Our being busy almost every day is one reason we opt for equipment or machines to make our food preparations easy and fast. Juicing is a trend now since people claim it is beneficial for the health, and it saves time. Some would think it has helped with losing weight while others with getting more nutrients out of the fruits or vegetables.
We are individuals with different opinions, lifestyle, biological make-up, and dietary needs. That being said, every one of us can weigh out the pros and cons of juicing. One big factor in determining whether it is good or bad for us is health. By health, we also mean the illnesses we have or are more likely to develop.
If we have a family history of diabetes, juicing may not be a good option. Juicing only fruits produces a beverage high in calories as there is more sugar in it, mainly fructose. Our blood sugar will also increase if we drink fruit extracted juices.
When we combine fruits and vegetables, we lessen the sugar concentration, but it is not just about the sugar. It is also about the balance of the other minerals in the juice. If we choose the wrong fruits or veggies, there is a tendency our bodies would react to a certain excess of a mineral. Minerals mostly found in fruits include potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc. Potassium and calcium contribute to heart health.
Someone with a heart problem should consult a physician before he can take a juice-only diet. Although this diet may be rich in iron and calcium, it can’t supply the nutritional quantity the body needs, especially the needs of the blood, muscles, and bones. Apart from carbohydrates, we need the other two macronutrients as well: protein and fats.
There is another type of carbohydrate, but it is indigestible. Fiber maintains normal blood sugar and helps reduce fats in the blood. If we understand the role of fiber, we may have second thoughts if we will eliminate it in our diet or not. It is important to consider that the fiber is lost as the pulp is removed in juicing. Without fiber, we will have a hard time defeating our cravings. Fiber helps cleanse the colon and, therefore, decreases the likelihood of us being constipated.
With the fiber being mentioned, there is no scientific evidence supporting the idea that juicing helps with weight management. It does not, in a day, burn fats that it can treat obesity. Obesity is a health problem that can only be managed if that person knows its root cause. Obesity may be a result of faulty genetics, metabolic disorder, or a result of an unhealthy lifestyle.
Another hype is that juicing helps with detoxification. Detoxification is a natural process our bodies are able to do. It is just a matter of taking care of the liver and kidneys. As said earlier, a juice-only diet may cause harm rather than benefit. Take the calcium as an example. The excessive intake of calcium may bring about kidney stones.
We also consider the freshness of the fruits and veggies in juicing. Some devotees claim that juicing prolongs the freshness of fruits and vegetables. This claim is not true since, like a freshly cut fruit, its open area will be exposed to air, making that brownish. That area undergoes chemical change, meaning, it is no longer that fresh as it was before.
Juicing in moderation is recommended as compared to making it a part of everyday diet. It is good if we are not used to eating fruits with many seeds, or if we do not like the taste of a certain vegetable. We can choose to add honey or a fruit juice to a vegetable mixture.
Juicing is not harmful at all. It helps busy people save time. The more health-conscious individuals may choose blending instead. In terms of retention of freshness of the ingredients, we may want to look at the different types of juicers. While it is true that slow juicers are able to produce juice that can stays fresh for a longer than usual period of time, nothing can replace eating whole fruits and veggies.
