Juice Up Your Life the Healthy Way! -- Part 1: Truths or Myths

Juicing has become a popular way to obtain vital nutrients from the juice of whole fruits and vegetables. Its promoters say juicing is the very best way to get a multitude of vitamins and minerals from the fresh whole food. But is that really true?

Let's take a look at the selling points and you can decide whether you want or need to start juicing.

Truths or Myths

Truth or Myth #1: Juicing helps you absorb all the nutrients from the vegetables and fruits.

If you read our free report, The 7 Time Bombs Ticking in Your Body, you will understand why the nutrients in fruits and vegetables have such life-giving power. They’re loaded with vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and thousands of plant chemicals (phytochemicals).

Juicing promoters say that juicing liberates the life-giving nutrients in fruits and vegetables for your body to use more readily, without the fiber that sometimes may impair your body's uptake of some of the nutrients. This can be true.

But there’s a drawback. The fiber in the pulp that gets separated from the juice is also an important nutrient. And most Americans don't get enough of it. Many other life-giving nutrients may also be trapped in the pulp along with the fiber. And the skins of fruits and vegetables are often left behind in the juicing process

So I would say that juicing may help you absorb certain nutrients in fruits and vegetables better. But unfortunately, if you are drinking the juice only, you are losing many other nutrients found in the pulp.

To get the most bang for your buck from juicing, use a juicer that does not discard the pulp. Or eat the pulp separately. See the suggestions in Part 2 of this article for exciting ways to make the pulp into a new dietary treasure.

Truth or Myth #2: Juicing can boost your immune system and reduce your risk of cancer.

This is true. But the nutritional benefits of juicing come from the fruits and vegetables themselves. There is no evidence for the claim that you will be healthier juicing than eating the same fruits and vegetables whole.

Truth or Myth #3: Juicing helps remove toxins from your body.

Your body already has powerful built-in detox centers. These are your liver and kidneys. They constantly process, filter, and rid you of toxins.

Many of the life-giving nutrients and chemicals in fruits and vegetables assist your liver and kidneys in detoxing your body. So the ability of juicing to detox your body comes from, again, the fruits and vegetables themselves. It has nothing to do with the process of juicing alone.

Truth or Myth #4: Juicing allows you to consume an optimal amount of vegetables and fruits if you avoid eating them because of their taste.

This is true. Juicing is a great way to get the life-giving nutrients from whole vegetables and fruits if you do not especially care for eating them.

But remember, you can mask the taste of whole fruits and vegetables by using a favorite flavor. For example, you can add lemons, limes, carrots, beets, or apples to mask the bitterness of some of the vegetables you avoid. Some people simply add one or two tablespoons of frozen natural juice concentrate to them. You have plenty of choices for this purpose. Grape, pineapple, and lemonade are some of the favorites.

Truth or Myth #5: Juicing helps you lose weight.

Weight loss happens when you do not take in enough calories for your body's basic needs. The end result of juicing is low in calories and protein. So if you do not eat enough of other foods, you may lose weight.

But the juice is not complete nutrition. Trying to lose weight by only drinking the juice will make you lose your precious muscle mass.

Also, as the juicer takes the "work" out of chewing your food, and saves the “energy” from processing the bulk and fiber of the food in your gut, you actually lower part of your metabolism and thus burn fewer calories.

If you want to lose weight, use juicing as one of the components of a balanced approach.

Remember, after losing weight from ANY program or by ANY means, your body has toned down its metabolism to adjust to the low calorie intake. You can therefore gain weight very fast if you start eating the same foods in the same amounts as you did before your weight loss attempt.

Sometimes, juicing may add extra unwanted calories if you are not careful.

The human body does not register the calories from liquids very well. You can consume many more calories from liquids without realizing it.

In general, a 12-oz cup of pure fruit juice may have about 180 calories (kcal). A cup of pure vegetable juice has about 25 kcal. If you blend vegetables with fruits, the juice will have calories that are somewhere in between.

The Bottom Line

Juicing is one valid way to enjoy life-giving nutrients. It is great option if you do not eat many vegetables or fruits. Even if you like produce to start with, juicing can be an exciting way to add variety, nutrition, and more interest to your enjoyment of food.

Eating vegetables and fruits in any way beats not eating them at all!

In Part 2, we’ll discuss how to start a juicing program, the types of juicers that are available, and how to make juicing a healthy and pleasurable experience. Don’t miss it!