But what exactly do people mean when they say they’ve started juicing? And is it a good idea?
Dallas-based nutritionist Lauren Talbot says a juice is simply water, natural sugars and enzymes from fruits and vegetables, with the fiber removed through the use of a juicer — not a blender, which keeps fiber intact.People who use a blender are creating smoothies, juicing proponents say. The distinction matters, because they say you’re getting a higher concentration of nutrients in juice.
“Could you imagine eating six pounds of vegetables in the morning?” Talbot asks. It would be nearly impossible, but removing the fiber allows you to consume those six pounds in the form of juice.
Still, some think the benefits of juicing have been oversold. We talked to several experts about how to incorporate it into a healthy diet.
Veggies for juicing and the beet juice, green juice and carrot juice.
Benefits
Supporters of juicing say it adds a wider variety and more servings of vegetables to your diet in a concentrated amount, while reducing food cravings because the added nutrients replenish the body’s deficiencies. They say it could also lead to clearer skin, better sleep and a stronger immune system. “I’m so much happier,” says Talbot, author of Clear Skin Detox Diet (Ulysses Press, $14.95). “I feel lighter throughout the day and more energized. … It’s not just juicing; it’s my diet as well that has made a huge impact on my life.”
“If you do it longer, the eyes have more of a sparkle and the skin tightens. ... It’s almost an anti-aging aspect.”
Mitch Bernstein, a certified wellness coach at Elixir Juice Bar, which recently opened in the Shops at Park Lane in Dallas, says the No. 1 benefit to juicing is the increased energy that comes as a result of giving the digestive system a rest.“Most of our energy is going toward digestion, primarily because we’re eating foods that are wrong to start or went wrong in preparation — being cooked or prepared with added salt, oil, sugars,” he says. “The body has to break it down and then expel all that, so it makes digestion and elimination that much more difficult.” He says juicing allows nutrients to go straight into the bloodstream, without the body having to expend energy to break down food.
“You feel lighter, more energetic,” he says. “If you do it longer, the eyes have more of a sparkle and the skin tightens, as soon as you lighten the load on digestion issues. ... It’s almost an anti-aging aspect.”
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