits long after a short-term detox. Our physician approved BRU Bone Broth Reset is founded on the principle of intermittent fasting so you can safely cleanse the body while nourishing your body and improving your metabolism. Each of our BRU Bone Broth 3 day, 5 day, or 7 day diets incorporate lean protein, fresh-pressed vegetable and root juices, and whole foods so you can effectively detoxify without feeling deprived. Here’s how...

1. Only cleanses that incorporate protein allow for toxins to effectively be eliminated from the body. Protein is converted into amino acids which grabs on to dangerous toxins and drags them kicking and screaming out of the body. Yay protein! If you do not incorporate protein, toxins will be released from your tissues but won’t be excreted out of the body creating an unhealthy environment that could cause more damage than good. Just take a look at why protein is so vital to a healthy cleanse.
2. Combining fresh-pressed vegetable juice AND bone broth, provides your body with amino acids and detoxifying minerals and vitamins to function properly. Amino acids are needed to build and repair the various proteins used in the growth, repair and maintenance of body tissues. They play countless roles in health and immunity, and are essential to keeping you healthy during this “cleansing” time when you may feel less than normal.
3. By restricting your diet, you have the opportunity to discover what ails you. Since most cleanses eliminate dairy, wheat, gluten, and processed sugar, you can learn if any of these foods don’t agree with your body. “[Eventually] reintroducing them can help define which foods are causing problems for your body,” says Woodson Merrell, M.D, Chairman of the Department of Integrative Medicine, Beth Israel Medical Center and Author of The Detox Prescription.
4. Incorporating a limited amount of fat retains energy. Fats provide your body with energy (something you will really need when limiting caloric intake) and move vitamins A, D, E and K through the bloodstream. By adding a tablespoon of healthy fat (think grass-fed or medium fatty chain coconut oil) to your bone broth in the morning, you jump start your energy, balance hormones, and boost cognitive function. This is a very important component to an effective cleanse as you are seriously limiting calories (a.k.a energy!).  Try frothing a cup of BRU BROFFEE (our best version of bone broth meeting cold brew coffee) with a tablespoon of coconut oil for a delicious paleo drink.
5. A regimen based on Intermittently fasting -a ketogenic diet- promotes fat loss. Intermittent fasting is not a diet but a pattern of eating designed to toggle between the fed state (i.e. directly after you ate when insulin levels are high) and the fasted state (8-12 hours after you ate when your body burns reserved fats). Furthermore, research has shown that those who incorporate a ketogenic diet form cells that have the ability to cope with stress and, maybe even resist diseases, see a decrease in inflammation, and improvement of asthma-related symptoms.
6. Your appetite will calm down. Although juicing doesn't actually shrink the stomach, it resets your eating intentions and changes the way you think about food. You will feel satiated with less food immediately after a cleanse and more importantly, it will have a lifelong psychological effect that many people need to experience in order to change their eating behaviors and commit to a healthier lifestyle.
7. Eliminating sugar controls insulin levels, remedies skin issues, and sheds fat. Sugar is one of the most calorically dense and least nutritive elements you can eat, making the decision to eliminate it from your weight loss-cleanse a no brainer. So why would you want to drink mostly fruit juice during a cleanse? It spikes blood sugar and insulin levels and disrupts neurotransmitters in the brain, causing fogginess and according to a UCLA study, even memory loss. Sugar is also highly inflammatory for your intestines and epidermis and attributed to stomach pains and acne. BRU Bone Broths contain neither fruit based juices or added sugar, relying solely on the naturally derived plant-based sugars from pressed  root vegetables like carrots and beets.
8. A nourishing cup of warm liquid can help quash the less than desirable effect of purification. Similar to withdrawal, and completely dependent on your level of “toxicity,” some people may feel ill (think flu) during the first few days of a cleanse. You body is dumping toxins into the bloodstream for elimination which can make you moody, light headed, and nauseous. Enter in Grandma’s proverbial phrase “chicken soup cures your soul.” A warm cup of broth, compared to a cold fruit juice, can quash queasiness and provide the restorative and soothing properties your body is yearning for.  
9. A detox experience can help you become a more mindful eater. So often do we rush through meals to get to the next, more important task in our life that we forget to think about what we are putting in our body. A healthy cleanse where we are forced to think about what we are -and not- eating and drinking can lead to more self-awareness. Whether you complete a 3, 5, or 7 day cleanse program, this learning experience can become part of your everyday eating habits.
10. A healthy cleanse can lead to a lasting ritual of self-care.
    Life has its ups and downs, and sometimes we all just need a “reboot.” Especially if you care of children or other loved ones. It is well documented that the health of parents greatly affects the health of future generations, and health is largely determined by diet. Planning a cleanse, and actually taking the time to perform a cleanse, can be the first step to resetting your body and mind in a more healthful, positive direction.

So, is souping the new juicing?

We think so! With the BRU Bone Broth Reset approach, a cleanse morphs from a short term -and possibly unsafe- weight loss diet, to a clarifying process for mind, body, and gut. You are creating the opportunity for healthy change. Kudos to you! Dropping inches from our Bone Broth Reset is simply the cherry on top, so to speak.

Happy Brothing!

Sip warm. Feel good.

The BRU Cru

Thinking about a cleanse this year? While our bone broth cleanse is physician approved, we always recommend talking to your doctor before embarking on a restrictive diet. Feel free to print out BRU Reset regimen here to bring in to the office and have a healthful conversation.