Juicing = lost nutrients?

[Virginia]

Is it true that juicing fruits isn't really that healthy because most of the nutrients are in the skin/pulp, which you don't get when you juice?

[HomeyT]

I don't agree with that. I think there's a big push marketing wise to blend your fruit into a smoothie rather than juice it. I'm not advocating one over the other (but if you were selling blenders I'm sure you would have a bias). I do both actually. When I'm looking for fuel, added protein, fibre etc I make a smoothie, when I'm purely wanting a vitamin rich bolt to the system I make juice. They are both great! But not comparable IMO.

[mommychem]

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[Maedchen]

I have a juicer and a vitamix (now). If I used the juicer, I would save the pulp to put into a bread like pumpkin bread or carrot bread. Alas, there is so much mess to clean up, I never use it.

I throw the entire fruit minus the seeds into the vitamix and YUM! Then I put some soap in the blender bowl with water and twirl it like a dishwasher and rinse. Much less work.



I think that either would be more nutrition than doing nothing.

[Ms_Dahl]

Yes, to what HomeyT shared. They really serve two separate purposes and in a healthy lifestyle, they should happily co-exist.

When I initially saw the thread title, I wasn't sure if you were referring to a centrifugal juicer because with those types of juicers, there is a minor loss of nutrients due to the heat the machine generates to make the juice.

---------- Post added at 09:27 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:17 PM ----------

Oh, and I normally shy away from juicing strictly fruits due to the high fructose content. When I do make fruit juices, it would be those that provide the highest concentration of anti-oxidants (i.e. blueberries, pomegranate) and I normally dilute it with water.

[deena]

I love maedchen's idea.

Juicing is definitely less healthy. I know there's vitamins in the skin that, I assume, can't be squeezed out. Also, removing the fiber makes it more sugary, you're body is going to pump out the insulin when you drink juice.

[ReedleBeetle]

I think juice can be a very healthy thing as can whole fruit smoothies. One thing I learned in juicing is that in order to gain the maximum nutrition, it needs to be juiced and drank in about 15 minutes or so. After that, between air and light, it begins rapidly losing nutrition.

Isaac and I often start our day with a mix of celery, carrot, and apple juice, blended with avocado and plain chicken broth. So. Many. Good. Things in that. A great start to the day.

[HomeyT]

When we juice it's usually veggies! Carrots, all sorts of greens in large quantities, ginger, beets....then throw in an apple, orange, or lemon! It's good. We don't juice for taste (although the taste is fine) we juice for vitamins. You can eat the nutrition of 4 salads in one drink

[believer]

I would rather eat four salads.

[Virginia]

Originally Posted by believer

I would rather eat four salads.

Me too. Right now I'm drinking a kale-carrot-ginger-apple juice, and I'm only managing to swallow it because of the ginger and apple

[Maedchen]

I have found if I throw 2 handfuls of spinach in the vitamix last, I do not even taste it. (I like mine cold, so I put a glass of ice cubes in to keep it ice cold.) If the greens get warm, that is all that you taste.

I put 3 or 4 dates in an entire blender of fruit and veggies.

[HomeyT]

Originally Posted by Virginia

Me too. Right now I'm drinking a kale-carrot-ginger-apple juice, and I'm only managing to swallow it because of the ginger and apple

kale needs lemon to take away it's bitter flavour.

i like my salads too
i think people feel juicers are to take the place of food we eat…i think the marketing around them certainly can sound that way… but imo they are just to give you added nutrients when and if you need them. going with my example... it's like infusing your body with the nutrition of 8 salads, after you've eaten 4 and juiced another 4. and certainly if you'd prefer and are able to eat 8 salads that will certainly give you the same result!

we mainly juice when we need the extra vitamins, or when we are sick or generally wanting to boost the immune system…or have copious amounts of spinach and kale or apples in the garden! i've also tried recipes for certain ailments, like a liver cleanse or i have a recipe to help with cramps.

and you can drink too much nutrition too! my husband would get an orange tint to his skin when he'd drink too much carrot juice. lol! yup as a teenager he loved to juice, even garlic BLAH , he's lucky i ever kissed him! good thing he was so good looking.

[Punkie]

If you want to get the maximum nutritional benefits from your juice, it is a good idea to "chew" it. Digestion starts with saliva and chewing, and chewing sends important signals all the way down.

I'll also add my other big thing about juicing:

Each person must consider their own body and health challenges. Some people "run cold" and others "run hot." Food can have an overall cooling effect or an overall warming effect on the body. It is important to keep your body balanced. Generally speaking, people who "run cold" have more issues with juicing, since juices are a very cold natured food.

If you dump a lot of cold foods into your stomach, it can be compared to pouring a bunch of cold water into a bubbling pot. It takes a long time for the pot to heat back up and get back to simmering. Likewise, too many warming foods can cause it to kind of boil over.

Since juices are overall very cooling in nature, and are often also consumed cold, it is good to add some "warming" elements to your juice. Some veggies, like cucumber, are especially cooling, and make this more important. Ginger is one popular option to add to "warm" your juice and help your body to digest it better.

[squiddles]

How do you know of you run cold or run hot?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Punkie]

There are thorough evaluations that can be done, but in general:

People who have signs of "Heat" are more likely to sweat easily, get constipated, be loud or talkative, get irritable/hyperactive/aggressive if upset, have insomnia, have a strong appetite, get fevers easily, crave cold and dislike heat, have darker urination

People who have "Cold" signs are more likely to have cold hands/feet, clear, frequent urination, crave heat and dislike cold, have loose stools, little sweating, low blood pressure, feel more tired, more prone to depression, have a lower appetite.