Every now and again there comes the question about the advantages of juicing versus eating raw vegetables and fruits. The answer is simple. Juicing would not be necessary, provided that we consumed sufficient amounts of fruits and vegetables every day. Unfortunately, we do not have the habit of eating enough of these important and above all beneficial foods. In our modern times, it has become unrealistic to expect people to consume large amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. Furthermore, fresh vegetables can be too demanding for the digestive system, requiring long periods of digestion and extra energy for this process.
Cooking, on the other hand, kills the most important nutrients, such as the organic enzymes which are known to be very sensitive to increased temperatures. We are actually the only living species on our planet that cooks its food. Here is where the juices may enter, providing the body with all the necessary vitamins and minerals. Freshly prepared juices are always better than the pasteurized juices for the same reason.
Drinking freshly squeezed juices is the best way to cleanse the body and help it absorb a greater amount of nutrients. Let us take carrots as an example. From the raw carrots our body will be able to use only about 5 percent of beta-carotene, versus nearly 90 percent when we drink carrot juice. This does not mean we should completely omit raw fruits and vegetables from our daily diet. On the contrary, they are the kind of foods that contains celluloid fibers necessary for a normal and healthy digestion.
Juicing Vs Preparing Smoothies
When we prepare juices from selected fruits and vegetables, we are separating the liquid content from the pulp. The result is a sparse juice without the dry, fibrous substance. The best results are achieved with foods that contain relatively high percentage of water, such as lemons, watermelon, cucumbers and apples. Nowadays, the top class electric juice extractors provide a quite satisfactory degree of juice extraction, even without peeling and stoning. For fruits and vegetables that contain relatively small percentage of liquid substance, juicing is of course still possible, but the alternative is to prepare a healthy smoothie with a blender. These types of foods include bananas, kiwis, peaches, apricots, etc. In the blender we usually put pieces of peeled fruits or vegetables but the smoothie also requires some extra liquid content, for example, water, yogurt or milk. Alternatively, freshly squeezed juices, like orange, apple or cucumber juice, can be used as one of the starting components of a healthy smoothie. In the morning, there is no better way to get us started than preparing a refreshing home made mix of fruits and vegetables.
Here are some examples of beneficial juices that can be used to improve our health.
Beetroot Juice
Beetroot juice is excellent for increasing the red blood cell count, as well as strengthening the body’s immune system. The iron content in beetroot is not that high, but its specific combination with the other chemical elements is what makes this juice beneficial for the blood. In particular, and in combination with carrot juice, it is recommended to women during the menopause. It is abundant in sodium, calcium, potassium – vital minerals for the normal physiological functioning of our body. Apart form these alkaline elements, the mixture of carrot juice and beetroot juice has a lot of organic phosphorus, sulfur and vitamin A.
Carrot Juice
Carrot juice helps in normalizing a variety of bodily functions. It is the best source of vitamin A, but carrot juice is also a rich source of vitamin B, C, D, G and K. It is of great help in maintaining healthy teeth, strong bones and good sight. Since breast milk might lack some vital substances, carrot juice is recommended to mothers during their pregnancy and lactation. If larger quantities of carrot juice are consumed regularly, some people may experience a sense of discomfort. This is a normal reaction of the body to the increased cleansing and purification that carrot juice might induce. If the juice is fresh and properly prepared, we have given our cells and tissues the best type of nourishment possible.
Celery Juice
The greatest value of raw celery is in the high amount of sodium. One of the important biochemical properties of sodium is reflected in the fact that it keeps calcium dissolved in the bloodstream. It also dissolves the calcium deposited on the joints and aids digestion by improving the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. Raw celery juice is recommended to smokers and people who consume a lot of starches and sugars. It combines very nicely with other juices, especially with carrot juice. A pint of fresh juice of raw celery a day helps us withstand periods of great heat by normalizing our body temperature and promoting a feeling of comfort and balance.
Spinach Juice
When it comes to spinach, the main benefits for the body are seen in its cleansing properties. Spinach juice is very beneficial to the alimentary tract, stomach, intestines, and colon. Half a liter of spinach juice from raw spinach a day can help remove the worst blockages in the digestive system. One tip – do not boil the spinach prior to juicing. Many commercial centrifugal juicers, however, might have problems in extracting enough juice from raw spinach.
