Juice is just Sugar & No Fiber
That’s what we hear a lot, and honestly, what has been perpetuated throughout the health and fitness world. So, I wanted to address what about that is true and not true, and how to navigate introducing juicing into your daily life.
Truths:
Yes, juice can have a lot of sugar in it
Fruit is the main culprit of it
Grocery store juices are not the same as raw juice. You can see more info on that here.
Juice doesn’t have AS MUCH fiber as eating the actual fruit or vegetable
Juice allows your body to easily absorb the vitamins and minerals that you might not be able to from eating the produce whole.
Myths:
Juicing is the same as drinking a soda. (This is so ridiculous it hurts my brain)
You will get sugar highs and crashes.
You should cut out fruit to avoid weight gain
Juice has ZERO fiber
Let’s Talk For Real
We are first going to address the sugar in juice topic. Obviously, if you drink an all fruit juice, it will be loaded with sugar. While we offer 2 juices with only fruit, this is more for those who are interested in juicing but are scared of the vegetable ones, or it’s for when parents are trying to switch their kids from those terrible grocery store juices, to real juice.
There is a major difference in adding processed sugar to fruit juice that already has natural sugar, than a raw juice that is made up of fruits. Plus, they have been pasteurized, removing pretty much all nutrients, or is made up of maybe 10% actual juice. Raw juice, is just that.
What we always suggest is more vegetables in your juice. This will cut the sugar way down. All of our vegetable juices have a small amount of fruit, like apple or pineapple, just for flavoring but we can do only greens. It’s just making sure it actually tastes good.
Now, let’s talk about fiber. There are 2 types of fiber, soluble and insoluble. Insoluble fiber is what most people think of when they hear fiber; roughage. It is incredibly good for you, makes sure you have regular bowel movements, adds bulk during digestion and speeds up the passage of food through the digestive tract. In regards to juice, the insoluble fiber is in the pulp that comes out of the juice. So, it’s not there.
Soluble fiber absorbs water and provides matter that acts as a prebiotic, which is like food for the good bacteria in your body. Soluble fiber also helps regulate blood sugar (important) and helps fill you up by slowing down the transport of food in the digestive tract. THIS IS WHAT IS IN JUICE!
We often talk about juice as a healing method, and so you want the easiest to digest and absorb methods as possible, at first. Juice is your go-to. Allowing the body to still have fiber but be able to actually absorb and use those nutrients, is crucial.
Just to touch on the “cut out fruit” issue really quickly. That is ridiculous. Fruit has so many incredible benefits, and to say you should cut it out to avoid the carbs is the wrong thinking. If you are trying to minimize sugar intake, cut out all of the breads, grains, pastas, and added sugars before you start looking at fruit as the culprit. However, I do want to mention that obviously, eating fruit all day everyday can cause problems because of the sugars, but 99.9% of people aren’t doing that.
Wrap It Up
Okay, so to wrap it up:
Juice doesn’t have to be sugar-filled. Juicing more vegetables than fruits will aid in that.
Juice contains soluble fiber, which is just as important as insoluble.
Cutting out fruit should be the last thing you do.
Juice provides so many easily digestible and readily available vitamins and minerals, it’s foolish not to drink it.
I hope that helps some of you who might have heard some of these rumors or myths about juicing and it has put you off. Juicing is a wonderful method for your body and personally, I can attest to all of the benefits of it.
Until next time,
Keep it Fresh. Keep it Simple. Keep it Real.
Aubrey