Download 1. What is your opinion on juice cleanses? Fresh fruit and vegetable

1. What is your opinion on juice cleanses?
Fresh fruit and vegetable juices have a reputation for being super healthy, and it is true that juices
can be a concentrated source of valuable nutrients. It’s hard to argue against the benefits of
getting in more vegetables, but before you jump on the bandwagon, here are the facts.
2. How do you think they could be positive?
As a whole Americans, don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables (for most people the
recommendation is two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables per day according to
MyPlate.gov). If you don't enjoy eating fresh fruits and vegetables, juicing may be a fun way to
add them to your diet or to try fruits and vegetables you normally wouldn't eat. If you make your
own juice, experiment with combining different kinds of fruits and vegetables for taste and
nutrition. Popular combinations include mixing leafy vegetables like spinach or kale with celery
or cucumber, and adding beet, carrot or apple for sweetness.
3. How do you think they are negative?
Missing out on Fiber.
When you juice, you don't get the fiber that's in whole fruits and vegetables. Juicing machines
extract the juice and leave behind the pulp, which has fiber. So you don't miss out on the fiber,
you can add some of the pulp back into the juice or use it in cooking.
Sugar and Calorie Overload.
Juice is also a concentrated source of natural sugars. If you consume it without any other food,
juice passes relatively quickly through your stomach to your small intestine, where both the
nutrients and the sugar are rapidly absorbed. When it comes to sugar, rapid absorption isn’t
necessarily a good thing. A big glass of fresh juice can cause a sudden sharp rise in your blood
sugar, which in turn provokes a big release of insulin from the pancreas, which then causes a
quick drop in blood sugar. Your energy levels tend to go up and down with the rise and fall of
your blood sugar and you usually end up hungry sooner than you would if you ate foods that are
more slowly digested. The fluctuation in blood sugar levels is tough on the pancreas. It can even
set up a situation where your cells lose their sensitivity to insulin and your pancreas can’t
produce enough to get the job done—a symptom of or risk for Type 2 diabetes. Drinking fresh
juice will not give you diabetes, but the high sugar content is something to be aware of-especially in juices made from carrots, beets, and most fruits. Also, keep in mind that juices may
contain more sugar than you realize, and if you aren't careful, these extra calories can lead to
weight gain.
Short Shelf Life.
Keep in mind the juice will only be as nutritious as the fruits and vegetables you start with, so
you want to be juicing fresh, seasonal produce. It’s also important to drink your concoctions as
soon after they are made as possible. The antioxidants and other phytonutrients start to break
down almost immediately once they are exposed to light and air. For example, no matter how
healthy the ingredients sound, those expensive bottles of juice from the health food store will
have lost a lot of their nutrition by the time you drink them. If it’s peak nutritional value you’re
after, you’re better off stopping at a juice bar or making your own.
In addition, fresh squeezed juice can quickly develop harmful bacteria. If you buy commercially
produced fresh juice from a juicing stand or store, select a pasteurized product.
Not a Balanced Diet.
Fresh juice is nutritious but it's not balanced nutrition. While it's high in antioxidants and certain
minerals (as well as sugar), it's quite low in protein, fiber, and essential fatty acids - nutrients that
your body also needs. If you are drinking nothing but juice for several meals a day, your diet
could be low in other important nutrients. Any sort of extended fasting--including juice fasting-should only be done with the guidance of a doctor or dietitian.
Expensive.
Juicers can be expensive, ranging from $50 to $400. Some more expensive juicers will break
down a lot of the fruit by grinding the core, rind, and seeds. As anyone who has ever made fresh
juice knows, it takes several pounds of produce to produce 16 ounces of juice. Buying the extra
produce can be expensive as well as time consuming. If you are concerned about pesticides, you
might want to buy organic produce, which is substantially more expensive than conventional
produce. But if organic produce is too expensive for your wallet, at least avoid the so-called
Dirty Dozen (the twelve fruits and vegetables with the highest pesticide residues). You can
reduce your exposure to pesticides by almost 90 percent! Here are the twelve you want to either
avoid (or buy organic): Peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries,
pears, imported grapes, spinach, lettuce, and potatoes.
4. Why do you think that people participate in them?
Some juicing proponents say that juicing is better for you than is eating whole fruits and
vegetables because your body can absorb the nutrients better and it gives your digestive system a
rest from working on fiber. Moreover, there is some evidence that certain nutrients, especially
those in the carotenoid family, seem to be better absorbed from juice. Carotenoids are found in
carrots, of course, but also in tomatoes, spinach, apricots, melons, peppers, and lots of other
brightly colored fruits and vegetables. This class of nutrients seems to play a big role in
preventing cancer. They say that juicing can reduce your risk of cancer, boost your immune
system, help you remove toxins from your body, aid digestion and help you lose weight.
However, there's no sound scientific evidence that extracted juices are healthier than the juice
you get by eating the fruit or vegetable itself.
Additional thoughts: If you do try juicing
•Enjoy juice in moderation. There's nothing wrong with enjoying a glass of fresh juice on a
daily basis but 8-12 ounces a day is probably plenty. (I recommend limiting straight fruit juice to
4 ounces a day.)
•Enjoy juice with other healthy foods. Adding foods that contain fiber, healthy fats, and/or
protein will not only round out the meal nutritionally, but will also slow the absorption of sugars
from the juice. When it comes to digesting sugar, slower is generally better. Nuts or nut butter,
whole grains, Greek yogurt, avocado, olive oil, fish, and/or whole fruits and vegetables would all
be good complements to fresh juice.
•Enjoy juice after your work out. If you're convinced that drinking the juice all by itself
delivers additional benefits, consume it during or immediately after exercise, when it is less
likely to cause a blood sugar spike.
•Try making "whole juice." High-powered blenders can emulsify, or reduce whole fruits and
vegetables to a smoothie-like texture and retain the fiber. You can also add yogurt or flaxseeds
for more balanced nutrition.
5. What do you think is the best way to maintain a healthy lifestyle?
To borrow a quote from Michael Pollan: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. ”
Portion out your plate like this: ½ fruits and vegetables, ¼ protein, and ¼ starch (rice, pasta,
potato or other starchy vegetable
Be active every day. Find an activity that you enjoy and make it a priority.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is about moving more and eating less EVERYDAY.