Apple Juice
Apple juice has many beneficial effects on the lower alimentary canal, especially if we drink it on an empty stomach. Apple juice is rich in magnesium, iron silicon, and potassium. Fresh apple juice is of great help for various types of inflammation. We should not add any sugar to this juice. If we absolutely have to sweeten it, the best advice is to use honey.
In conclusion, these fresh juices can be of great help if we want to have a healthy, happy and strong body and spirit. However, they are only one aspect of the whole story. Only by combining proper attitude, moderate exercise, and healthy diet can we help ourselves in achieving the ideal combination for healthy and balanced life. The first step can be altering our eating habits towards including some of these tasteful, potent, and healthy juices.
I never knew that you could more nutrients out of carrots by juicing them. I’ll keep that in mind as I look for ways to eat better and healthier.
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I wonder if its better to make it yourself or just buy V-8? I mean there are organic sources of food out there not tainted, but is it really worth all the trouble when they bottle this?
P.S. I am not a V-8 fan by any means
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V-8 is a great product, no doubt about it. The question is, however, if V-8 is pasteurized. I mean, in order to be sold in stores, somehow it has to be made shelf stable at room temperature. So, if it is pasteurized, a lot of the nutrients are killed, and then it is indeed worth the trouble to make your own juice.
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In our home, I always prepare a Carrot shake for my grandchildren as my daughter has a vegetable stall in the market. I prefer a healthy and nutritious fruits and vegetables rather than buying products with preservatives.
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Hi Jenny,
I was surprised too when I first read about the better assimilation of beta carotene in carrot juice. Juicing is definitely a step towards healthier eating.
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These juices are not quite the traditional orange juices that we are used to, but the benefits are pretty astounding. Do you have a link to juicing tips and preparing these juices? Meanwhile I will have a look around for that.
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Hi there
I strongly disagree that it is unrealistic to expect people to eat fruit and vegetables and believe that we should in no way lower our expectations because whole fruits and vegetables provide fibre and the skin usually has the most nutrition! I have also never heard that fruit and vegetables can be demanding on our digestive system and would love to know where you got that information from since you call yourself a nutrition expert, do you have qualifications? I had a good look at your site but was unable to find anything about you so sorry if I missed it.
I just re-read that last paragraph and it sounds a bit snarly, sorry I don’t meant it to, I ask these questions in good faith because nutrition is my absolute passion and if there is research on this I would love to know about it.
Cooking does kill some nutrition (if not a lot!!), but it also releases vitamins, minerals and enzymes that would be bio-unavailable in vegetables such as potato, pumpkin, cauliflower, broccoli, sweet potato etc. I think juicing can be fantastic to give your body much needed nutrients (via beetroot, celery, carrots etc). I also think that smoothies with fruit for kids who otherwise wouldn’t eat fruit – awesome! A great idea.
From the diet and weight loss perspective, you can drink an enormous amount of calories with juicing without the benefits of the fibre or the peel so people need to keep this in mind and should not use juicing as a substitute for eating the whole fruit and vege.
Jan recently posted..The psychology of weight loss and dieting
I’m really not a big fan of buying commercial fruit juice. Home juicing is better, but I still have strong reservations. Here’s why…
As you point out above, emphasized by Jan, all of the dietary fibre is lost to the juicing process. This is a big problem when it comes to fruit juice, because the fiber slows our bodies absorption of carbohydrates (sugars), regulating blood sugar levels and avoiding the insulin spikes that cause us to store belly fat.
So what you’re essentially getting from the juicing process is 4 or 5 portions worth of natural sugars (way better than processed sugars but still…) squeezed into a glass or two, with none of the dietary fibre to help balance this out.
You mention that we are the only species that cooks our food, but I’d like to wager that we’re the only species to juice our food as well. I mean who sits there and eats 4 or 5 apples or oranges in one sitting? Hardly anybody, right? And if they did at least they’d be getting all of the dietary fiber to make it a much more nutritionally balanced meal. I just don’t think it’s a natural way of consuming fruit, and it means we’re getting a massive dose of sugar all in one go, so that’s why I have my own reservations.
