The Results Of Losing Weight With Juicers

Fruits and vegetables play an integral role to a healthy diet as they include many of the vitamins and minerals your body needs to perform properly. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all Americans strive for at least three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit each day. This number can vary based on your age and activity level. Juicers can help you get the proper amount of fruits and vegetables -- but they are not always the best option for weight loss.

Juicing Process

Juicing allows you to remove the fiber or pulp from fruits and vegetables, leaving just the juice of whatever produce you placed in the juicer. The traditional juicer acts as a centrifuge. As the produce enters the machine it is pushed into a basket, which is turned at high speeds by a motor. The basket is made up of a grater as well as a sieve. As the basket moves in one direction, the grater chops up the produce into small pieces. The inertia of the movement forces the cut-up produce against the walls of the sieve, which blocks the pulp of the produce from getting through, but allows the juice through where it can be collected.

How it May Contribute to Weight Loss

Juicing does not provide any specific weight loss benefits over eating raw fruits or vegetables, according to Mayo Clinic nutritionist Jennifer K. Nelson. However, the juice may be used as a meal substitute when fasting during part of your weight loss diet. When you juice fruits and vegetables you remove the fiber but keep most of the minerals, vitamins and phytonutrients of whatever you put in your juice blend. This provides benefit over fasting with water for weight loss as you still gain many of the nutrients your body needs to operate. Keep in mind that before starting any type of juice diet, talk to your doctor first to ensure it is the right option for your individual needs.

Juicing and Sugar

One aspect to keep in mind when using juicers as part of your weight loss routine is the sugar level of the juices you make, especially if they are primarily fruit. Although the sugar from fruits and vegetables are in a natural unprocessed form, removing the pulp allows you to fit the sugar of multiple fruits and vegetables into one glass, which can affect both calorie content as well as your blood glucose levels. Cutting your fruit juices with more vegetables or adding water to your finished juice can help cut down the sugar effects.

Juicing and Fiber

As mentioned above, juicing removes most of the fiber from the vegetables and fruits you use. Although this may help those who have a hard time eating raw fruits and vegetables get the necessary nutrition from them, it can also negatively impact your weight loss efforts. Fiber helps fill you up, allowing you to eat less before feeling full, as well as helps you feel fuller longer between meals. These qualities are important to your diet as they can curb the amount of calories you eat during the day.

Digestive Effects

Too much juice can expose your intestines to high levels of sugars, especially raffinose, sorbitol and fructose. Raffinose is found in many vegetables, while sorbitol and fructose are present in most fruits. With the increased consumption of these sugars, the body is not always able to fully digest the sugar, sending it directly on to the large intestine where it ferments and creates gases. This can lead to bloating, flatulence and general abdominal discomfort. In some cases, excess sugars can also irritate the intestines, leading to diarrhea. If you use vegetables high in citric acid like tomatoes, or any type of citrus fruit, you can also increase risks for heartburn, especially if you already deal with gastroesophageal reflux disease.