I was introduced to juicing years ago, as an innocent, unassuming child. My aunt and uncle showed me the magic of turning carrots and apples into something that actually tasted good. What was this magical concoction? Juice! Liquid candy! Something that all kids love. I have since learned to appreciate (most) fruits and veggies in their whole, natural state. The end.
Seriously, though, I just wanted to talk about juicing--the good and the bad (from my perspective, of course). So what is juicing? It is extracting the liquid from your fruits and vegetables by pressing them through a juicer. While this method preserves many of the enzymes and antioxidants found in the whole fruit or vegetable, it reduces the fiber content dramatically. Fiber plays an important role in digestive health. It slows the transit time of food in your stomach, sustaining a feeling of fullness. In addition, fiber keeps you "regular" by increasing transit time through your intestinal tract. According to NHANES research data, the average American consumes between 10 and 18 grams of fiber. This is only a fraction of the recommendation, which ranges from 25 to 38 grams daily. However, if you are consuming a diet that is generally high in whole fruits and vegetables, as well as whole grains (brown rice, whole wheat bread, rolled or steel-cut oats), juicing would not be a concern with regard to fiber intake. Proponents of juicing claim that juicing allows you to consume more fruits and vegetables than you would be able to consume in their whole forms. This is probably true, as it takes quite a few pieces of produce to make a full glass of juice. Again, though, you are missing out on the pulp (fiber). Moreover, you are concentrating quite a bit of sugar (albeit, "naturally-occurring") in one glass. Sugar, in all forms, can impact blood glucose and result in insulin spikes. Therefore, as with anything, it is important not to overdo it. More is not necessarily better. One way to balance the sugar content is to incorporate fruits with vegetables, leaning towards the addition of vegetables. Pressing your own juice at home provides greater health benefits versus buying juice at the store in many cases. Often store-bought juice is pasteurized, which is a heating process that kills bacteria and can also deactivate some of the enzymes and nutrients in the juice. They may also contain additives to preserve shelf-life. Some even have added sugar. Not everyone has the time or resources to press their own juice, so if you are buying juice from the store, read the label and ensure that it says "no sugar added." Going back to my childhood story, though, juice is typically given to children because parents assume that because it's from fruit, it must be healthy. It is also an easy way to get produce into kids who are finicky about eating fruits and vegetables. While there is nothing inherently unhealthy about juice, especially homemade juice, as I said before, it contains a lot of sugar. It is a good source of vitamin C and some minerals, but this certainly doesn't condone drinking large amounts of it. It should not act as a substitute for whole fruits and vegetables in the diet. Drinking glass after glass can be detrimental to the teeth and the waistline! A good rule of thumb is 4-6 ounces per day for children and up to 8 ounces per day for adults.
4 Comments
Shani
12/9/2012 01:15:35 am
Very interesting! Now I know how we can get fat by "drinking our calories" -we take in too much sugar and not enough fiber to "eliminate" it from our systems. Gee. thanks!
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Alena
12/17/2012 06:25:31 am
Yes, in addition, we don't get the same feeling of "fullness" that we would if we were to eat those same calories instead of drinking. Therefore, we want more to get "full" and if we follow through, we ingest more calories!
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karen martin
12/20/2012 12:11:00 am
I've been juicing for 40 years, lately I have one strictly green drink, sweetened by apples of course and one drink with carrots, beets sweet potatoess and other veggies. I make sure i get enough fiber in other foods to offset what's lost in the juice but I was not aware of the sugar concentration in the juice - thanks for that information -
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Alena
12/21/2012 06:24:52 am
Sounds great! I would love to try those mixes. I'm glad you're making sure to get your fiber too!
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AuthorHello there, my name is Alena and I am a Registered Dietitian! This blog is a platform through which I can share my knowledge and perspectives on a variety of nutrition-related topics. Feel free to contribute by commenting. Archives
November 2021
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