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Juicing: What Are the Health Benefits?

Written by Resurchify | Updated on: March 08, 2022

Juicing: What Are the Health Benefits?

We all love a chilled glass of fruit juice in the summer to refresh ourselves. Many of us drink it for the "detox", or do you drink it for hydration because you hate drinking water? Well, most of the busy people don't even think they have the time to chew something, so they just buy a carton of packaged juice and have it on the go instead of breakfast in the morning. They think that they get all the nutrition needed from that single bottle of mixed fruit juice. Well, a single bottle of juice cannot give your body everything that it needs.

Let's look into the pros and cons of drinking juice and if it's any better than eating whole fruit.

What is Juicing?

Juicing is a process where you extract all the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients from a fruit or a vegetable. This process removes any solid matter of the fruit or vegetable, and you're left with only liquid. Also, if you're feeling sluggish and want that quick fix, then grab the juice instead of coffee. It is much more nutritious and effective than coffee. Keep reading to learn how.

Why the Hype of Juicing?

The reason why juicing is so attractive is only because of one reason - it's simple. It is a simple way to get a lot of nutrients in your body, it's easy, it is quick, and it gives people the mental satisfaction that they are consuming healthy food. While most juices are good sources of antioxidants, they can get unhealthy if they are not consumed in the right way.

Many people go on a juice cleanse hoping to lose weight and think that it is a way to detoxify their bodies and give their digestive system a break. Companies that promote juice cleanse often claim that it reduces bloating; inflammation boosts energy levels and hydrates your body. It is even supposed to prevent allergies and ailments from entering your body.

People in the industry of producing juices claim that it is a good way to prevent cravings, when in reality, since it does not have significant fibre content, it does not fill up the stomach and make you feel surfeited.

 Juicing has become a popular health trend in the past few years. Until now, there is no scientific evidence that proves that drinking juice instead of whole fruits is better for you.

Claimed Benefits of Juice Cleanse/Diet

There are a lot of people who drink juices as meal substitutes in their day-to-day lives. These people have some common beliefs. Even if they enjoy the process or not, they are convinced that juices can be a good meal replacement. Stating some common statements, let's address the issue of a juice cleanse or diet.

Just after you drink a cup of juice, you get a highly concentrated dose of minerals, vitamins and enzymes. They vend the proposition by uttering, "Think about the number of fruits and vegetables you can now glue in your diet, thanks to the juice, and it would be just about impossible for you to eat that many fruits and vegetables otherwise." Homo sapiens do not need to live off of a mountain of fruits a day to stay fit. Shocking? Not really. You must comprehend that excess of anything, and everything is dangerous, not only for your body but also in life. A daily intake of 400 grams or five servings of fruits and vegetables is the usual recommendation.

A balanced diet is supposed to include all the essential macronutrients- protein, carbohydrates and fats. Juice does not have a significant amount of protein or fat that your body needs daily to function properly. Remember, we are talking about healthy fats that reduce the risk of heart failure and stroke, lower bad cholesterol levels, i.e. LDL, while increasing HDL (good cholesterol), and are a good source of omega-3 fatty acid. We are not talking about the unhealthy fats that do just the opposite of the healthy ones. A balanced diet is also supposed to contain a significant amount of fibre for a healthy digestive system, which juices do not have or have a very small amount of.

Some of the humankind also claims, "Juicing makes certain that all the nutrients soak up almost right away and by deducting the fibre you are blessing your digestive system with a break." This statement is not flawless. Consuming something that is in a liquid form goes by your intestine faster than solid food does and the process does goes out faster. Note that your digestive system does not need a 30- day juice cleanses to rest from solid food. Digestion is a natural and complex process that your body goes through; our bodies know how to do it very well and are designed to do so. The human body is designed to consume and break down solid foods. It is made to undergo this complex process. Adding to that, the human body not only knows how to go through the process of digestion, it is very important for it to go through it too. Most of our organs are made to digest food. Rather than doing good, the so-called "break" only hampers their functions. By consuming a food item, your body goes through the processes of digestion, absorption, assimilation and absorption. You can't just pass over a stair.

"Juice consumed every day helps poise the PH level of the human body." Human blood perpetuates a very rigid PH range. Blood PH ranges between 7.35-7.45 for all the systems to work well. Lungs and kidneys are the organs that essentially maintain the PH levels of our blood. Lungs do so, exhaling carbon dioxide from the body. Fun fact: exercising can help regulate the PH as we exhale more carbon dioxide by breathing faster. Kidneys maintain the PH balance by excreting acids in urine. This process takes longer, potentially hours or days. Claiming that drinking a certain juice do that for you is simply negating the functions of these organs.

