The Benefits of Juicing: Myth or Fact?

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The American Dietetic Association promotes daily consumption of fruits and vegetables for optimal health, but they are not the only one. Even the National Cancer Institute has been campaigning to urge the public to include more fruits and vegetables into their diet. Numerous researches had been carried out with the goal of finding out how diet affects the overall health of a population. Although most of the studies are still considered inconclusive because of too many outside factors that need to be examined as well—one thing is consistent, though—a number of diseases that are common in developed countries like America, such as cancer of the colon, diverticulitis and cancer of the prostate rarely exist in countries where the diet is mainly composed of fruits and vegetables.

Much has been done by the governments and various health advocates to foster awareness of the benefits of fruits and vegetables on people’s diet, but more and more diet related disorders are still prevalent. Truth is, a lot of people still find it hard to eat more of this nutritious food group. In fact, an average person only consume 1-2 servings of vegetables or fruits in a day, on most days, it can be less to none. We have easy access to unhealthy, fatty, high in sodium food from groceries, food chains and diners, and in return, we find it excessively time consuming to prepare healthy meals.

Then came the juicing program—but general public are still skeptic. Is drinking fresh juice comparable to eating fruits and vegetables in their normal form? The concept is still highly debatable, but supporters are firm in promoting the many benefits of juicing; here’s what they are saying:

• More nutrients are found in one serving of juice compared to the average serving of fruit or vegetables we usually consume. A good juicer has the ability to isolate not only the juice from the fruit, but even those from pits, seeds and peeling s that we normally throw away when eating them raw. The resulting juice is said to be rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
• Since heating or basic cooking can degrade proteins and important enzymes from food, juicing preserves these substances to give you all the benefits.
• A glass of juice with properly selected ingredients can make you feel full and is a better meal replacement to help you lose weight.
• Preparing your own juice gives you more control of the calories and nutrients you’re consuming daily. As oppose to juices being sold in supermarkets, home prepared juices contain no preservatives, sugars and other harmful chemicals.
• Juice from a combination of different fruits and vegetables are highly detoxifying hence, it aids the body in absorbing nutrients as detrimental wastes and toxins are flushed out of the system.
• Juicing can provide you with the right amount of phytochemicals, these are substances from plants that are said to be potent in fighting free radicals, and are helpful in reducing the risk of diseases and some types of cancer.

Now that are in the mood of a nutritional juice, you can find a list of very good juicer here.