I’m a much bigger fan of blending, but I’ll only do this every now and again as an alternative to eating my fruit raw. You can put together some pretty tasty combinations, like a banana, handful of berries and some natural yogurt with a bit of ice. This way I’m not leaving anything out that I wouldn’t do if I was just eating the individual components one-by-one (apart from the ice). Also I’m not consuming any more than I would normally in one sitting.
Good point about commercial fruit juice and the pasteurization factor. Also, there are a lot of juices out there that are made from concentrate, or have added sugars. At least if you’re juicing your own you know exactly what’s going into your glass.
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Thanks for reading and thanks for the criticism – it is always good to get some, and honestly I was expecting it. When it comes to nutrition, there are always different opinions and one would have to choose carefully which suggestions to follow.
If you say that it is not unrealistic to expect people to eat fruits and vegetables then great – I will
correct myself. What I see around me, however, is that people, regrettably, eat less and less of the veggies and fruits every day.
You are right about the fibers. I did say however that the vegetable fibers are necessary for a normal and healthy digestion. The point is that the juices are assimilated rather quickly, in contrast to eating the same amount of food in raw condition. It takes time and effort on the part of our digestive system to process and assimilate raw foods, and that’s one of the reasons why we cook them in the first place. But, of course, you have a good point about cooking and bio-availability of some nutrients, e.g. potato or cauliflower.
I should not have called myself an expert, you are right. I will correct that. What makes an expert is a really questionable thing. I have a PhD in chemistry, but my understanding (from what I can see in my daily interaction with my colleagues) is that there are no real experts in this field. We all, as individuals, should be able to monitor the needs of our organism and respond accordingly. The wisdom of our body is great if only we treat it right and learn how to respond to its needs.
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Hi there
I do believe there are experts in the field, I have been taught by one of the most awesome nutritionists with a PhD in biochemistry who works with athletes, but I also believe that nutrition is not just formulaic and should be intuitive as well, there is no one formula that fits all where food and diet are concerned. Funnily enough, doctors often have next to no knowledge in nutrition which is incredibly scary! During the several years of study very little of it is dedicated to nutrition and considering that up to 80% of all illnesses are lifestyle related then it should be a huge component. I think you said it all in your last line “The wisdom of our body is great if only we treat it right and learn how to respond to its needs”, but we have lost our way with fast foods, convenience foods and way too many highly processed “treats” which are, let’s face it, totally yummy and hard to resist. Even for me with my great interest and passion for nutrition I was so confused and overwhelmed by the amount of information available that I didn’t know what to eat or how much to eat! I learned heaps at Weight Watchers and feel that I am back in touch now with “the wisdom of my body”, and I feel that I am one of the very lucky ones.
Kindest regards
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It’s hard to find time to make juices everyday. Even eating fruits daily seems like a bit demanding, but lately … and luckily there are many shops in malls selling freshly squeezed juice. And they r not expensive. It just makes everything easier
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It is true. The time is a big factor in preparing juices every day. That’s a great (time saving) alternative you suggest – purchasing some freshly squeezed juices. I have seen shops where they prepare the juices in front of you.
Dear HeathJuices,
I love your article as a mom I like to make juice for my son, it is a way to add all sorts of veggie and when you add them with certain fruits you can not even taste the vegetables.
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Thanks Valerie. And thanks for the tip. Juicing is a great way to introduce some additional healthy vegetables that are otherwise unlikely to be taken as raw foods.
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Hi Jan,
Thanks again for your inspirational comment. It expresses almost exactly how I feel about the nutritional knowledge of the great majority of our doctors. Given the (more or less) obvious link between the food we eat and the condition of our health, this is really a devastating truth.
Funny you should mention the fast food industry. Just two days ago I was shocked by a movie – “Food Inc.”, dealing with some “hidden facts” about America’s corporate controlled food industry. After I recovered from the shocking truths about this industry, it made me wonder what the hell went wrong with our way of life and eating habits.
