Juicing purportedly increases your metabolism, according to anecdotal claims. Juicing fruits and vegetables does provide you essential nutrients your body needs to keep you going. However, according to the February 2011 Mayo Clinic Health Letter, some of the claims made about juicing are far-fetched. The assertion that it will help you lose weight is one of them.
Your Metabolism
Your metabolism, the rate at which your body processes fuel for energy, is indeed connected to your weight. The number of calories you need just to keep your body going depends on your age, gender and body size. According to Physician Nutrition Specialist Melina Jampolist, your metabolism decreases by around 3 percent for every 10 years that you live. As you grow older, the number of calories you need decreases. Fad diets that highlight a specific food or beverage insinuate that the calories you get from these foods will increase your metabolism. Nothing you eat or drink will change your metabolism.
Juicing Myths
Juicing won't increase your metabolism, nor will it cleanse your body of toxins or help your absorb essential nutrients better. Going on a juice diet can either be beneficial or detrimental, depending on how many calories you consume per day. In October 2010, the "New York Times" feature an article about juicing diets promoted by svelte screen stars like Gwyneth Paltrow, Demi Moore and Salma Hayek. Many of these "cleanses" only give you a mere 1,000 to 1,200 calories a day. Diets this low in calories are likely to take off the pounds. New York physician David Colbert told the "Times" that juicing fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts -- all unprocessed foods -- gives you nutritional benefits. However, a lot of dieters believe that subsisting on sweet fruit juices alone will make them lose weight. "(Y)ou might as well call it the Toblerone diet, because that's how much sugar you're pouring into your system," Colbert says.
Juicing Calories
Each calorie you consume contributes to weight gain; if you get too many calories that your body can't use, these are stored as body fat. It might surprise you to know that the calorie count in juices can be higher than what you get from a soft drink. A 12-oz. serving of orange juice has 170 calories; the same serving of cola gives you only 150. The Harvard School of Public Health indicates that you should drink soft drinks, energy drinks and juice very infrequently. If you're trying to lose weight, the best beverage to reach for is water or unsweetened coffee or tea.
Increasing Metabolism
Juicing and other fad weight loss remedies aren't likely to give you the results you expect. Your weight ultimately depends on how many calories you get and your level of physical activity. Trimming calories from your diet is important, as is getting regular aerobic exercise and strength training. Jampolis states that your metabolism can increase slightly as you gain more muscle mass through physical activity. However, rarely does a slow metabolism contribute to weight gain, unless you suffer from a medical condition such as hypothyroidism. See your doctor if you've been unable to lose weight through diet and exercise or if you suspect you have a condition that affects your metabolism.
References
- MayoClinic.org; Juicing Fruits and Vegetables: Some Touted Benefits are Far-fetched; February 2011
- "New York Times"; The Juice Cleanse: A Strange and Green Journey; J. Newman; October 2010
- MayoClinic.com; Juicing: What Are the Health Benefits?"; J. Nelson, October 2010
- MayoClinic.com; Metabolism: What's the Best Way to Boost It?; K. Zeratsky, January 2010
- CNN.com; What's the Best Way to Kick-Start My Metabolism?; M. Jampolis; January 2009
- Weight-control Information Network: Weight-loss and Nutrition Myths
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