Do you reap all the benefits of fruits and vegetables when you juice? Nope!
Yes, juice will contain concentrated amounts of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. So if you are someone that doesn’t consistently reach the “5-a-day”, juicing can provide an easily absorbed solution. But, juicing does strip most of the healthy, fiber-rich pulp and skin, which is helpful in lowering cholesterol, regulating blood glucose, keeping you feeling fuller longer, and helping with weight management.
Keep in mind, when juice is consumed, since it is concentrated, your blood sugar can spike more dramatically compared to just eating the whole fruit or veggie. This can affect metabolism and blood glucose control in the long run. Also, while juices contain natural sugars, the calories are concentrated, so it is easy to overconsume when produce is in liquid form. So if you are watching your blood sugars, have diabetes, or are watching your calories for weight management, you’ll want to limit your overall juice consumption.
So what are better options than juicing?
If you choose to juice, you can combine some of the pulp back into the juice before drinking. Or, you can combine the extracted pulp into homemade batters like muffins and breads or cooked casseroles, rice, or soup.
Alternatively, instead of juicing, you can also use a food processor or blender instead to make more of a smoothie. That way, you’ll be consuming the whole fruits and vegetables including the fiber-rich skins and pulps. Studies have also shown that juices prepared by blending have stronger antioxidant activities compared to juices prepared by a juicer.
BOTTOM LINE, juicing can help you consume some important nutrients but shouldn’t replace the consumption of whole fruits & veggies. Whole produce is nutrient powerhouses and can never be replaced by a juice, pill, or supplement.
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