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That’s a great post with good tips about juices. I was overweight and I never tried juices, I was a one way coffee guy. After my doctor’s advice I am drinking at least one juice a day. Now I feel much stronger and healthier.
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Thank you for your blog post. I believe that apple juice is known to be beneficial for the treatment of gallstones. It is also believed to be advantageous to persons with high cholesterol levels due to its higher level of anti-oxidant. I believe that anti-oxidants can help us to prevent the possibilities of cancer and heart diseases, and it can also be helpful for weight loss too. You can enhance the benefits of apple juice if you try to mix other nutritious juices like carrot and celery juice. Believe me, it will give you health benefits if you make it your everyday habit.
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That is so true Lillian. And thanks for this great (additional) info on the health benefits of apple juice.
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No doubt juicing is the best way to get the nutrients. I have tried juicing but after a while I gave up. There are just to much work involved. From washing to cutting and blending. After all these, comes washing up and cleaning the blender. It just takes up too much time. Guess I was not determined enough to enjoy the benefits of juices.
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Mike, you have pointed towards the negative side of juicing. It is indeed so. Especially the washing and cleaning that comes afterwards. One has to pay a price for a healthier life
Nowadays juicers can “absorb” large pieces of fruits and vegetables, so the cutting operation is no longer so demanding.
Or, if you don’t have time to spend cutting up fruit, juicing it and washing up the equipment, grab a banana peel and eat, grab an apple, plumb, peach, apricot, blueberries, strawberries etc and eat – voila, all the vitamins and minerals plus the fibre.
Jan recently posted..The psychology of weight loss and dieting
Man, this article just gave me an appetite for a smoothie …. that settles it, I’m buying a blender tomorrow
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A blender is a must have Phil. I am sure you will enjoy your smoothies.
I just had a flash back to my beach days when we used to get fantastic banana smoothies that were pretty much all you needed for lunch!
Jan recently posted..The psychology of weight loss and dieting
Fruit juice does contain a lot of sugar in the form of fructose. If you are trying to lose weight I don’t recommend consuming too much. Juicing does mean that you can consume a lot more fructose than you otherwise would by just eating the raw fruit itself. But the health benefits of fruits probably outweigh the extra calories.
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Yes, drinking fruit juices can bring in extra calories. So, indeed, if you are trying to lose weight, you might have to think twice what juices are acceptable. Still, I have never been a fan of counting calories. As you indicate, if you know that you will improve your health in the long run, you will certainly normalize your weight as well.
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Ok, you got me! I will better my life after reading this article, and drink more fresh juices!!!
Thanks!
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Great post on raising the awareness of the benefits of freshly squeezed juices, I have maintained a fit and healthy lifestyle from eating and drinking plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. This article clearly makes me see why. Thanks!
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@John Mak,
That’s the way to go. We need not change our habits abruptly, like drinking coffee, or whatever else we love to consume. We can gradually include the juices and observe how our body reacts.
@iCant Internet
Good for you. That will certainly help!
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@excitedbylife – Are there really that much extra calories. I’ve heard that you could eat fruit until your blue in the face and you’d be hard matched to reach the calorie count in just one class of soda or even a small bite of a donut.
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I guess it depends on the type of fruit. For example, the calorie count of a piece of avocado is relatively large, as compared to the other fruits. But in general I agree with you – if I have to choose between a glass of soda and any type of fruit, I will take the fruit regardless of the calories count.
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Hi Laney
A can of soda is between 120-180 calories, a glass of apple juice is 117 calories and an apple 95 calories. So there is not much difference in the calories if you take the lower end of the soda calorie count. However, You could easily drink 4-6 cans of soda or glasses of apple juice, but try eating 4-6 apples – you probably wouldn’t. Also with the whole fruit you get the fibre which is essential for a healthy digestive system. If you are watching your weight, you certainly can’t afford to eat fruit until you are blue in the face.
There’s also a great book by David Gillespie called Sweet Poison and he has much to say against fructose. It was not around in great quantities when we were evolving and our biological system does not recognise it so we do not get the “full” signal if we consume fructose as we do if we consume fats and proteins and the huge consumption of fructose is helping to add to the problems of obesity. Well worth the read if you are interested.
