Many products claim to help you lose weight by “cleaning your liver”. It is one of the hottest health trends out there, and It Works! Cleanse claims to be the best at it. Does it hold up to the hype? Does it actually help you lose weight? Or is it just another scam product?
Does It Works Cleanse help you lose weight? The short answer is yes. It Works Cleanse will help you lose weight. The long answer is that you would get much better results using some natural alternatives, as the ketogenic product only offers temporary weight loss.
That does not mean the product is completely worthless. It Works! does contain natural, nutritious ingredients. However, you should not ignore all the preservatives included! It Works! does clean out your liver. You just need to take it along with its many natural liver-cleaning alternatives as a part of a holistic diet.
What is It Works! Cleanse?
The It Works! Cleanse® distributor markets the product as “a gentle two-day herbal cleanse that helps your body reset and rebalance itself so you can feel and look your best!” it uses proprietary blends of herbal nutritional supplements to remove toxins from your body “without harsh effects.”
You will not find it in any store, though. The It Works! Company only distributes its products through multi-level marketing, relying on non-salaried individuals to sell the products for them. Please note that most It Works! Salespeople do not have an education in nutrition or medicine.
As with any other liver cleaner, the product claims to reduce your weight by helping your liver do its job.
As a holistic nutritionist and lifestyle cleanse expert, Elissa Goodman notes, “The liver is one of the hardest working organs in the body.” Our livers help our bodies digest food, sore essential vitamins, and minerals, and remove toxins.
Liver cleansers, such as It Works, aim to improve these functions with the hope that it will improve our overall health and wellbeing. Though, the name is a misnomer. Liver cleansers DO NOT actually clean out your liver. Instead, it boosts your entire digestive system and kidneys to promote your overall health.
Most users report losing up to 10 pounds after using the It Works! product for at least two days, though your actual results will vary from person to person. Just note you must be on a good diet with plenty of water while you take the liver cleanser.
Other Benefits from Drinking It Works!
Besides cleaning and detoxifying your liver and body, It Works! Cleanse provides a few other potential health benefits. Most of these benefits come from the included minerals and vitamins.
Some of these vitamins and minerals in a single 4-ounce (117-ml) bottle include:
- Vitamin B6 – 400% o of the recommended daily
value (DV) - Vitamin B12 – 500% of the DV
- Magnesium – 30% of the DV
While you can find them in other foods, most people rarely get enough of them in their diets, especially for magnesium and B12, So, a good supplement is always nice to have, and It Works Cleanse may be the supplement that will help people receive these necessary nutrients.
What Are the Differences Between the Old & New It Works! Cleanse?
Other than the packaging, the new formula added apple cider vinegar, which is supposed to make the drink do the cleansing job more quickly, more gently, and more conveniently. Also, it greatly reduced calories intake and sugar levels.
The original formula contains 90 calories per serving while the new formula only has 35 calories per serving. As the original formula includes 13g of sugar per serving while the new one only contains 2g of sugar per serving. Other than these two parts, the rest of the ingredients remain the same.
What Ingredients Go into It Works! Cleanse?
To help clean out your body, It Works! Proprietary Herbal Cleanse uses a proprietary blend of herbs, vitamins, and other active and inactive nutritional ingredients to achieve its results.
The active ingredients in one 4-ounce (117-ml) bottle are:
- Aloe vera – works with the Blue Agave Extract to improve colon function and health
- Blue Agave Extract – A prebiotic that promotes good bacteria cultures.
- Other extracts such as beetroot, ginger, pineapple, and green tea.
The inactive ingredients include:
- Carbohydrates:
- Slow -fermenting, soluble fiber – Helps
rebalance good bacteria cultures - Beet sugar and other sugars
- Natural flavors
- Preservatives – sodium benzoate and sodium
hexametaphosphate
How Do You Use It Works Cleanse?
After ordering the product, It Works! Cleanse arrives as a
package of four 4-ounce bottles every month. You only get those four bottles in
any given month. The product does not come in any other package count.
Fortunately, the packaging contents reveal the suggested dosage for the product. You are only to take the drink twice a day for two days. The first drink comes before breakfast. The other comes at night before dinner.
Foods to eat
Please note that It Works comes with a long list of food you can and cannot eat while taking the product. Generally, the product’s website recommends eating food which supports a healthy lifestyle as they will “reset and rebalance your system.”
