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What drinking every meal in liquid form does to a dancer's body
Like many dancers, New York City Ballet soloist Antonio Carmena is constantly looking for ways to help his body run more efficiently. After watching a documentary about juice cleansing this March, Carmena decided to try his own three-day version during the last week of the company's season. "I wasn't trying to lose weight," he says. "I just wanted to restart my body."
Attempting to be as healthy as possible, Carmena created his own juices from spinach, kale, cucumbers and squash, occasionally throwing in berries, ginger or grapefruit. On the first day, he felt hungry but also more hydrated. By day two, though. he'd become stressed-out, and noticed that he had far less energy in rehearsal. "I felt weak, and couldn't push as hard." he says. "I realized a juice cleanse isn't good while you're dancing."
Juice cleansing or fasting-where people drink only fruit and vegetable juice while avoiding solid foods-has been used in religious and cultural rituals since the Old Testament days. Dieters have co-opted the practice because it offers a quick way to drop pounds on a short-term basis, and some alternative-medicine practitioners believe that giving the body a break from solid foods allows it to focus on healing. Today, the fresh juice business, including premade juice cleanses, has become a $5 billion industry.
Dancing on the Diet
Juicing has gained traction among dancers. Some view it as an opportunity to get in top aesthetic form before an audition or performance. Others, like Carmena, see it as a chance to detox, although few scientific studies have tested that idea. The deluge of fluids, vitamins and minerals is also appealing to health-conscious perfectionists: All of those berries, citrus fruits and leafy greens can load the body up on antioxidants.
But an all-juice diet has serious consequences. Juices lack protein. digestion-enhancing fiber and healthy fat. and don't include the combinations of elements that help your body take advantage of the health benefits of fruits and veggies. "Nutrients need to be in ' certain forms to be digested and enter the bloodstream." explains Rebecca Dietzel, a biochemist in private practice in nutritional counseling. "Calcium from kale, for example, can't get into its ionized...