JUICE/JUICING

Juice/Juicing- For weight-loss...Seriously?

Juicing has taken the diet/nutrition industry by a storm. Most of the celebrities and talk shows are talking about it. It is like the miraculous answer to weight-loss, getting those vegetables down and detoxing.

The apparent benefits of juicing are:

• It is an easy way to shower your body with concentrated amounts of nutrient-packed vegetables and fruit (helloooo vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants).
• Plus, these drinks are automatically low in ingredients you want to avoid, like toxic fats, added sugars and salt.

My question is “ Is it really helpful? Is juicing the best answer to loosing weight? Is it really healthy?” The answer is NO…….Not really. Juicing is not the answer to all the questions.

If you are considering juicing for weight-loss….think again. While you will see a significant weight-loss after starting a strict juicing program, these pounds will come back and some, faster than they went down. The reason is that you will restrict a lot more when juicing in terms of calories and fat, because you will be consuming only juices. But when you start eating again your body will bounce back and store the solid food calories.

Juicing may give you vitamins and minerals but the majority of nutrition comes in from carbohydrates (sugar) and do not provide any protein. Protein is a key nutrient needed to make you feel full and energized while maintaining your lean muscle mass and boosting your metabolism. Also, cutting down on protein intake leads to your body using its muscle mass for energy rather than breaking down fat.

Most of the fiber in fruits and vegetables is lost during juicing if the pulp is not added back to the drink. So you’re basically following a high-sugar, low-protein and low-fiber diet, which can cause dramatic spikes in blood sugar, and lead to headaches, mood swings, dizziness, and fatigue.

Another drawback is that liquid calories are not the same as solid calories nor do liquid calories make you feel full. Chewing on food releases a hormone that tells your brain you are eating and you a full. This hormone is not released while drinking. So you will be in perpetual hunger state. And I have stressed previously starvation does not lead to weight-loss it leads to weight gain.

Finally DETOX BOGUS….. Your body is fully equipped with everything it needs to do that on its own — if you nix the junk and focus on eating clean. Juicing allegedly also claims that it helps cleaning your body to achieve a beneficial alkaline pH, but in reality, your body maintains a tightly regulated pH at all times, regardless of what you’re eating. There are no major human studies to substantiate the purported benefits of an alkaline diet.

  

Pros of Juicing	Cons of Juicing
Provides vitamins and minerals Low in fat	Starves your body eventually leading to weight gain Low in protein High in sugar Does not help body in detoxing your body is able to do that by itself Starvation leads you to over-eat and binge after your juicing/detox diet is completed It is not a miraculous answer to weightloss. Eating a well rounded and balanced diet is always the miracle answer.

Bottom Line:

If you want to try juicing, skip the full-on liquid diet and instead enjoy a green juice (heavy on veggies and lighter on fruit to keep calories and sugar in check), along with a scoop of high protein (low carbohydrate) protein powder, in place of one of your meals. Rest of the 2 meals eat a lean (chicken, fish, beans, lentils, quinoa, soy etc) and green meal (raw or steamed vegetables).