Juicing for health and weight loss

Ready to give juicing a whirl? It's an easy way to get more fruits and veggies into your diet.

Before you get started, you should know a few things about what you can expect juicing to do for you, and what's just hype.

The Biggest Advantage

“If you’re not big into fruits and vegetables, it’s a good way to get them in," says nutritionist Jennifer Barr, RD, of Wilmington, DE. You should still eat fruits and vegetables, too, says Manuel Villacorta, RD, founder of Eating Free, a weight management program.

Aim to eat two whole fruits and three to four vegetables a day. Choose them in different colors, so you get a good mix of vitamins and minerals, Barr says.

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Fiber Factor

When you juice, you don't get the fiber that's in whole fruits and vegetables. Juicing machines extract the juice and leave behind the pulp, which has fiber.

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So you don't miss out on the fiber, you can add some of the pulp back into the juice or use it in cooking.

Barr adds it to muffin batter, or to make broth for cooking soup, rice, and pasta. That's "going the extra step to fortify your meals," she says.
Do You Need a Juicing Machine?

Juicers can be expensive, ranging from $50 to $400. Some more expensive juicers will break down a lot of the fruit by grinding the core, rind, and seeds, Barr says.

You may not need a juicing machine to make juice. You can use a blender for most whole fruits or vegetables to keep the fiber. Add water if it becomes too thick, Villacorta says. You’ll want to remove seeds and rinds, and some skins.

Once your juice is ready, it's best to drink it the same day you make it, for food safety. Wash your blender or juice machine thoroughly, so it's ready for your next batch.

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Watch the Calories

How many calories are in your juice? That depends on what's in it.
"You could be taking up to four fruits, and now the calories start adding up. If you use vegetables to juice, the calories are a lot less. If they use mainly vegetables, add an apple or kiwi for flavor. Calories are a concern if it’s pure fruit juice," Villacorta says.

You can make your juice more balanced by adding protein. Some good sources are almond milk, Greek yogurt, flaxseed, and peanut butter.

Juicing for Weight Loss and Cleansing

Juicing might seem like a simple way to lose weight, but it can backfire.
On a juice-only diet, you may not get enough fiber or protein to make you full. You might rebel.

“If you’re doing a juicing diet, you’ll be so tempted to eat something like a cake or doughnut because you’ve restricted yourself,” Barr says.
Not getting enough protein could also mean you lose muscle mass.

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The bottom line: It's too extreme, and the results aren't likely to last.
What about juicing as a way to detox or cleanse your body? “I haven’t seen any research or science paper to support that cleansing is happening from juicing,” Villacorta says.

Your liver and kidneys take care of that -- whether you're juicing or not.

Other Health Claims

As for other health claims, it's true that eating a plant-based diet is linked to lower risk of heart disease or cancer. But there hasn't been a lot of research done that's specific to juicing.

There is some research on juicing and the immune system. But any immune system benefits probably come from eating fruits and vegetables, whether it's in juice or not, Barr says.

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If You're Taking Prescription Drugs

Check with your doctor before doing a lot of juicing, so you can avoid any potential problems.

For instance, large amounts of foods high in vitamin K, such as kale and spinach, may change how the blood thinner warfarin works.
Juicing is no healthier than eating whole fruits and vegetables.
Juicing extracts the juice from fresh fruits or vegetables. The liquid contains most of the vitamins, minerals and plant chemicals (phytonutrients) found in the fruit. However, whole fruits and vegetables also have healthy fiber, which is lost during most juicing.
Some believe that juicing is better than eating whole fruits and vegetables because your body can absorb the nutrients better and it gives your digestive system a rest from digesting fiber. They say juicing can reduce your risk of cancer, boost your immune system, remove toxins from your body, aid digestion and help you lose weight.
However, there's no scientific evidence that extracted juices are healthier than the juice you get by eating the fruit or vegetable itself.
But if you don't enjoy eating fruits and vegetables, juicing may be a way to add them to your diet or to try fruits and vegetables you might not eat.

Consider blending instead of juicing. Blending the edible parts of fruits and vegetables produces a drink that contains more healthy phytonutrients and fiber. Fiber can help you feel full.
If you try juicing, make only as much juice as you can drink at once; harmful bacteria can grow quickly in freshly squeezed juice. If you buy commercially produced fresh juice, select a pasteurized product.
There is a lot of confusion over the benefits of juicing. Is juicing good for you? Yes and no. It depends on your health and possible imbalances in your body. Juices are easily digested and are rich in the same nutrients, oxygen, water, and enzymes as the whole fruits and vegetables from which they’re made. However, there are two things to be aware of when it comes to juicing.

To make most vegetable juices taste yummy, carrots or sweet vegetables are used as the base. This high concentration of natural sugars feed yeast and opportunistic organisms that lead to poor digestion, fatigue, weight gain, acne, hormone imbalances and disease.
Juicing itself removes the fiber from the vegetable, so vegetable juice metabolizes to quickly with an effect similar to sugar.

So when it comes to making juicing work for you, follow these tips:

Tip #1:

Don’t juice if you have or think you have a problem with yeast in the body. Wait until you have detoxified your colon and have implanted significant colonies of friendly bacteria into your digestive tract.

Tip #2:

Drink juice as your first meal of the day on an empty stomach.

Tip #3:

“Chew” your juices. Juices rapidly assimilate, so swishing them around your mouth before swallowing allows the digestion process to begin by mixing the juice with saliva. Savoring your vegetable juices in this way makes a huge difference.

Tip #4

Do NOT juice cabbage, kale, or collard greens. In their raw form, these vegetables will suppress thyroid function.

Tip #5

Use Granny Smith Apples instead of carrots or beets. These green, sour apples have much less sweetness than the typical base and make a better base for the raw juiced vegetables.

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Tip #6

Add some lemon and/or lime juice. They are natural antiseptics and cleanse the digestive tract. The sour fruit juices stimulate the peristaltic action of the colon and promote morning bowel movements.

Tip #7

Do not let that juice sit around! Juice only what you will drink right away. If the juice sits around, even in the refrigerator, it becomes more sugary.

Tip #8

Add parsley and watercress. You don’t need a lot of these, but their high concentration of chlorophyll will help cleanse your blood and cells.

Tip #9

Avoid wheat grass. Wheat grass juice is rich in sugar and is too expansive. It often causes nausea or dizziness.

Tip #10

Add a few drops of stevia to sweeten, a dash of mineral rich sea salt, and some probiotics.

Juicing is not the panacea it is often portrayed to be, and for people with body ecology imbalances, it can aggravate their symptoms. Timing is everything, so listen to your body and follow the tips above to get the best health from your juices.