Some of the food, you are allowed to eat while on the It
Works Cleanse diet include:
- It Works Cleanse drinks – Of course, the company wants you to drink their
stuff. - Fresh produce – Every fresh fruit and vegetable is allowed without restriction
- Unsaturated fats such as peanut butter, olive oil, nuts, canola oil, avocados, and
seeds - Lean proteins and meat – Fish, poultry, egg whites
- Whole grains and starches – whole-wheat pasta, sweet potatoes, oats, quinoa, and
beans - Low-fat dairy products such as yogurt, milk, and cottage cheese
- Beverages – you can drink herbal teas and water along with the It Works drinks
- Other It Works Products
Foods You Want to Avoid while on It Works Cleanse
It Works already provides a list of food to stay away from, especially when using their products. While they make it sound like these foods are bad for you, some of the food on the list are actually healthy to eat.
- “Bad fats” – saturated fats, full-fat dairy, cheese, fried foods, and butter
- Sugary foods and beverages – ice cream, cakes, cookies, and chocolate
- Packaged and canned foods – Canned fruits and vegetables, cereal, crackers, popcorn, microwave meals, and chips
- “Bad carbs” – white potatoes, white rice, white pasta, white bread, and white sugar
- Processed foods – cake mixes, fast food, and frozen dinners
What Does It Works Cleanse Taste Like?
The It Works Website claims these foods “clog arteries and increase the risk of heart disease,” and cause weight gain. There you should avoid them at all costs. Unfortunately, most of these claims are wrong and misleading and can cause more harm than good.
At least, the drink does not have a bad taste. It has a distinctive sweet cranberry flavor, making it tarty but still sweet. While the package suggests chugging the bottle, you can drink it in any way you want and still get the effects.
It does smell like aloe vera and agave, but it is one of the best tasting ketogenic diet drinks on the market.
What are the Possible Side Effects of It Works! Cleanse?
Fortunately, it Works! Cleanse does not have any immediate side effects. It does not give the constipation normally seen with keto diets. You might get some indigestion, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Other potential side effects include:
- Headaches and irritability – These are common effects from changing eating habits. You can reduce them by easing into your It Works routine while ensuring you drink about half your body weight in water daily.
- Fatigue – Cleanse fatigue is another common side effect of changing diets. The fatigue should pass. However, if it stays longer than a few days, you might need to ensure you are eating enough.
- Nausea and Upset Stomach – Nausea and other stomach issues are common side effects of supplement cleansers such as It Works. Drinking water should relieve the pain.
If you already follow a healthy diet, you may not experience side effects from It Works or from any other liver cleanse supplements. However, if your diet is not the best, you may see some inconvenient issues from taking the supplement.
There are a few other reasons you may feel side effects, as well.
Some of these causes for side effects include:
- You might be going through withdrawal from the
removed caffeine, sugars, et cetera - Released stored toxins passing through your body
as they leave your system
Most of these conditions should pass quickly. So, you do not have to worry if you experience any side effects from taking It Works!
What are the Typical Results of It Works! Cleanse?
While results vary from person to person, most users of the product reported losing anywhere between 4 to 10 pounds during the two days they take the drink every month. While it does do something, we cannot determine if it was from the drink or just chance.
The results do depend largely on your diet, though. You must take the drink with a healthy and well-balanced diet with plenty of water to see the best results.
Thus, it works, but not very well. You also gain the weight back as soon as you stop the treatment. Though, some experts disagree on if the product and others like it do anything,
Liver cleansers such as It Works can work if done right, and the FDA approved many of them, but It Works is not one of them. Over-the-counter liver cleanse supplements, such as It Works, are not properly regulated, nor were they properly clinically tested for effectiveness.
At least, the drink has some nutritional value. It Works! ingredients list offers the nutrition of 25 foods, botanical extracts, and concentrates. These foods offer supplemental sources of essential fiber, vitamins, enzymes, minerals, and phytonutrients.
Is It Works Worth the Price?
It Works! Cleanse does clean out your body, but only why you take the product. You must continuously take the drink to keep the weight loss as well. While a downside to using the product, this is nothing new for the industry.
Most cleanse routines require a continuous application to see and keep the results. Thus, price matters.
It Works sells at $60 for the two-day treatment, though you can get a 40% discount if you are a loyal customer. These discounts can reduce the price for the drink down to about $36, which puts It Works right in the middle of the market.
