In a society in which green and purple concoctions dominate refrigerators and trendy juicing shops becoming popular overnight, juice cleanses are now being marketed towards kids.
To help promote cleaner living and weight management, juice cleanses for kids has been a controversial issue involving parents and medical doctors.
The vegetable and fruit blends are made to substitute real meals and the traditional, sugary snacks, boasting “complete nutrition.” Advocates say children as young as age 2 to preteen can cleanse with juice.
Dherbs.com, a California-based company, sells a set of four Children’s Cleanse liquid extracts for $99. Designed to be paired with a raw diet, the juices promise “to nourish and cleanse” the lungs, liver, adrenals, and colon.
“In the last few years, we’ve seen an increase of almost 50 percent in sales of Children’s Cleanse,” says company representative Jamelle Dolphin.
But some medical professionals are apprehensive about this new diet fad for children.
“The parents want their kids to lose a few pounds and ‘eat healthy’ — but your body needs a certain number of calories for your heart to beat. If [you cleanse] before puberty, you can delay growth.” said Marisol Gonzalez, MD for adolescent medicine in New Jersey.
Gonzalez also warns that implementing juice cleanses in adolescence can lead to eating disorders.
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Do you agree with kids juice cleansing?