Juicing....Is it beneficial??? - Diet & Nutrition Message Board

rowdy13 · 05-15-2005, 01:03 AM

I recently started juicing. I purchased the Jack Lalane juicer and started juicing all kinds of vegetables and fruits. It sure seems it would be beneficial, except for maybe the fiber part. Can anyone give me some opinions on juicing? Thank you.

rheanna · 05-15-2005, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rowdy13

I recently started juicing. I purchased the Jack Lalane juicer and started juicing all kinds of vegetables and fruits. It sure seems it would be beneficial, except for maybe the fiber part. Can anyone give me some opinions on juicing? Thank you.

rowdy,

My concern about juicing is that you need a VAST QUANTITY of veggies and fruits to get enough liquid to make it worth while. When you eat fruits and veggies in a chewable form (including fiber), you tend to self-limit on the quantities you eat. When you're juicing quantities to make a glass or two or three to drink, you're consuming the nutrients from LOTS more foods than you would normally eat. This means that fruit juice becomes concentrated sugar (fructose), carrot juice becomes concentrated beta-carotin (pre-vitamin A that turns your skin orange if you consume too much), etc. In principle, a 1/2 cup serving of fruit or veggie juice per day is a fine way to get a few vitamins and minerals, but with the fiber removed, it's easy to think that if several servings a day of fruits and veggies are good for us, then finding an easy way to consume lots more of them must be better!

Just some thoughts -- Rheanna

rowdy13 · 05-15-2005, 07:00 PM

Thank you so much for responding. I guess I must tell you that I am a single male, 49 years old, and my eating habits stink, so I'm thinking that juicing is better than nothing. I really dont like fruit, and I rarely eat vegetables. God do I need a wife who LOVES to cook! Anyway, I do take metamucil every day for my fiber (and believe me, metamucil is my friend). On occasion, I try to skip a meal, and I will drink a glass or two of juiced veggies and fruits, and I must say that it takes away my hunger pangs very well. Any more responses would be appreciated. I'm trying to do healthy things. Stan

rheanna · 05-15-2005, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rowdy13

Thank you so much for responding. I guess I must tell you that I am a single male, 49 years old, and my eating habits stink, so I'm thinking that juicing is better than nothing. I really dont like fruit, and I rarely eat vegetables. God do I need a wife who LOVES to cook! Anyway, I do take metamucil every day for my fiber (and believe me, metamucil is my friend). On occasion, I try to skip a meal, and I will drink a glass or two of juiced veggies and fruits, and I must say that it takes away my hunger pangs very well. Any more responses would be appreciated. I'm trying to do healthy things. Stan

Rowdy,

I apologise for sounding like I was scolding you for juicing your veggies instead of spending all that time making salads or chopping and steaming your brocolli. If you don't like veggies and you don't like cooking, then you are certainly trying to do something positive to get some veggies into your diet -- the vitamins and minerals will still be there, and metamucil is certainly a wonderful help!

--Rheanna