"It detoxifies your body and arms the system to battle inflammation," they say. While it is alright to do a juice cleanse for a day, long-term juice diets can lead to severe illnesses. As far as, detoxifying and getting rid of the toxins in your body go, it is the job of your liver and kidneys to do that. The liver does it through a process called phagocytosis. It filters toxins through sinusoid channels, which are lined with immune cells called Kupffer cells. They engulf the toxins, digest them and excrete them. Kidneys excrete toxins through mainly three mechanisms:

  1. Decontaminating via the glomeruli.
  2. Passive diffusion, usually from the distal tubes
  3. Processes by which toxins are transported from the blood and urine.

As you have read, your body is already equipped to take care of toxins as even the skin gets rid of toxins at some level. If you want to support your body in this process, you can simply drink more water and eat fresh foods. Drinking juice for a few days will not help you in this process, or at least there is no scientific evidence to prove its truthfulness.

Inflammation at an acute level like swelling, redness or even a sore throat on a minute level does not essentially require treatment. If you suffer from chronic inflammation or if you can't recover from a minor inflammation even after several days, you should consult a doctor. Again, coming to a point claiming that drinking juice reduces inflammation is not backed up by science.

If you struggle to include the daily recommended amount of fruits and vegetables in a day, juicing is a convenient way to achieve that intent. Fresh fruit juices contain a bunch of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that are good for your body in the long term.

If you start drinking a glass of juice instead of your usual sugary coffee every morning, it is better to drink the juice. It is much more nutritious and healthy for your body.

Apart from the benefits mentioned above, there is generally no reason for you to think that a cup of juice is better than just eating an apple since the fibre content is negligible. Now since we're on the topic, let's talk about fibre and why it is so important.

All About Fiber

Fibre is a type of carbohydrate that your body is not capable to digest. So when most forms of carbohydrates can be broken down into sugar molecules, fibre does not get digested and passes through your body undigested. The average daily requirement both for children and adults is roughly around 20 to 30 grams of fibre for good health. Moreover, there are two types of fibre: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fibre, which dissolves in water, helps lower bad cholesterol and glucose levels. It can be found in beans, apples, etc., insoluble fibre, which does not dissolve in water, helps in digestion and constipation. It can be found in wheat, cucumbers, etc. it is also proven to help reduce risks of serious diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

On the issue, Harvard surveyed 40,000 health white-collars. Researchers found that high dietary fibre intake was linked to a 40 per cent lower risk of coronary heart disease. Low fibre diets and foods that spike blood sugar levels suddenly can increase the risk of diagnosing type 2 diabetes.

Addressing Celery Juice Hype

 Does celery juice cure everything? What is it? How did it come into existence? And what precisely does it achieve? You may have heard that drinking celery juice every morning can help with anything and everything from psoriasis, inflammation, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, but, is there any science behind any of this gossip? Let's plunge into some details of the matter. 

  • What is Celery Juice? 

You've properly heard people online or in person suggesting that you start every morning by drinking 16 ounces of fresh celery juice on an empty stomach. And we are not talking about adding celery to a juice or smoothie. This specific trend asks you to blend straight up celery and nothing else, no fruits or vegetables other than celery.

  • History of Celery Juice

You've probably heard of juicing, the trend of throwing a bunch of fruits and vegetables into a blender and hopes of getting a lot of nutrition in one drink, but the celery juice trend is very different. The fashion involves celery and nothing but celery until you get 16 ounces of it in your system every morning on an empty stomach. At least there's no room for confusion for the audience. That's a plus. The celery juice trend started in fall 2018. Gwyneth Paltrow's lifestyle website called Goop printed an article on celery juice by Anthony Williams, otherwise known as the 'Medical Medium'. Williams exclaimed celery juice to be "One of the greatest healing tonics of all time" and dropped a line, well more than a line, a book on the worship. The trend instantly exploded on social media, with influencers, celebrities and folks jumping on board. Do you know who didn't jump on board? Real doctors. Some of the claims associated with celery juice include – breaking down pathogens, bacteria, viruses, yeast, fungi and mould, increasing your bile to improve digestion, dissolving gallstones in the gallbladder, and the list goes on. Man, what do we need the pharmaceutical industry to break a sweat for if we got celery juice? Folk have even protested that it cures eczema, psoriasis, acne, constipation, chronic fatigue syndrome, migraines, high blood pressure, addictions, allergies, autoimmune conditions, etc. some say it could even help with clearer skin, improve digestion, less bloating, sustained energy, better mental clarity, and whatnot. The real question is- Does it even work and do the things it promises to do? Now let's imagine you are at home and you are wondering, "What should I know about celery juice? What is volume celery juice should I drink? What are the exact claims?" The first deed you may do is approach Google. That's a great step. But form questions so that the doctor visit can be fully utilized.

Here are the top queries that pop up related to Celery Juice...

  • Celery Juice Detox Symptoms

Most doctors and scientists loath the magical term "detox" since you predominantly own organs hired by your body to conduct the sorcery. 

