When little cherub-cheeked Sofia Davella thinks the coast is clear, the 6-year-old drags a footstool alongside the fridge in order to reach her favorite forbidden goodies on the high shelf. But it’s not a stash of sugary confections that the Long Island City first-grader craves. It’s the mystery green and purple juices that are part of her mom’s cleanse program.
“I get upset — they’re expensive, up to $80 a day,” says mom Sandra Davella, a 44-year-old banker.
“I have to buy extra because I know she’s going to take it,” she adds, noting her daughter will drink as many as three juices a day, particularly kale.
“She’s not a french fry kid.”
Among Sofia’s favorites: Juice Press’ “Fountain of Youth” and “Glo.”
Junior juicers like Sofia are taking a cue from their health-conscious parents, and getting in on the act themselves — starting with juices and raw foods and graduating to modified cleanses, all in the name of cleaner living, if not weight management.
In Sofia’s case, she supplements her juice-drinking with favorite foods such as shumai dumplings, sauteed kale and edamame — not to mention the occasional slice of pizza.
“She still needs the food — she’s 6 years old,” says Sandra.
But you can’t argue with the digestive benefits, adds Mom.
“If I’m doing a three-day cleanse and I order for her, she goes [to the bathroom] every day.”
While trendy local juice shops don’t specifically market their potions as cleanses for children, they are being used to replace meals and traditional snacks.
“For adults and kids alike who are trying to lose weight, these raw and organic drinks are a great kick-starter,” says Stephanie Walczak, founder of Rawpothecary, an NYC-based health food company.
She adds that green juices and protein blends are particularly popular with parents looking to supplement or replace children’s meals.
“It’s complete nutrition.”
Others go even further.
Dherbs.com, a California-based company, markets a set of four Children’s Cleanse liquid extracts for $99 that are meant to be paired with a raw diet and promise “to nourish and cleanse” everything from the lungs and liver to the adrenals and colon. The program is aimed at kids ages 2 to 12, and can be customized for up to 14 days.
“In the last few years, we’ve seen an increase of almost 50 percent in sales of Children’s Cleanse,” says company representative Jamelle Dolphin.
And that’s causing alarm among medical professionals.
Marisol Gonzalez, MD, who specializes in adolescent medicine in Summit, NJ, says she finds it distressing — though not uncommon — when kids pervert adult-sanctioned lifestyle choices, such as a cleanse.
“The [kids are] quoting Dr. Oz to me,” says Gonzalez. “[But] unless you’re doing [a medical procedure such as] a colonic [or a] colonoscopy, kids need to eat.
“The parents want their kids to lose a few pounds and ‘eat healthy’ — but your body needs a certain number of calories for your heart to beat. If [you cleanse] before puberty, you can delay growth.”
And, she warns, an “awareness of cleanses at a very young age could lead to eating disorder behaviors.”
After she saw her 24-year-old brother drop 22 pounds with a fresh-fruit-and-veggie-only diet, 13-year-old Kendall Graboff, of Croton, NY, embarked on a cleanse before entering sixth grade last year.
“Passing up Doritos was fine, but giving up my lemonade was the hardest thing,” says the former competitive gymnast and current diver.
“I put in my mind that I had to stay healthy and not always rely on junk food.”
Since then, Graboff has twice completed a two-week-long cleanse — completely cutting sugar, carbs, dairy and meat from her diet.
“It started off being hard, but after a week, your body gets used to it,” says Kendall. “Your body feels healthier, more awake.”
Plus, she lost 5 pounds.
Mom Debbie, who works at Camp Shane, a weight-loss camp, is supportive — even if food shopping for this fancy diet “was not an inexpensive proposition.”
Other parents are stricter about the age at which they’ll allow their kids to cleanse.
Joanne Heyman, a 51-year-old who started doing regular BluePrint cleanses about six years ago, has long been hounded by her two daughters to let them partake.
“They were always intrigued by the color,” says Heyman, a nonprofit consultant from Hastings-on-Hudson. “They expressed interest and curiosity, even back when they were 11.”
On Monday, Heyman finally buckled: She and her 17-year-old daughter Emmy began a five-day BluePrint cleanse together while Dad is away on a business trip — but not before feasting on pizza (with Brussels sprouts) the night before.
“It’s kind of crazy: Most people do three days, but we’re doing five on the hardest cleanse called ‘Excavation’ — the one with all the green juices,” says Emmy, who dubbed herself “kale queen” at age 4.
The five-day, $600, intensive program costs double what Mom pays for groceries for a family of four (another daughter, also a cleanse vet with Mom, is in college). She did, however, nab a 20 percent discount: “We’re juicing on sale!”
Joanne insists that their cleanse isn’t weight-driven, but to reap other health benefits: “For younger people, it clears up your skin. Yes, you can lose a few pounds, but it’s really about how you feel.
“This is in the spirit of healthy experimentation — wanting to feel great, that clarity you get inside and out.”
Still, she says she doesn’t want her daughter to overdo it.
“It’s one thing for a woman in her 30s to do a cleanse before a big event, but a teenager shouldn’t be in that cycle,” says Joanne. “They should be in a healthy relationship with food and their body.”
But tell that to a teenager who just wants to fit in.
Victoria Rodriguez, a high school senior from Bay Ridge, lost 15 pounds after completing a 10-day juicing cleanse with her health-conscious mom, Helen Ortiz.
“Prom is coming up and it’s the best time to try it. I wanted to fit into a smaller dress, and see if I was able to see a difference in my body,” says the 18-year-old.
“I’m doing another one again in a couple of days. I want to lose more.”
Image-conscious teens, it would seem, are more willing to sacrifice major food groups than access to their Instagram account.
“It’s not that bad — you have cilantro, celery, apples, kale,” says Rodriguez, adding, “But it was really hard for my mom.”