Juicing involves using an appliance called a juicer to extract all that liquid goodness from vegetables and fruits --- foods that are lower in calories and fat than meat or refined carbohydrates. While it's best to consume fruits and veggies whole, juicing can provide a few additional health benefits, including helping you to lose weight. But beware, juicing also has its drawbacks.
Healthier Alternative to Sugary Beverages
America's love affair with sugary beverages such as sodas and commercially prepared juices has been a leading factor in the rise of obesity. Drinking fresh, natural juices helps to reduce the amount of calories you might otherwise consume from sugary beverages. Fresh juice is also richer in nutrients than sodas or juices that have been sitting on the shelves for a while. Plus, juicing increases your body's ability to absorb nutrients, notes MayoClinic.com.
Evidence
In a study based on data from the "National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2004" that was presented at the Experimental Biology 2009 meeting, adult men and women who drank 100 percent juice had lower body mass indexes and smaller waist circumferences than non-juice drinkers. They also better insulin sensitivity and a reduced risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome, which refers to a cluster of health problems that increase your risk for diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
Juicing and Glycemic Index
Foods and beverages with higher glycemic indexes increase blood sugar and insulin levels, which can contribute to weight gain. Glycemic index is a ranking based on how quickly foods affect blood sugar levels. Juicing requires that you use several fruits or vegetables, which increases the carbohydrate content. Also, when you juice fruits and vegetables, you eliminate their fiber content, and fiber helps to lower their glycemic indexes. As a result, the fiber-less juices can disrupt your blood glucose and insulin levels and undermine your efforts to lose weight. To counteract this effect when juicing, add back some of the pulp to the juice and use non-starchy vegetables more often than fruit. You could also add green leafy vegetables or nuts to fruit juices or drink juice while eating other low-glycemic foods such as legumes or brown rice.
Caution
If you are going to try juicing, you still have to consider your overall calorie intake. Also, when juicing, it's best to make just enough juice to consume right away, advises MayoClinic.com, since bacteria build up quickly in fresh juice. Do not use juices to replace entire meals for a prolonged period or you will miss out on essential nutrients from other food groups such as meat, fish or dairy products. Also, if you have diabetes, consult your doctor before trying juicing to lose weight.
References
- "The Detox Strategy"; Brenda Watson; 2008
- MayoClinic.com: Juicing: What are the Health Benefits?
- Harvard Health Publications: Sugar and Obesity: High Calorie Drinks To Blame?
- Eurekalert: Drinking 100 Percent Fruit Juice Is Associated with Lower Risk of Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome
- Franklin Institute: Nourish - Diet and Menu-- Putting It All Together -- General Dietary Guidelines
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