Guest Post: Pros & Cons of Juicing

Juicing diets have become quite popular recently, spurred on by the upswing in numbers of people following a raw vegan lifestyle. Are they a good idea if you are looking for a simple way to lose weight quickly and healthily? Are they a dangerous fad that might actually harm you? Let’s look into the pros and cons.

Juicing can follow a couple of paths. Some people use a higher calorie, more fruit and carrot based way of juicing, and others try to keep it more veggie and greens based. The high level of fructose in the sweeter juices has been suggested to be unhealthy over the long term, at least if you’re juicing as your main food source. Consuming a lot of fructose places stress on your liver and causes fat to be stored there per recent studies.

The mostly-greens based juices don’t have that issue, but with these you run into the fact that you are consuming very few calories. This will make the diet or cleanse much more difficult to maintain. It also may start to negatively affect your metabolism.

Some juice dieters have begun to include a portion of nut milk daily, which is a very healthy idea. One of the biggest drawbacks of juicing is that the diets are very low in protein and fat, both things your body needs. Choose a nut milk with a good fatty acid profile, such as macadamia or hemp seed milk.

Juicing does give you a large dose of nutrition in a small package. If you actually juice the 20 pounds or so of veggies that most proponents suggest daily, you will be consuming a huge amount of vitamins and minerals. You do lose some of the nutrients in the fiber that is removed, but the sheer volume of veggies juiced really does make up for that loss. If you want to be sure you are not missing out on these nutrients, try making smoothies too.

Short-term juice dieting or cleanses can actually be beneficial when done thoughtfully with a variety of vegetables and greens, especially with some added nutrition from nuts. People do lose weight, and frequently report feeling energetic and quite healthy. Longer-term, though, consider just adding a freshly juiced glass of veggies daily to a balanced diet. 

 

Pros:

·         No artificial sweetener

·         High volume of nutrients

·         Short term detox

·         Can consume fruits or vegetables you find less appealing

·         Great for adding into regular diet  

 

Cons:

·         Can be high calorie

·         Expensive

·         Not long term

·         Lack of protein

·         Don’t feel full

 

Guest Bio:

Beth is the mother of two children and would call herself a “supermom,” but believes every mom has super capabilities. She dedicates her life to teaching her children to live healthy and happily. Her knowledge and proficiency in health and fitness comes from her experience writing for medical companies such as Liberty Medical. You can also check out other fitness, health, and family related posts at her blog.