Despite this, we can only recommend the product as a temporary treatment. If you ate too much as a tailgate, party, or a sporting event, a bottle of It Works! Cleanse may fix your problem.
We cannot recommend you use it for weight loss or general health and welfare. The results are not long term, nor are they worth the price tag. You also do not know how it will affect your body, as the manufacturer does not conduct clinical trials.
You can get much better results for much lower prices just by drinking a green smoothie or one of the other natural alternatives.
8 Natural Alternatives to It Works! for Cleaning out Your Liver
It Works, and other supplemental liver cleanses may work, they do not get you great results. At most, you will lose a handful of pounds you will just gain back during your next meal. They are not worth your time or money.
But that does not mean that there is nothing to the idea of cleansing the toxins from our bodies to lead healthier lives. Fortunately, the best and easier methods to do that are simple and easy to find in any store. After all, you just need a healthy lifestyle. It is not a super intense, one-time cleanse.
It Works already asks you to have a healthy diet while you drink their product. Why not save the price and just have the diet? You will get the same or better results and still have that $40-$60 in your pocket.
You can also start cleansing your body without any effort. You can just insert more liver-friendly ingredients into your diet. These foods, such as cruciferous vegetables, naturally eliminate chemicals and other toxins from your body.
You can then start removing the unhealthy stuff such as processed foods, hydrogenated oils, refined sugar, alcohol, and excess caffeine.
You can even take a few supplements if you think your liver needs a boost. One good supplement is milk thistle for its detoxifying powers. You can also take some turmeric, to protect against liver damage, and burdock root, to cleanse your blood.
Other natural alternatives which may stimulate the blood and liver purification process include:
- Broccoli – Broccoli is a great natural blood purifier. Loaded with vitamin C, calcium, omega-3 fatty acids, potassium, dietary fiber, manganese, glycosylates, and phosphorus, the vegetable helps remove toxins from your body. It also has antioxidants.
- Fresh Fruits – The pectin fiber from fruits such as plums, apples, guavas, and pears help clean your blood. The fiber binds to fats, heavy metals, and other harmful chemicals, making them easier for your body to remove them. Other good fruits to add to your diet include tomatoes, blackberries, strawberries, and cranberries.
- Green Leafy Vegetables – While only a few people like eating them, leafy vegetables help prevent diseases. They have many natural essential nutrients and antioxidants., Some green vegetables even promote healthy blood flow while increasing liver enzymes to help detoxify your body.
- Beetroot – As a natural source of nitrates and antioxidant betaines, beetroot helps reduce inflammation and oxidative damage in the liver. The juice even contains enzymes that will naturally detoxify the body.
- Jaggery – As a popular Indian sugar alternative, jaggery purifies your blood. It also has dietary fiber in its unrefined state, as well as a high iron content which helps restore hemoglobin levels and healthy blood flow. Plus, jaggery helps prevent blood clots.
- Water – You cannot go wrong with water. It is a natural body flush and the most common and simplest natural blood purifier. Water cleans out your kidneys. It removes harmful chemicals and toxins. It promoted organ health.
- Turmeric – Turmeric is nature’s cure for inflammation and liver damage. Recommended by most experts, Turmeric milk promotes healthy red blood cells.
- Lemon – Lemons have several proven health benefits that will help with detoxification of the liver, including improving digestive health.
The Benefits of These 8 Natural Alternatives
You can add these foods to your diet right away. You do not need to consult your doctor to start seeing their benefits. You may even already eat some of them. You just have to include more of them.
In time, you will have an optimally, naturally functioning liver, boosted immune system, and
more energy.
Some of the other health benefits you will get from adding these foods to your diet include:
- Reduce risk for skin problems such as blemishes, acne, and dry and unhealthy skin
- Reduced risk for blood-based health and skin conditions such as
- Headaches
- Allergies
- Nausea
- Kidney diseases
- Heart disease and strokes
- Liver and lung diseases
- Lymphatic system dysfunction
- And others
- Uninterrupted transport of nutrients and gasses such as oxygen and carbon dioxide through your body
- Improved body pH value, water balance, and temperature
- Improved Immunization and blood clotting during injuries
You will also see your weight go down and stay down, all without spending extra money on some untested drink formula. These foods may even reduce aging, wrinkles, and give you brighter skin. It might not be easy to change your diet, but the benefits definitely outweigh the risks.
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