Is Juicing Healthy For Us?

Many people drink fresh fruit juice to get more vitamins, but what they don’t realize is that it raises blood sugar and insulin levels

0
2810
Is Juicing Healthy For Us?

Fruit juice has been said to help lose weight and “detox” our bodies, but researchers and nutritionists state that they can actually increase our calories intake and sugar in the blood.

However, in a certain amount drinking fresh fruit juice is healthy because nutrient levels from the food we eat nowadays is much lower than it once was, that is partly due to over-farmed soil and the often ridiculously convoluted routes to the market. Also, because of the increasingly polluted environment and high levels of stress, our requirement for antioxidants has increased.

It is already known that we should get about 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day, but some nutritionists go as far as to say that active people should aim for 8-10 portions of fruit and vegetables per day, but since that is highly impractical, that’s where juicing can come in.

Fruits contain fructose, a naturally occurring sugar that seems to not have harmful effects as long as they are not contributing to excess daily calories. That is because the fibre found in whole fruits is intact, and the sugar is contained within the fruit’s cells and it takes our digestive system a while to break these cells down and for fructose to enter the bloodstream.

But that is not the same for fruit juice, since most of the fibre is removed, so, unlike whole fruit, the fructose in fruit juices counts as ‘free sugars’ which is considered not healthy, just like honey and the sugars generally added to foods. Meaning that the fruit juice’s fructose will be absorbed more quickly into the bloodstream, therefore blood sugar levels can spike so the pancreas will release insulin to bring it back down. In time, this was proven to lead to developing type 2 diabetes.

However, nutritionists state that if you consume other whole foods that contain fibre it will help slow the release of sugar into the bloodstream. Moreover, juices made mainly from vegetables can provide more nutrients and less sugar but they still lack fibre. Generally, diets high in fibre have been linked to a lower risk of developing coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes.

Compared studies showed that it is recommended to drink an average serving of 150ml of fruit juice per day. Moreover, it is recommended we select ripe fruit to improve the effects of fruit juice. Also, when using a different type of juicing method that also juices seeds and skin of fruits is better than the traditional one.

Bottom line, what researchers agree on is the fact that juicing being used for detox is a complete myth, they say our bodies are already doing their jobs at detoxing every day. Also, when getting the recommended five servings of fruit and vegetables per day it is not just about getting vitamins, it is also about reducing the amount of grain carbs, protein, and fats and increasing fibre.

Source: bbc.com