When you’re doing the 30 Days to Healthy Living Program by Arbonne, if you’ve chosen this option, on week 3, you’ll complete the Arbonne 7-Day Body Cleanse.
So what is the 7-day body cleanse, and how does it work? Let’s take a look at the ingredients and benefits of this body cleanse, and who shouldn’t use it.
Week 3 of 30 Days to Healthy Living: Arbonne 7-day Body Cleanse
What is a cleanse?
A cleanse is a process that helps to remove toxins** from the body via the digestive system. There are many types of cleanses**, including juice cleanse, colon cleanse, herbs, elimination diets, fasting, and saunas. Some cleanses are more effective than others and many of them come with health risks, especially the ones that are more extreme.
Some health risks of extreme cleanses or detoxes could potentially include:
- kidney problems
- electrolyte imbalance
- severe diarrhea
- dehydration
- headaches
- fainting
- dizziness
- weakness
**The two links above are to 1.) an excellent article from the Lippincott Nursing Center, 2.) another incredibly helpful article by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. I will be referring to both of these articles at many points in this post. Neither article is very long, and I highly suggest that everyone read them both in their entirety before doing the Arbonne 7-day Body Cleanse or any other cleanse or detox program.
What does Arbonne body cleanse do?
So, which type is the Arbonne Body Cleanse, and are there any risks?
The Arbonne Body Cleanse is not one type or the other. It is a combination of herbs, supplements, and digestive organ support.
Arbonne 7-day Body Cleanse Ingredients
The main ingredients at work in the Arbonne 7-day cleanse are ginger, choline, L-glutamine, and aloe, so let’s take a look at each one in depth and how they work to cleanse your body.
Ginger
While not an essential nutrient that our bodies need daily, ginger is one of the most nutritious and beneficial spices on the planet. Originally from China, ginger is scientifically known to:
- reduce inflammation and pain
- lower blood sugar
- reduce heart risk factors
- alleviate chronic indigestion
- lower cholesterol
- may help prevent cancer
- may improve brain function
To treat things like period cramps and morning sickness, ginger has been prescribed at levels of high levels of 1,000-2,500 mg. However, levels of 500 mg were found to be effective in those who were hoping to treat osteoarthritis (inflammation).
Arbonne’s Body Cleanse has 125 mg of ginger in each daily dose.
There have been some reports of drug interactions with ginger, so make sure you know if you’re safe to take ginger.
The Bottom Line: Ginger helps your body maintain healthy blood-sugar levels and cholesterol levels, as well as reduce risk of disease and improve your digestive health. The amount of ginger in Arbonne 7-Day Body Cleanse will not likely cause unwanted side effects, but make sure you don’t have any drug interactions.
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Choline
Choline is an essential nutrient that we primarily get from our diets. Choline is used in our bodies for cell maintenance, metabolism, and our nervous systems. It is usually absorbed and goes to our liver, where it’s converted to lecithin, a type of fat.
Choline can help improve our brain and cognitive function, increase our metabolism, and protect our heart health. Female athletes who took choline supplements were found to have a lower body fat percentage.
Beef, fish, broccoli, quinoa, eggs, nuts and seeds are all great sources of choline. Choline deficiency can contribute to non-alcoholic fatty acid liver disease, cardiovascular disease, and muscle damage.
But an excess of choline isn’t good either. Too much choline can cause fishy body odor, vomiting, sweating, and even liver toxicity.
Adequate intake for choline for adults is 450-550 mcg a day. The upper intake limit for adults is 3.5 grams per day.
In Arbonne’s Body Cleanse, there is 200 mcg of choline. There is not any additional choline in the Arbonne Protein Powder, Fizz Sticks, or other products you use every day on 30 Days to Healthy Living.
The Bottom Line: Choline helps your body increase metabolism and maintain your cells. The amount of choline in Arbonne’s 7-day Body Cleanse is meant to assist with getting the proper amount of choline without reaching the upper intake level.
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L-glutamine
L-glutamine is the most abundant essential amino-acid in the body! “L-Glutamine is one of the most important nutrients for a healthy digestive tract because of its ability to maintain the integrity of the intestinal wall. This amino acid heals all tissue in the body, especially those irritated tissues in the digestive tract.”
Especially beneficial for those with anxiety or sugar-cravings, L-glutamine is known to help those with constipation or diarrhea, poor wound healing, and slow recovery after workouts among other ailments.
Animal proteins are a great source of L-glutamine, including beef, chicken, free-range eggs, and organic, free-range dairy.
