It is a well-known fact that fruits and vegetables are good for one’s overall health. However, in the USA, 87% of adults are not reaching their recommended vegetable intake and 76% are not eating enough fruit.
One way to increase mineral intake is through juicing. The nutrients found in natural juices can reduce the risk of stroke, heart disease and cancer, without contributing to obesity. Furthermore, a good plant dense diet can contribute to your beauty routine, keeping your skin looking hydrated and eyes looking youthful. So, let’s have a look at the pros and possible, though, more often than not, unlikely cons of juicing.
Photo by Neha Deshmukh
Pros
It will increase your vitamin intake: it is recommended you aim for at least 9 portions of a variety of fruits and vegetables a day. Preparing, cooking and eating this amount will be very time consuming and most people’s busy schedules don’t allow it. Buy purchasing a high quality blender or juicer, all you need to do is peel and chop your food and throw it in. Using this method, 2-3 glasses a day will contain all the portions required.
It tastes better: let’s face it, vegetables aren’t the tastiest food on the planet. The problem with eating the food is that you may not like the texture of each vegetable item. By extracting the juice, however, you can combine flavours together. If you love blueberries, mixing it in with kale will provide all the nutritional goodness of kale, with the sweetness of blueberries. Even if it doesn’t taste great, liquid is far quicker to consume, so just hold your nose and throw it back.
It is easier to absorb: fibre-heavy foods such as fruits and vegetables can be difficult to digest. Eating large quantities can cause stomach pains and ultimately your body will struggle to absorb all the nutrients you consume. When juiced, however, the body finds it much easier to keep the vital vitamins and flush out the rest.
Photo by Michał Grosicki
Cons
You won’t get fibre: while fiber is an essential part of one’s diet, digesting fiber-heavy vegetables can cause problems to some. For this reason, the absence of fiber in juices can be seen as a pro, as well as a con, depending on personal preferences. Nonetheless, it is a fact that’s worth bearing in mind.
It is full of concentrated sugar: While there are plenty of healthy juicing combinations out there, some are less than ideal. Most people prefer the taste of fruit and so will fill their juices with berries, mangoes and bananas. While there is plenty of concentrated nutrition in there, there is also a considerable amount of fructose This can contribute to the development and worsening of serious health conditions such as diabetes. For this reason, if you have high blood sugar, make sure to look for juice recipes low in fructose.
Overall, the health benefits outweigh the cons. While it is better to aim to eat fruits and vegetables as they come, juicing is a better option than not eating them at all. The key is to avoid sugar-dense fruits and focusing more on vegetables, which are naturally lower in sugar.
