Beware of Juicing

Switching from sodas, which have no nutritional value, to juices during your transition to a healthy diet may seem like a great idea. You might think that juice, especially juice solely made of whole fruits and vegetables, contains healthy minerals and can enhance your body.

In fact, many experts in recent years have theorised that juice is mostly unhealthy for the body and does not contain the best nutrients from fruits and vegetables. Though juice can still provide important vitamins, including vitamin C, you should proceed with caution when you take out the mixer to make a juice blend.

Sugar
Fruits contain a healthy sugar called fructose. Fructose is much better for the body than its relative, glucose. However, fructose is still sugar and you can still consume too much for your body. That is why experts encourage us to eat more vegetables than fruits.

Juice contains a very high amount of fructose. Grocery store brands may even contain high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), an artificial sweetener that has been proven to be dangerous for the body. For diabetics or others who just want to watch their sugar intake, juice is an option that should be avoided in your healthy diet.

Fibre
Part of the reason fruits and vegetables are so healthy is because they contain a lot of fibre. Fibre is beneficial for the digestive tract and gives us a feeling of fullness, which helps us not to overeat. But when you blend them together and drink juice, the fibre is removed. This means the body absorbs the juice much quicker than it would whole fruits and vegetables, and that will raise your blood sugar quickly.

Weight Gain
The amount of sugar in juice can cause you to gain weight instead of lose it. Without the satiety-inducing fibre, you may drink much more juice than you need because you don’t feel full. In a way, this is no better than drinking those dreaded sodas.
You can include juice in your diet in a small amount, but only as a treat. For real health benefits, be sure that you are incorporating whole fruits and vegetables into your daily diet. You will benefit from all the nutrients without the downsides of juice.