Jan recently posted..The psychology of weight loss and dieting
You can really have a lot of benefits from freshly squeezed juice from fruits and vegetables. If you are on a diet, this is a very effective diet. It will help you not only lose some weight but it is also good in your digestive system. juices from fruits and vegetables have enzymes that can cleanse the GI tracts. This will help in the prevention of other GI problems. Your skin will also look good. It will rejuvenate your system. You will look younger and skin smoother and brighter than before. You will feel the effects of your juicing.
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Juicing is great! Just don’t exclude whole fruits and vegetables. Juicing is a fractionated product and is wonderful in addition, not instead of, the whole real deal.
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Hello Folks, just wanted to say that I loved this article. However, there is one thing I wanted to ask. I read that juices contain lots of sugar. In case I want to lose weight, shall I drink these juices or not?
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Hi Adam,
I guess it’s up to you to decide. I would always take the juice for its beneficial living substance, and if it means a few extra pound, then be it.
this is such a juicy and nutritious article..thank you so much for sharing this wonderful information it’s really a good idea that making a juice is a smart way in taking nutritious nutrient in fruits..
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Your article reminds me the importance of freshly squeezed juices. However, as some of your commentors mentioned, it is difficult to find the time to make freshly squeezed juices. We try to make fresh juices to serve to the family on the weekends because during the week mornings are very rushed.
I remember a very interesting experiement in our chemistry lab in graduate school. We looked at vitamin C content in juice of a freshly cut orange versus juice of a cut orange that had been out for an hour and exposed to air. The juice from the freshly cut orange had significantly more vitamin C content that the other orange juice that had been left out.
This helps me to stay determined towards a lifestyle committment to have fresh fruit and fresh juice when possible.
Thanks for input
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Hi Mary,
If there is no time to prepare fresh juices every day, it is certainly better to make them at least once a week. And, thanks for sharing with us the results of your experiment on the content of vitamin C in juices. It illustrates very nicely how vital it is to have them freshly squeezed, vs stored in refrigerator for later use.
Juice extracts from fruits is the way to go. There’s no question about its many benefits. My mom have had her personal encounter when she was very ill, and vomits whenever she eats anything. She ended up munching whole fruits day in and out, and had helped her recover fast.
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Hi maudelfernandez1023,
Thanks for your input. There is no doubt that there is a strong healing and cleansing power in vegetable and fruit juices. I have also known people who have used them and managed to recover from illnesses much faster than otherwise.
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This is making me crave juice in this crazy heat we are having already. Thank you for this great information. My picky daughter would love this as well.
I love freshly squeezed juice, I never drink juice from the store, and I love to sweeten it up with some Stevia !
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Someone just recently gifted me with a professional juicer/smoothie machine. I tell you….just to be able to use my own combinations of fresh vegetables or fruits is just amazing. I can use as much or as little stevia or natural sweetner as I wish. After I get finished relishing over all the great fruit smoothies I can make, I’m going to look into healthy combinations for optimal health.
I haven’t really tried squeezing juices out of vegetables, but I’ve heard so many positive comments for carrot and tomato juices. Freshly squeezed juices are far more better than ready made juices since there’s a high possibility these juices were already mixed with other chemicals. Preparing freshly squeezed juices can be time consuming but worth of the effort for us to stay healthy all the time.
I’ve seen spinach juices around but I’ve never thought that it could be so healthy. Well I always assume that spinach and the juices that come out of them after cooking will be good as well, but I suppose nothing beats juices that are prepared fresh without any cooking or preservatives.
Keep in mind that the fruits should be organically grown, else who knows what else you’ll drink with that juice or and how many nutrients the altered fruit actually has.
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Wow,I didn’t know celery juice could help with joint health too. I used to dread the thought of drinking celery juice for a long time. Well simply because I didn’t like the taste very much. My mum used to force me to drink it. I think with my aging bones, I should learn not to be so picky with food.
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As a chef I use an abundance of fruit and vegetable juices in my cooking.
Did you ever try a beetroot anglaise served with a piece of grilled tuna?
Matthew
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