I spoke to a few nutritionists about juice cleanses to see if they really offer any benefits. Deirdre McManus, RD, CDN is a dietician based in Westchester county in New York, who is currently in private practice and has 13 years of experience in nutrition counseling. Lauren Slayton, MS, RD is a co-owner of Food Trainers in NYC, where she has been specializing in weight management and sports nutrition since 2001.

Are There ANY Weight Loss Benefits?:
Both nutritionists were wary about recommending a juice cleanse solely for weight loss. Dierdre told me that while you might lose weight on a cleanse, you can’t sustain it for the long-term, and that a lot of it is water that’s lost. As soon as you eat something salty or processed, the scale will be back to where it was. Lauren recommended that you focus on what you do before and after the cleanse. “I think that you’re wasting your money if you don’t consider those two time periods. There’s the person that doesn’t follow the steps before the cleanse to ready her body, and then [afterwards] they think ‘I’m done, now let me go pig out,’” she said.

What Lauren said a cleanse CAN do (and I experienced this phenomenon) is reset your habits. If you have a numbered bottle to drink every two hours, it takes out the guesswork and mindless eating. The challenge is then trying to replicate this more mindful eating after the juice cleanse is over.

Does a Juice Cleanse Actually Detox Anything?:
“I think if you talk to liver and GI doctors, this absolutely isn’t something that’s necessary. We’re sort of self-cleaning ovens on our own without this help,” Lauren told me. Deirdre agreed, telling me, “If you have a well functioning liver and kidney, the juice can’t provide more than the liver and kidney can do.” But, it can “reset” your gut, if that’s something you think you need.

Most juices (and this is often a knock against them) don’t contain any of the fiber that their full fruit and vegetable counterparts do. While this is bad in the long term (fiber can prevent colon cancer and generally keeps the gut in good working order), in a cleanse you theoretically want the gut to have to work as little as possible, giving it a “rest.” That’s why these cleanses are generally low in protein, fat, and fiber. Lauren explained to me, “You’re giving your digestive system a ‘break’. And fiber is not a break. Fiber is work for your intestine.”

So Should You Do a Juice Cleanse? Here are the Pros’ Recommendations:
-Lauren is not into a cleanse that involves “no chewing whatsoever.” If you want to juice for a few days, you should feel free to supplement with the real foods that are already in the juices you’re drinking (ie chow down on some kale and pears.) “Whether we need to go to all liquid, I don’t think we really have to go that far. I think there’s an appeal of the intensity of it [for some people],” she said.

-If you hate vegetables, juices are a great way to get anti-oxidants and vitamins, so go ahead and use them as supplements. Lauren’s warning? Make sure it’s organic juice. You’re getting a very concentrated dose, which means that you could also get a really concentrated hit of pesticides, too. (Ritual Cleanse claimed that one day of my reset cleanse was the equivalent of 15 pounds of produce–and yes, they’re 100% organic.)

-An easier way to “detox” might be to just eat really cleanly: no alcohol, sugar, caffeine, or processed food for several days.

-Lauren’s last word of advice? Cleanses are not one-size-fits-all. “Don’t do something just because your friend did,” she said.

Or just because someone in US Weekly did it.