If you’ve been active on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, read Fitness magazines, or browsed through newspapers these past couple of months, then you’ve certainly encountered at least one post, ad, or article about the latest diet fad: Juicing. What is it and why have people made such a fuss about it?
Juicing is basically extracting or squeezing out juice from mixed fruits and vegetables. This may either be taken along with a meal, as a snack or an energy booster before exercising, or as a meal itself. The testimonials from countless actors and actresses, gym buffs, athletes, and other public figures, along with the impressive ads and promos released by several booming juice companies have made juicing the “in” thing today. But before you jump into the juicing bandwagon, do yourself a favor and consider its benefits as well as its drawbacks.
So what exactly can juicing do for you? If you aren't fond of munching on fruits and veggies, juicing is a healthy and delicious way to add them into your diet. Aside from this, juicing can also help you shed unwanted pounds. According to juicing expert Rika Susan, “The biggest plus of a juicing for weight loss program is that it adds valuable, bio-available micro-nutrients with a wealth of health benefits at a minimal calorie cost, with no dietary fat.” Of course, this has to be coupled with proper diet and regular exercise. Lastly, juicing fans claim that it can reduce your risk of cancer, boost your immune system, aid in digestion, and perhaps its most publicized benefit, is its ability to detoxify or cleanse your body. These, however, are strengthened only by personal testimonies and have yet to be proven through sound scientific evidence.
Now that we’ve gone through the pros of juicing, let’s take a look at its cons. Juicing extracts only the juice from fresh fruits and vegetables, so essential parts like the skin and pulp which contain most of the vitamins and minerals and the fiber are left out. You end up not getting as much nutrients as you would have gotten when eating whole fruits and vegetables. Juicing is also considered a fad diet, which simply means that you shouldn’t be doing it for an extended amount of time. Why? When on a juice-only diet, you may not get as much fiber and protein as your body needs, possibly tempting you to binge eat and lose muscle mass. You may not realize it, but the ingredients you include in your juices may contain more calories and sugar than you think, especially if the juice you consume is made purely of fruits which contain lots of natural sugars. Finally, juicing may not only take a toll on your body but also on your wallet. Most good juice machines are costly; and the fruits and vegetables, which you’ll be needing a lot of, are expensive as well.
After feasting on lechon, kare-kare, Christmas ham, and queso de bola this holiday season, you might want to detoxify for a few days and give juicing a shot, but if the risks are keeping you from doing so, you can always opt for the traditional way: Munch on your fruits and veggies.
By: Nixie Go
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