Juicing has become a smash hit and hence a gold mine for the many wellness brands tapping into the market for raw food based diets. For busy professionals that barely find the time to eat, and picky eaters who can’t seem to work up an appetite for 6-8 servings of fruits and vegetables a day juicing seems to be the answer. Me being the skeptic that I am always threw up my hand at the notion. I like to be able to chew my food to distinguish the flavors of what I’m eating and not have it disguised in some brightly colored drink. Not to mention, I have a broad palate so it would be difficult to find produce that I don’t like. So, what’s it going to be juice or in the raw?
What exactly is juicing?
Well, Jenny Sansouci from Healthycrush.com pretty much sums it up for us.
Juicing is the method of extracting juice, and only juice, from fruits or vegetables. All of the pulp and fiber is removed, which allows the nutrients to assimilate very quickly into your body and bloodstream – this gives your immune system an immediate boost and feeds your cells quick, healing nutrition.
The Pros of Juicing
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Despite my initial thoughts I’ve become more partial to the idea of juicing on occasion after realizing how easy it is to get your 6-8 daily servings of fruits and vegetables in just a couple 8 ounce glasses. It sure beats trying to pack it all in on your plate. Even as much as I love eating I still can’t imagine trying to consume 3 heads of broccoli in a day like you can do with juicing. It sounds like a lot, but when the pulp and fiber are left behind not only is your body able to absorb the nutrients more quickly you are also able to consume a larger quantity because fiber is responsible for making you feel full quickly.
Juicing can promote good health especially if unlike me you’re the type to turn your nose up at every vegetable in sight. By mixing your dark leafy greens in with fruit and herbs the flavor is often disguised and more manageable to down in a few gulps. This assurance that you’re getting your necessary dosage of fruits, vegetables and herbs will prevent nutritional deficiencies and boost your immune system. These nutrients you might not otherwise get in your diet help promote anti-aging and skin protection by flushing out impurities that aid in free radical damage to your cells. When your body is replenished you also feel more energized and gain mental clarity.
Are you like us and always buy your produce faster than you can possibly eat it? Normally when it turns brown and mushy you toss it, but by juicing your produce gains a longer shelf life.
The Cons of Juicing
By removing the skin and pulp of the plant you’re extracting the fiber and many important vitamins, minerals and proteins that are stored here. Fiber is important in digestion and it also helps control your appetite. Since it’s filling you can keep your hunger pains under control. Because you feel full longer you’re less likely to get into the habit of overeating. which is a large factor in weight gain. Even though you may be taking in a larger quantity of produce in juicing you aren’t necessarily maxing out on the number of vitamins and minerals you could be getting if you were eating it raw. Protein is one of the three major components of a well-balanced diet and it’s an important part of exercise because it helps build and restore your muscles. Feeding your muscles boosts your metabolism because it takes more energy to sustain muscle on the body than it does fat.
Juicing has been strongly linked to dieting as a weight loss solution that should never be applauded. Most of the juice cleanses on the market, like the Master Cleanse, offer almost instantaneous changes in weight by depriving the body of the nutrients found in wholesome foods and severely reducing caloric intake. This weight loss approach will always fail because you’re cheating your body of the nourishment it needs. Often times what ends up happening is you gain all the weight back plus some! If you attempt this too many times your metabolism will drop because your body will begin using the calories you are consuming as fat stores instead of burning them for energy.
Juice can mistakenly be assumed to be low in calories because it’s a liquid when in fact the opposite is true. Most juices, especially with fruit, are very high in sugar and therefore calories. Sugar also spikes your insulin levels so too much of it can lead to diabetes.
In moving forward
I would not recommend juicing everyday or for every meal, but on occasion can be beneficial. If you plan to do it more often it’s important to introduce it slowly so you do not shock your system and consult with your doctor first. If you find yourself needing to detox your system or if your body is in need of healing juicing can be a helpful way to get the nutrients you need without your body having to do all the work involved in the normal digestion of solids. However, do not rely on juicing for all your fruits and vegetables because there are important nutrients that are lost in this process.
Last thoughts
I am still not big on juicing, but have tried it a few times now mostly to experiment with getting a larger variety of produce and herbs into my diet especially since Kern and I live in NYC where we are often short-handed on our assortment of fresh produce. I also find that juicing is a great way to mix a lot of produce and herbs into my diet that I would normally never think of eating together. If you’ve never juiced before I would say give it a try at least once!
What are your thoughts on juicing?
What is your favorite juicing recipe?
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I do not like juicing. I hate when people say they’re going on juice fasts. Where is the fiber? So many vitamins and minerals are missing from the fruit when they’re juiced. Plus, if you live strictly on juice for a week, you’re not going to last and will most likely wind up eating junk foods until you want to vomit. LOL
That’s just my thought! I like to eat REAL whole FOOD. LOL!!! It’s all about the mouth feel
GiGi Eats Celebrities recently posted..Disneyland: Candyland Come To Life
hahaha I love the way you phrase it! This is so true, tons of nutrients and fiber are lost during juicing so it doesn’t fill you up like eating the actual plant would. Plus I actually enjoy chewing my food and putting my palate to work. But after reading the pros and cons I do not think it hurts to try juicing on occasion, not as a regular habit. Without the fiber your digestive track can get a break because you’re able to quickly absorb the nutrients into your bloodstream. I would never recommend juicing as a weight loss tactic though. You gotta actually MOVE around and eat smart to loose weights not make the body suffer from deprivation.
I know this gets trendy every few years and I just don’t get it at all. I think it just eliminates fibre and volume and I don’t see the point.
Elle recently posted..Using Flavored Oils and Vinegars
Elle I’m so with you girlfriend. Fiber is such a huge component of our diets because it aids in all digestion and weight management. After reading the pros and cons though I do think juicing is a good thing to add to your diet on occasion because it gives our digestion systems a break by allowing the nutrients to quickly absorb into the bloodstream without our bodies having to do any of the work. But no way would I recommend it all the time. Plus, there’s too much good flavor we’d be missing out on if we skipped chewing our veggies!
I love green smoothies way more than juices but I enjoy them both. Great post!
What do you typically put in your green smoothie? Let me get this right, smoothie is the process of blending rather than juicing right? So nothing is left behind. I like that idea better too!
I’ve never done a juice diet, or any other elimination diet. I’m not a diet professional, but I have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of depriving my body of ANYTHING. Including dessert.
That being said, I wouldn’t mind trying out juice made with veggies that I don’t care for and wouldn’t normally eat with my meals (kale, spinach and other greens).
Jamie @ Rise.Run.Mom.Repeat. recently posted..Checking in on 2013 Goals
I’m like you Jamie I love food way too much and I love tasting everything separately on my plate. But like you said juicing does have it’s perks. It’s a great way to add variety of produce into your diet that you might not normally eat. It’s still amazing to me too that I could consume 3 heads of broccoli in a couple 8 ounce glasses of juice. If I were to eat that it would take me at least a few days! That too is motivation to introduce juicing occasionally into my diet.
I’m considering juicing, but only as a boost to established healthy eating habits. I think it is important to consume your calories via food not liquid, but it also doesn’t hurt to get in extra veggies, especially when you have kids that pick at their vegetables.
Jacki (@JackiRHayes) recently posted..No “More” Girly Push-ups – Week 1 Complete
I couldn’t agree with you more Jacki! I’m not ruling out juicing completely, but it’s definitely not healthy to become dependent on juicing as your only source of vegetables and other good produce. Occasionally it’s ok especially if you have produce that is about to go bad because you can extend the shelf life by juicing and also as you mentioned it’s a good way to introduce new vegetables to your kids.