  • Celery Juice for Weight Loss

Most folks who lose weight from drinking celery juice are losing weight because they switch out an unhealthy drink beforehand, meaning that they were drinking a carb-heavy sugary beverage, and now they have switched over to celery juice which has fewer calories. As a result, they have lost some weight. It has never been seen anywhere that it has been proven that celery juice directly causes weight loss.

  • Celery Juice on Empty Stomach

it may be something to do with the absorption factor of some of the nutrients. The benefits of celery juice would take effect regardless of whether you have an empty stomach or not. So if you would like to drink your celery juice with a meal, that's not the end of the world. 

  • Celery Juice Side Effects

It's not sure what side effects you would have with celery juice, except maybe an upset stomach if you do it too much.

  • Celery Juice Testimonials

It is probably an area you don't want to visit. The reason is that anecdotal evidence is usually the weakest form of evidence. If you wish to detect how it works, communicate with your health detective, who is none other than your doctor.

According to goggle charts, we saw a big peek in 2019 as many articles and books were written on the subject, which got people excited.

  • Efficacy - There have been very few studies looking specifically at the health benefits of celery, let alone celery juice. At the same time, celery does contain some chemicals that have been bound to be beneficial for some diseases in small lab studies. Apigenin is anti-inflammatory and protective against cancers, and Luteolin has been found to have an anti-inflammatory that helps with allergies in a small number of mice. But in research, when we isolate specific micronutrients that give them in very high doses to rodents or test them in lab settings, that doesn't automatically express human victories, because the amounts of these micronutrients are much smaller in the actual thing that we are consuming as humans. There is one human pilot study that has been published in Natural Medicine Journal in April 2013, Vol.5, issue 4, in which 30 patients with mild to moderate hypertension took daily celery juice extract supplements, not juice, for six weeks. After that time, the researchers saw a statistically significant decrease in the participant's blood pressure. However, it was no control group, and the study's chief authors were managing partners of the company that made the extract. There is zero genetically substandard about industry-sponsored research, but we do have to take into account those results with a large pinch of salt. Statistics have shown that there have been more positive outcomes for whatever has been studied when there is an industry-funded study. It's really important to know that we're not saying that celery is a bad vegetable by any means. It does contain quality vitamins. Vitamin K helps with blood clotting, potassium of contributes to healthy blood pressure and helps regulate all sorts of processes within the body. What was pointing out is the lack of scientific evidence behind these miracle cures. Celery juice is all good in our book.

These are health trends that many people are trying and considering trying. On the whole, celery juice is, for the most part, water. Drinking a lot of water in the morning is definitely good if you like the taste of celery water. Otherwise, you can just drink regular water. The extreme health claims you are seeing all over Instagram have no scientific backing. You're just better off eating whatever fruits and vegetables you do enjoy.

Don't get us wrong. Celery juice can be a part of a healthy lifestyle as long as it's not causing you to bypass medicaments that could potentially be very fruitful for you, especially if your doctor advised them. So enjoy your celery juice but don't think it has any miraculous properties. 

The Cold-Pressed Juice Industry 

In 2015, the cold-pressed juice industry was estimated at $100 million a year. What are these juices or fasting or edemas or charcoal things even doing then? There is some featherweight evidence on that.

Showing that some of these supplements can assist your body in detoxing, but what that's doing is helping your body detox itself. Those add-ons to your diet are not superintended for it. So if you're eating a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables, and proteins, your body would already be doing detox work. You don't need those supplements to function. All of that is added, all of that is unnecessary, and unless you've gotten a specific indication to take some of these things, they're unnecessary. Is losing weight with the help of these juices even possible? There are a few so-called advantages to going on a juice cleanse. For example, if normally you're eating McDonald's three-time a day and you're eating fatty burgers. Then you suddenly eliminate that and just drink healthy vegetable juice; yes, in a way, it is healthier than eating the McDonald's. You'll lose some weight as you're going to be eating fewer calories, but there's a much better way to do that, a much healthier way. The key is to get on a sustainable diet with limited rules limited regulations, one that you can try out certain foods that have a sweet here and there without compromising the totality of the diet. 

Crash Diets Are a Bootless Errand and Deleterious.

Bottom Line

The bottom line is that juices aren't necessarily evil. Having a juice now and then is perfectly fine, and it will give you some vitamins; it will give you some cool minerals, but don't expect it to do anything life-changing. It's going to cure diseases, it's not going to prevent you from feeling tired, and it's not going to help you in losing weight. The only way it will do those things is when you're completely eating trash. Have a healthy relationship with your doctor, ask these questions, and ensure that you don't subscribe to the marketing hype.

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Resurchify
Resurchify is an information portal for the people pursuing research. We bring to you a varied list of research gatherings like conferences, journals, meetings, symposiums, etc across multiple areas. Along with that, we also share a huge chunk of details of these events.

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