3…2…1… HAPPY NEW YEAR! From the second the new year starts, many students’ resolutions begin, meaning a fresh start and a chance to improve themselves. Common resolutions deal with giving up bad habits, while others focus on self-improvement.

Perhaps one of the most common resolutions that one makes is to be healthier by eating better or exercising more. Every year, it seems like there are new fads that are ‘guaranteed’ to help takers lose weight quickly or get fit fast. However, most of these fads do not promote healthy bodily habits.

By the time February rolls around, New Year’s resolutions of an improved healthy lifestyle are usually forgotten, and unhealthy, processed food continues to make up most diets. However, there may still be hope for healthy resolutions.

Juice cleanses have become a noticeable trend in recent years, likely due to their healthy nature and their ability to be used by everyone from teenagers to senior citizens. While on a juice cleanse, one drinks only fruit/vegetable juices for the purpose of improving overall health.

“A juice cleanse is a way to detox your body by flooding it with the nutrients from 15 pounds of vegetables a day,” Brent Rodgers, owner and founder of Roots Pressed Juices (RPJ) in Little Rock said.

Rodgers is the founder and owner of Roots Pressed Juices (RPJ), a franchise with locations in Little Rock, Atlanta, and Dallas. It’s suggested juice cleanses can last between one and five days. For beginner juice cleansers, RPJ suggests starting with a level one cleanse. The level one cleanse is the best for beginners, because the juices aren’t potent. This method serves as a transition that won’t be a shock to the body system.

“Raw, unpasteurized juices allow nutrients to remain intact, thus having a vital impact on your body,” Rodgers said.

What makes juice cleanses healthy is the fact that the juices used for cleansing are dense with nutrients and low in calories. At Roots Pressed Juices in the Heights, they use a non-traditional method of cold-pressing juices, which allows for the preservation of the enzymes in the juice. Every bottle of RPJ’s juice contains up to three pounds of raw fruits and vegetables.

Juices don’t necessarily have to be consumed only in a juice cleanse. RPJ suggests consuming two juices per day to contribute to a healthy lifestyle. Roots Pressed Juices offers a wide variety of juices for everyone, from people who need an energy boost to athletes.

Best Juice for student athletes:

            For athletes of all sports, RPJ’s Greenology Juice is packed with kale, which is full of vitamins that need to be replenished after a workout. In addition, this juice contains calcium which strengthens bones, making injuries less likely to happen during competition.

Best Juice for students experiencing stress:

            For those students with stressful AP courses, RPJ provides a solution in the form of Joint Juice. Joint Juice has been designed to provide energy to the drinker while the Vitamin C that it contains lowers blood pressure and helps the body release Cortisol, a stress hormone beneficial in small amounts, in situations where one may feel high levels of stress.

Best Juices to drink for getting over a cold:

            The Cold Kicker juice and the Bee Well juice are both original juices designed by RPJ that boost the immune system and fights off sickness. Both juices are packed with Vitamin A, Calcium, and Potassium, all of which are essential nutrients to replenish during sickness. Bee Well can also alleviate allergy symptoms around spring and summertime.

Many juices for juice cleanses can be found at the grocery store in the refrigerated section. However, one should be aware that these juices may be packed with sugar. These juices may appear to be healthy, but they are in fact processed and may have artificial ingredients and flavoring.

Though juice cleanses are usually beneficial overall to one’s health, negative effects can occur. Some people may feel sick with symptoms of headaches and fatigue while on a juice cleanse. These symptoms are generally seen for people whose diets consist mostly of processed food, as the juices cleanse toxins out of their body. Beginner juicers should pace themselves while participating in cleanses, and should not do cleanses back to back.

Juices and juice cleanses can be beneficial to everyone, teenagers and adults alike. The fresh ingredients, essential nutrients, and good flavor make it easy to keep those New Year’s resolutions to be healthier. Perhaps juice cleanses are no fake fad, and juices are here to stay.

*Information for this article was obtained from the Little Rock branch of Roots Pressed Juices, located the The Heights neighborhood at 5501 Kavanaugh St. They can be reached by phone at (888)-666-0290.