Why drink vegetable and fruit juices?
Fruits and vegetables are good for your health.
Some of them even reduce your risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease and cancer.
Juicing, a process that involves extracting the nutritious juices from fresh fruits and vegetables, has become increasingly popular in recent years.
Many people use it to detox or add more nutrients to their diet.
Supporters claim that juicing can improve nutrient absorption from fruits and vegetables, while others say it strips away their important nutrients like fiber.
This is a detailed review of juicing and its health effects — both good and bad.
Juicing is a process that extracts the juices from fresh fruits and vegetables.
It usually strips away most of the solid matter, including the seeds and pulp, from whole fruits and vegetables.
The resulting liquid contains most of the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants naturally present in the whole fruit or vegetable.
Juicing methods
Juicing methods vary, from squeezing fruit by hand to motor-driven juicers.
Two common types of juicers include:
Centrifugal. These juicers grind fruits and vegetables into pulp through a high-speed spinning action with a cutting blade. The spinning also separates the juice from the solids.
Cold-press. Also called masticating juicers, these crush and press fruits and vegetables much more slowly to obtain as much juice as possible.
The nutritional quality of juice obtained from centrifugal and cold-press juicers is similar.
Purpose of juicing
Juicing is generally used for two purposes:
Cleansing or detoxification: Solid food is eliminated and only juice is consumed for 3 days to several weeks. Some people believe drinking juice cleanses their bodies of toxins. However, no evidence supports its effectiveness.
Supplementing a normal diet: Fresh juice can be used as a handy supplement to your daily diet, increasing nutrient intake from fruits and vegetables that you wouldn't otherwise consume.
Summary Juicing involves extracting and drinking the juice from fresh fruits and vegetables. Some people do this to "detox," while others do it to supplement their current diet.
Many people don't obtain enough nutrients from their diet alone.
Nutrient levels in the foods you eat are also much lower than they used to be.
This is largely due to processing methods and the time it takes to get produce from the field to the supermarket.
Polluted environments and high stress levels can also increase your requirements for certain nutrients.
Fruits and vegetables are full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and plant compounds that may protect against disease.
If you find it difficult to get the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables into your diet each day, juicing can be a convenient way to increase your intake.
One study found that supplementing with mixed fruit and vegetable juice over 14 weeks improved participants' nutrient levels of beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, and folate.
Furthermore, a review of 22 studies found that drinking juice made from fresh fruits and vegetables or blended powder concentrate improved folate and antioxidant levels, including beta carotene, vitamin C, and vitamin E.
Summary If you struggle to eat enough fruits and vegetables each day, juicing is a convenient way to get a wide range of important nutrients.
Plenty of evidence links whole fruits and vegetables to a reduced risk of disease, but studies on fruit and vegetable juices are harder to find.
The health benefits of fruits and vegetables are partly due to their high antioxidant content, but fiber also plays an important role. Many antioxidants are bound to fiber and get released in your digestive system.
A high intake of fruits and vegetables shows promise in many areas of health. For example, juices may reduce your risk of heart disease. Apple and pomegranate juices have been linked to reduced blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Additionally, consuming fruit and vegetable juices in liquid form (or blended concentrations) may reduce homocysteine levels and markers of oxidative stress, both of which are linked to improved heart health.
One large study observed a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease among those who drank fruit and vegetable juices three or more times per week, compared with those who drank them less than once per week.
The reduction in Alzheimer's risk may be due to the high levels of polyphenols in the juices. These are antioxidants found in plant foods and believed to protect brain cells.
Despite these results, more studies are needed to better understand the health effects of fruit and vegetable juices.
Summary Limited evidence links fruit and vegetable juice to a reduced risk of diseases like Alzheimer's, and heart disease.
Some of them even reduce your risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease and cancer.
Juicing, a process that involves extracting the nutritious juices from fresh fruits and vegetables, has become increasingly popular in recent years.
Many people use it to detox or add more nutrients to their diet.
Supporters claim that juicing can improve nutrient absorption from fruits and vegetables, while others say it strips away their important nutrients like fiber.
This is a detailed review of juicing and its health effects — both good and bad.
Juicing is a process that extracts the juices from fresh fruits and vegetables.
It usually strips away most of the solid matter, including the seeds and pulp, from whole fruits and vegetables.
The resulting liquid contains most of the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants naturally present in the whole fruit or vegetable.
Juicing methods
Juicing methods vary, from squeezing fruit by hand to motor-driven juicers.
Two common types of juicers include:
Centrifugal. These juicers grind fruits and vegetables into pulp through a high-speed spinning action with a cutting blade. The spinning also separates the juice from the solids.
Cold-press. Also called masticating juicers, these crush and press fruits and vegetables much more slowly to obtain as much juice as possible.
The nutritional quality of juice obtained from centrifugal and cold-press juicers is similar.
Purpose of juicing
Juicing is generally used for two purposes:
Cleansing or detoxification: Solid food is eliminated and only juice is consumed for 3 days to several weeks. Some people believe drinking juice cleanses their bodies of toxins. However, no evidence supports its effectiveness.
Supplementing a normal diet: Fresh juice can be used as a handy supplement to your daily diet, increasing nutrient intake from fruits and vegetables that you wouldn't otherwise consume.
Summary Juicing involves extracting and drinking the juice from fresh fruits and vegetables. Some people do this to "detox," while others do it to supplement their current diet.
Many people don't obtain enough nutrients from their diet alone.
Nutrient levels in the foods you eat are also much lower than they used to be.
This is largely due to processing methods and the time it takes to get produce from the field to the supermarket.
Polluted environments and high stress levels can also increase your requirements for certain nutrients.
Fruits and vegetables are full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and plant compounds that may protect against disease.
If you find it difficult to get the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables into your diet each day, juicing can be a convenient way to increase your intake.
One study found that supplementing with mixed fruit and vegetable juice over 14 weeks improved participants' nutrient levels of beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, and folate.
Furthermore, a review of 22 studies found that drinking juice made from fresh fruits and vegetables or blended powder concentrate improved folate and antioxidant levels, including beta carotene, vitamin C, and vitamin E.
Summary If you struggle to eat enough fruits and vegetables each day, juicing is a convenient way to get a wide range of important nutrients.
Plenty of evidence links whole fruits and vegetables to a reduced risk of disease, but studies on fruit and vegetable juices are harder to find.
The health benefits of fruits and vegetables are partly due to their high antioxidant content, but fiber also plays an important role. Many antioxidants are bound to fiber and get released in your digestive system.
A high intake of fruits and vegetables shows promise in many areas of health. For example, juices may reduce your risk of heart disease. Apple and pomegranate juices have been linked to reduced blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Additionally, consuming fruit and vegetable juices in liquid form (or blended concentrations) may reduce homocysteine levels and markers of oxidative stress, both of which are linked to improved heart health.
One large study observed a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease among those who drank fruit and vegetable juices three or more times per week, compared with those who drank them less than once per week.
The reduction in Alzheimer's risk may be due to the high levels of polyphenols in the juices. These are antioxidants found in plant foods and believed to protect brain cells.
Despite these results, more studies are needed to better understand the health effects of fruit and vegetable juices.
Summary Limited evidence links fruit and vegetable juice to a reduced risk of diseases like Alzheimer's, and heart disease.