To Juice or Not To Juice

I don’t normally keep fruit juices in my kitchen. It is either water or tea or perhaps an occasional still mineral water. So it is a bit obvious if to juice or not to juice is right for me..

 

Juice is often regarded as a very healthy drink, and it may well be.. if only you squeeze it from fresh fruits by yourself and not buy any from the shops and especially not be tricked by organic, no sugar added or natural labels. Every single juice I analyzed was mostly pasteurized and loaded with sugar, with no exception. Even the fortified varieties are not match to the naturally squeezed fresh juice.

I still prefer eating a whole fruit than drinking a glass of juice. This way I don’t miss out on the dietary fibre that gives me a sense of feeling full for much longer and extra vitamins I’d be getting from eating the whole fruit and consume much less sugar this way, especially if I am struggling with blood glucose problems. And I know that sugar in juices can easily make me get extra calories and even put on weight as well, so you be careful too while trying to be healthy.

 

• Some people, on the other hand, claim that drinking a glass of juice rather than eating a whole fruit may be better for you as you will be taking the vitamins and other nutrients directly and quickly in liquid form without having to get your body to work on fiber. So you will get plenty of antioxidants this way, to fight free radicals and get rid of toxins in your body.

• Especially if it is not fun eating whole fruits and veggies for you, if you are ill and you are consuming mostly fluids or if you are on some kind of a cleanse for a few days, juicing is definitely the way to go. Would you really be eating a lot of raw carrots, beets and spinach leaves if you didn’t add them to your juice? It is not so bad to load up on vitamins and antioxidants from liquids and be hydrated at the same time.

• If you love your juice or if you are addicted to it, why not get a juicer and try out a combination of different fruits and even veggies and drink it straight away, as the longer it waits the less nutrition it will have and freshly squeezed fruit juice is also prone to not so friendly bacteria. It is not only the sweet fruits that you can juice anyway.. Kale, spinach, cucumber, celery, parsley and tomato are all fine and full of nutrition.

• You also need to find out what seeds and skins can’t be thrown in the juicer as they can be toxic or poisonous such as carrot tops (toxic), orange and grapefruit peels (hard on tummy), apple seeds (arsenic) and wild parsnips (poisonous). It is common sense.. if something is not edible, then you can’t juice it, simple!

• If you can’t drink it straight away, place it in a container for a couple of hours maximum in the fridge, and do not let air in to prevent spoilage and oxidation.

• If you don’t want to waste the fruit pulp after juicing, use it in cakes, muffins or other things you bake.

• Before making a decision to juice or not to juice and whether to buy a nice juicer, think about the cost and how often you’ll be using it and what for, then make your decision on what kind you will get.

 

Return from To Juice or Not To Juice to Glycemic Index home page

Or back to Glycemic Index Cooking from To Juice or Not  To Juice