JUICING Juicing done right
is a nice way to enjoy the natural flavours of fruit and vegetables as a drink. As a child, I remember juicing oranges by hand with the simple, plastic kitchen juicer. I was so fascinated with it and felt so posh having a freshly squeezed glass of juice!
Fast forward to today, and we are spoilt for choice with trendy juice kiosks, home juicing machines and high-speed blenders. Let’s just say having a juice now has become more accessible and easier than ever.
JUICING VS BLENDING — WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
I am often asked in my talks and workshops if there is a difference between juicing and blending. There is. Juicing is when you only extract the concentrated liquid of the fruit or vegetable. You will notice that in the juicer, the pulp of the fruit is separated from the juice. The pulp is where the dietary fibre is, so when you juice, you lose the fibre.
But the juice will still contain vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. You can juice fruit, vegetables and even fresh herbs.
In blending, the entire fruit or vegetable is whipped up into a smooth pulp. Usually a liquid is added to give it a more watery consistency so that it can be drunk easily. Blending fruit and vegetables retains the dietary fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Blending also allows you to add other healthy ingredients to your fruit and vegetables such as dairy, soya rice, almond, oat or coconut milk, coconut water, nuts, seeds, yogurt and whole grains.
Blending will make them smooth and you really won’t notice them in there! These blended concoctions are also popularly called smoothies.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF JUICING AND BLENDING
We have all heard the well-established health benefits of including more vegetables and fruit in our daily diet. They provide us with a host of important nutrients such as vitamins C, E and K, as well as folic acid, potassium and magnesium, antioxidants and dietary fibre. All these nutrients play a role in the building blocks of our cell function and immune system, as well as combating inflammation and preventing premature ageing.
Research has shown that chronic illnesses such as diabetes, cardiovascular heart disease, certain cancers and vitamin deficiencies have been associated with diets that are low in vegetable and fruit.
As a dietitian, I find juicing and blending to be a great way to encourage children and adults who may not necessarily like eating fruit and vegetables to get more of these in their diet. Juicing and blending also allows you to mix various fruit and/or vegetables in whichever combination you like.
Combining them helps mask the taste and bring out flavours that can be surprisingly delicious! I recall clients who would have typically snubbed their noses at certain fruit and vegetables such as leafy greens, totally drinking it up because they couldn’t taste the bitterness of the vegetable when mixed with other fruit.
I also find it useful for clients who have difficulty chewing, for example those who have oral issues or wear dentures. Hard textured fruit and vegetables can be difficult to eat. When this happens, the variety of fruit and vegetables they eat become less.
The Malaysian Dietary Guidelines by the Ministry of Health encourages us to eat a variety of food so we get a wide array of nutrients in our diet. By juicing or blending them, we can still get the much needed important nutrients from fruit and vegetables in our daily diet.
WHAT’S A PROPER SERVING OF JUICE?
While it’s tempting to guzzle down a huge cup of juice or smoothie since you feel it’s light and healthy, portions still matter. An appropriate serving size is actually just a cup (roughly about 250ml).
Whenever I order a juice or smoothie from a juice kiosk, I always request for the smallest size they have or the children’s size.
One cup of pure juice counts as a serving of fruit or vegetables. But make sure that you eat your fruit and vegetables as well so you get the dietary fibre which is important for the healthy functioning of your gut. Plus, it keeps you full longer.
DOES JUICING PROVIDE ALL THE NUTRIENTS NEEDED IN A COMPLETE, BALANCED DIET?
While having a juice is seen as a healthy choice, juicing by itself cannot fulfil all your nutritional intake of eating a balanced diet.
It’s a popular trend for people to use juicing as a detox or in a rapid weight loss diet regiment. Be careful as consuming too little calories and nutrients than what you need in a day can make you feel weak and faint.
Plus, if you have an underlying chronic health problem, these detox and extreme weight loss plans can aggravate the issue. My advice is to enjoy your juice as part of a variety of all the other wholesome foods such as whole grains, lean protein, whole fruit, vegetables and dairy, so that you get your servings of carbohydrates, protein and healthy fat.
If weight loss is your goal, a better approach would be to see your dietitian who can help plan a more sensible, sustainable way of eating that is healthier for you in the long run.