A typical diet may have about 3-6 grams of glutamine. If you’re vegan or vegetarian, you may find supplementation is beneficial. Arbonne’s 7-Day Body Cleanse only has 1650 mcg, which is a very small amount.
The Bottom Line: L-glutamine helps your body recover and rebuild, and it’s helpful for anxiety, sugar and alcohol cravings, and digestion. There may not be enough in the Body Cleanse to be effective.
Aloe
Aloe may be the most beneficial and powerful component of Arbonne’s 7-Day Body Cleanse. It has some awesome benefits, including:
- keeping your body’s pH balance (it’s alkaline, while many foods you consume are acidic)
- intense hydration
- helpful to liver function
- helps constipation
- packed with nutrients like calcium, copper, chromium, magnesium, potassium, and zinc
- heartburn relief
- clearer skin
For some ailments, dosage of aloe vera leaf powder “range from 100-1000 mg daily”. According to a publication in the National Library of Medicine, aloe vera did not appear to have an upper intake limit that was toxic when amounts were administered to rats at 15,000 mg per kg of body weight.
Arbonne’s 7-Day Body Cleanse has 1000 mg of aloe vera leaf powder in it.
Some people are reportedly sensitive to aloe vera. If you’re taking laxatives, check with a doctor before consuming aloe vera.
The Bottom Line: Aloe helps your liver function, keeps you hydrated, balances pH levels, and helps with digestion. Aloe vera can be a powerful yet gentle way to help your digestive system detox. Arbonne’s 7-Day Body Cleanse has appropriate levels of aloe vera leaf powder but should not cause an adverse effects.
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Water
A typical part of many different different types of cleanses is the addition of water. Many cleanses will have you drink too much water.
Thankfully, this product only uses 32 ounces of water.
Healthy individuals should consume 2/3 an ounce of water for every pound of body weight. In other words, a woman who weighs 140 pounds should drink about 94 ounces of water a day, then add 12 ounces for every 30 minutes you work out.
Sipping 32 ounces of water with this body cleanse every day is definitely within the proper amount of water to stay hydrated, and, you’ll still have to drink plenty of water throughout the day.
In other words, you don’t have to worry about overhydration, diarrhea, or electrolyte imbalance because of this cleanse.
How do you do the Arbonne cleanse?
To use the 7-day body cleanse, mix 1 packet of the cleanse with 32 ounces of water. Sip it throughout the day, and go about your normal healthy living, clean eating diet throughout the day. Do this for 7 days straight.
Personally, I found the mixture to be flavored far too strong when I mixed it with only 32 ounces of water. I found between 48 and 56 ounces to be perfect: the flavor was light and refreshing without being too overpowering.
You will continue to eat a normal, clean diet with organic vegetables and fruits, organic, free-range local sourced meats, wild-caught fish, non-toxic grains, and nuts and seeds.
This is not a fast or extreme juicing program. This is a gentle, short addition to any healthy living program.
Is the Arbonne Body Cleanse safe for Pregnancy or Breastfeeding?
No.
Many supplements and ingredients have not been tested for bad side effects during pregnancy or breastfeeding. In general, clean eating is supported during pregnancy and breastfeeding, but detoxing or cleansing is NOT.
Conclusion
Is the Arbonne 7-Day Body Cleanse safe and effective?
The Arbonne 7-Day Body Cleanse, when done as intended, can be gentle enough to help you detox the “bad stuff” from your body without subjecting you to the potential risks that come with other, more extreme methods of cleansing. The Arbonne Body Cleanse only lasts 7-days, gives you herbs to support your digestive organs, and doesn’t make you drink so much water as to give you diarrhea or imbalance your electrolytes.
Always work with your doctor to find the best cleanse, detox, or healthy living program for you.
The best way to truly detox your digestive system and maintain a healthy weight is through a balanced diet that is comprised mainly of organic vegetables and fruits, organic, free-range local sourced meats, wild-caught fish, non-toxic grains, and nuts and seeds. This is what the Arbonne 30 Days to Healthy Living intends to do, so make sure you read more about the Arbonne 30 Days to Healthy Living Program.
LEARN ABOUT OTHER PRODUCTS FROM ARBONNE:
Arbonne Fizz Sticks
Arbonne Mind Health
Arbonne Skin Elixir
Arbonne Detox Tea
Arbonne Digestion Plus
Arbonne Protein Powder
Arbonne Greens Balance