Smart juicing can be healthy
The practice of juicing fresh fruits and veggies often shows up in celebrity diets, health detox programs and organic lifestyles. To be sure, there are positives to be had.
Yet, there are negatives to juicing, too, and juicing at the expense of eating real meals must be approached with caution. When you give up the other foods your body needs on a daily basis, it can harm your health.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of 2010, 35.7 percent of the United States population was obese. Such news often sparks a new flood of quick-and-easy diet schemes, many incorporating juicing or juice fasting.
“I think the term is used interchangeably,” said Heather Sylvester, registered dietician at Kennedy Hospital in Cherry Hill, N.J. “Both can mean a liquid diet of juice and water for a short period of time.”
There are people who should not juice fast, such as people undergoing chemotherapy, diabetics, those struggling with nutritional deficiencies such as iron depletion, and those with kidney disease.
Juicing or juice fasting for those with diabetes could send blood sugar levels through the roof, Sylvester said. For those with kidney disease, high levels of potassium and minerals can build up in the blood to hazardous levels. And for people undergoing chemo, juicing is not recommended because of high levels of antioxidants and low levels of protein.
But juicing for a short time, as opposed to an extended juice-only fast, may be used by otherwise healthy people. And drinking juice in place of one meal to lose weight may work for those without health concerns, especially if it’s part of a balanced diet.
Of course, with juicing can come with loads of sugar. If you are looking to lose weight but still want to include juicing in your diet, Sylvester advises limiting to just one meal.
“Breakfast or lunch is the easiest (meal to replace), but any meal works,” she said.
For breakfast, you could combine fresh fruits and vegetables with water or ice and no sweeteners. If you want it to be more balanced, turn that juice into a fruit juice smoothie by adding low-fat yogurt or skim milk. This way, your breakfast is not only filling but also provides a well-balanced, healthy meal.
April Schetler, registered dietician at Virtua Health Wellness Center, points out that juicing eliminates much of the fiber that fresh fruits and vegetables carry.
However, it does provide vitamins, minerals and antioxidants found in fruits and veggies. It also hydrates.
“Instead of reaching for a soda to beat the afternoon slump, a glass of freshly squeezed juice may be a better pick-me-upm” she said.
If you hate the taste of veggies, juicing vegetables with your favorite fruit will help you consume your daily intake of veggies.
Recipes for juicing with Bill & Sheila
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