Over the last couple of years, the juicing trend has grown from being embraced by body builders and health enthusiasts, to being experimented with by all types of people. Juicing may seem like a crazy idea—I was skeptical of the trend after seeing my friend’s failed attempt at it—but it actually has some uncanny health benefits. Let’s take a deeper look.
Reasons for Juicing
The main reason people decide to incorporate juice into their diet is to have a healthy, vitamin rich diet—either to lose weight, to feel healthier, or to even cleanse themselves. However, not everybody is convinced that juicing is a good idea. So I did some research to learn more about the health benefits of juicing. And after learning more about it, I’m committed to incorporating juice into my diet.
I began reading about other people’s experiences doing juice cleanses, and how their bodies were affected. Various Spoon writers have written about their experiences doing a juice cleanse. None of them dramatically lost weight or were completely changed by the experience, but they did benefit from it.
Not only did they feel healthier and renewed, but they also became more conscious of their diet. It challenged their self-control, as well as made them aware of how food impacts their bodies. They gained nutritional and personal benefit, which is definitely a win-win.
How Juicing Impacts Weight Loss
So, after reading about their positive experiences, I decided to do more digging and find out if there are any actual health benefits. I was curious if the idea of drinking something green just makes us think we’re healthier, rather than actually be healthier.
I found a study done at UCLA that had subjects undergo a 3-day juice cleanse. They recorded the weight, BMI, and levels of certain fats of each subject. The researchers found that there was persistent weight loss among participants, as well as a reduction of fatty acids in the blood stream—even after the initial 3-day cleanse.
Less fatty acids means less fat in your blood, and a lower likelihood of building up gunk in your body. The study shows that going on a 3-day juice diet of fruits and vegetables can help control weight and digestion.
This study confirms for me that juice cleanses can actually help you and aren’t just a marketing hoax. However, I don’t know about you, but only drinking fruits and vegetables still seems kind of intense—so I did more research about incorporating juice into a daily diet.
How Juicing Impacts Your Immune System
I found another study that has subjects increase their fruit and vegetable intake in the form of juice. Results show that antioxidant levels increased in participants over time. This correlates juicing to better health in certain body systems, which is always a good thing considering how often college students get sick.
The study even had a theory saying stress would be reduced through juicing, but alas, nothing definite was found. Even though juicing may not be a stress reliever, this study shows me that you don’t have to go on an all out juice cleanse to lose weight. All you have to do is incorporate a blend of fruits and vegetables as your breakfast or midday snack.
After reading these two studies, I was pretty convinced juicing would improve my diet and my health, but I was curious if there were certain foods I should incorporate in my juices. I went on another hunt for information and found another study
So which Fruits and Veggies Are the Most Beneficial for Juicing?
This study compares the vitamin and nutritional content of various fruits juiced with and without their “skins.” Now this may seem trivial, but I would have never known to keep the skin on certain fruits when blending.
The study tests different fruits (apple, pear, and mandarin orange) and the nutritional values in the juice after blending, and after juicing—which are indeed different. Then they compared keeping the skin on versus keeping the skin off. The results find that blending and keeping the skin on the fruits gives you the most bang for your buck, vitamin and mineral wise.
This research proves to me that this crazy idea of juicing isn’t actually all that crazy. There are real, scientific reasons behind why body builders (and health nuts, in general) commit to juicing. From immune health to weight loss, juicing has more benefits than I could have imagined.