If you schedule an appointment with a health guru and ask about the benefits of juicing, then the chances are you’ll be met with a torrent of interesting facts and information about how you can juice your way to a healthier life. More than just a dietary craze, juicing today has become one of the bedrocks in the foundations for healthy living – heralded as an almost miraculous solution for everything from losing weight to reducing your chances of cancer. Because of this, the juicing trend is gaining popularity at almost lightning speed.
Many health-conscious people are constantly searching for new ways to blend their carrots and cucumbers into a daily health brew, but for some people, juicing is more than just a novel new habit – it’s a way of life.
Squeezing all of the great properties of vegetables and fruit into one drink rather than having to plough through an entire basket of vegetables is a great way to get all of your recommended daily allowance, but before you start investing in a year’s worth of veggies, it might be worth noting that even health miracles can have their drawbacks.
The Benefits of Juicing
Fierce advocates for the juicing craze believe that it’s a wonderful way to maintain a healthy weight, prevent disease, and reduce the symptoms of various illnesses. Since it couldn’t be easier to simply add an extra drink into your diet once a day, there’s very little hard work in joining the juicing lifestyle, and there’s no way that extra nutrients and vitamins could be damaging to your health. With that in mind, here’s the breakdown of juicing benefits you should keep in mind when deciding whether this routine is right for you. Final note about the benefits of juicing: it’s better to have a good juicer to enjoy 100% of the benefits of juicing.
Pro 1: Get More Produce in Your Diet
How many different types of fruits and vegetables do you actually eat each day?
Even if you’re particularly stringent with your dietary choices, and make sure that you get plenty of nutritious food in every meal, the chances are that you have your favorite vegetables and fruits that you can’t help but go back to on a regular basis. While there’s nothing wrong with having a preference, it can help to step outside of your routine from time to time and try something new – perhaps something that could offer nutrients that you don’t get elsewhere.
Juicing is a great way to force yourself out of your comfort zone and start making new dietary discoveries.
Pro 2: Make the Most of your Fruits and Veggies
When it comes to following recipes, most of us convince ourselves that we can only ever use produce that is at the perfect stage of ripeness. Unfortunately, that kind of mindset could make juicing very expensive, as you will require plenty of different vegetables and fruits just to produce a single glass.
Fortunately, when you have produce that is too ripe for you to use anywhere else, juicing can be the perfect way to use it up – particularly since well-ripened fruit in juices often creates a stronger flavor. This means that you’re never going to waste any of the fruit or vegetables you buy!
Pro 3: No Bloating – Lots of Nutrition
Many of us suffer from bloating after consuming a large meal. Vegetables make up a prerequisite of most healthy diets, but they can also take up a lot of space in our stomachs and force is to feel chubby and bloated when we eat too much. In fact, some peoples suffer from digestive issues because of eating too many vegetables at once! Fortunately, juicing is a wonderful solution for those who tend to start bloating after they eat solid foods. Juicing allows you to consume the same amount of nutritional value that you would get from eating whole vegetables or fruit, but without the digestion problems!
Pro 4: Convenient for Busy People
Finally, juicing is a great way to get a quick dose of nutrition if you’re looking for a meal on the go. Some produce is very difficult to prepare and transport with you if you want quick and healthy snacks, but a bottle full of vegetable juice is convenient to take anywhere!
If you’re busy, you can always make your juice first thing in a morning and have it ready to grab by the time you get home after work.
The Problems with Juicing
After all that focus on the wonders of juicing, it may be tough to believe that there are some negatives to the craze too. Unfortunately, there are a few cons to blending your fruits and vegetables that we should mention.
Con 1: Less Fiber
Because juicing removes most of the pulp that comes from your produce, it also means that you end up getting less dietary fiber than you might achieve with a chunky salad or meal. Fiber is beneficial to the body for many reasons, because fiber digests slowly, therefore reducing fat storage and minimizing your blood sugar levels.
Fibrous foods are also great for digestion, while whole vegetables and fruits are excellent for your constitution. In other words, juicing might not be a way to replace eating fruits and vegetables in your diet, but it could be a great supplementary way to enhance your health.
Con 2: The Time Requirements
While a glass of juice can be a great way to consume fresh produce, the process that’s required to make that juice might not be as convenient. Prepping your ingredients, creating the juice, and then cleaning up the mess that you’ve made along the way takes a lot of time. That means that some people find juicing to simply be too much effort for them to commit to.
Should You be Juicing?
For most people, the concept of juicing is a great one. Eating more fruits and vegetables in a tasty and convenient way simply can’t be bad. However, there are a couple of drawbacks that you should keep in mind before you throw yourself into the lifestyle.
The average person will usually find that juicing is a great way to improve their overall health and wellness, but it shouldn’t be used as an alternative to eating whole, fresh produce either.
