>Nutrition

The Truth About Juicing

KP / 18 August 2015

Juicing has become an increasingly popular trend over the past few years. With juice bars popping up all over the UK and juice cleansing programmes ever popular, it's a trend that doesn't look set to leave us any time soon. So is juicing actually good for us? Or is it just another sugar hit disguised as something healthy?

One of the main benefits of juicing is the fact that it enables you to consume a high concentration of natural nutrients easily. Think about it, you're unlikely to ever sit and eat ten carrots in one go, however ten carrots would make a moderately sized glass of juice, easy to consume in one sitting. This is of course beneficial but don't forget that while you're concentrating the nutrients, you're also concentrating the sugar content of anything you juice.

All fruits contain sugar and so whilst we recommend eating moderate amounts of low sugar fruits in their entirety, juicing them can add a lot of unnecessary sugar to the diet. Did you know that a small, 300ml, single serving bottle of Tropicana orange juice contains the equivalent of 7.5 teaspoons of sugar?!

No sugar has been added to this, all 30g comes from the juice of the oranges. We have been made very aware of the negative effects of sugar on our health and fruit sugar is no different. The body cannot tell the difference between sugar from a Mars Bar, or sugar from an orange. It affects our health and increases our weight in the same way. For this reason, fruit juice, however fresh, is not something that we recommend consuming regularly.

If you're a fan of juices, then vegetable juices are your best option. Green vegetable juices in particular are incredibly rich in nutrients whilst being virtually sugar free. Cucumber and celery make good bases as they provide substantial amounts of juice. You can then add in spinach, kale and other leafy greens. Juicing ginger, lemon and lime is a good way to add some flavour and give some additional health benefits.

 

Vegetable juicing can be a fantastic way of increasing your vitamin and mineral intake and if you start juicing at home, it can become strangely addictive! Many shops now offer vegetable juices but be sure to check the ingredients carefully and ensure they're not secretly fruit juices with a few spinach leaves added for effect. Embrace vegetable juices but remember that fruit is best left for eating!


Original article available at http://www.alohealth.co.uk/the-truth-about-juicing.html

Written by Kim Pearson

 

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