Chewing is in again!
By Brigitte Zeitlin, M.P.H., R.D., C.D.N. , Self
[post_ads]Juicing vegetables has become an all-out nutrition craze, claiming to “detox,”
“cleanse,” or restore your body and digestive organs while pretending
to give you all the same benefits of their whole food counterparts in a
drinkable, on-the-go package. Sound too good to be true? It is! Whether
it’s fresh squeezed, cold pressed, made from concentrate, or 100% juice,
juice all breaks down to same thing: sugar.
Juicing your veggies is not the same thing as chewing them. You lose nutrients in the juice form and are left feeling hungrier afterward.
Not to mention all those juice bar runs can add up and drain you of some
serious cash. So all that juicing really just leads to less money and
more harm than good for your health goals.
Real talk: You don’t need to detox. Ever.
Your
body is designed to naturally rid itself of toxins and excess stuff it
does not need or use all on its own. If you have a functioning gut,
liver, and kidneys, you are always detoxing, every minute of every day.
A huge problem with juicing vegetables and juice cleanses
is that proponents claim they restore and rebalance your organs by
giving them a break from digesting and discarding the food you take in.
But there is zero (I repeat, zero) scientific evidence to support the
claim that these organs need a break in the first place.
Plus
there is no research to show that drinking juice, instead of chewing,
will help your organs do their jobs better. In fact, our bodies were
designed to chew (looking at you, teeth). We feel more full and more satisfied from chewing than from drinking.
Drinking your fruits and vegetables doesn’t give you the same benefits as eating them.
The fruits
and veggies used in your juice no longer have the same health benefits
you get from chewing them. Mainly because juicing destroys the fiber:
That’s the stuff that fills you up, keeps you full, promotes gut health,
helps regulate blood sugar, fights chronic illnesses (like cancer and
diabetes), and helps you maintain a healthy weight. Yeah, that stuff…all
gone! Also, some of the vitamins and minerals get destroyed too. So you
are actually just left with the sugar.
[post_ads_2]
Even if the label says “no added sugar,”
the beverage is still a concentrated form of sugar from the fruits and
vegetables used to make it. Drinking a glass or bottle will cause your
blood sugar levels to spike and than drastically dip, leaving you
ravenous and eventually cause you to overeat.
If
you’re thinking of doing a three-day juice cleanse to slim down for a
wedding, this will fail too. Basically it’s a sugar-filled hunger strike
that is designed to backfire. You will ultimately end up downing an
entire pizza, gallon of ice cream, or engaging in other eating behavior
you would never normally do just to make up for your lack of
satisfaction from your cleanse.
What will actually work?
[post_ads]Well, first off, chewing. Food was made to be eaten, not drunk. Make veggies
the star of your plate instead of your beverage. You will get all the
fiber, all the vitamins, and all the minerals while actually satisfying
your hunger. Plus, the fiber will keep you feeling full for a longer
period of time, so you are not looking to snack between meals.
Swap out that postworkout
juice for an apple with 2 tablespoons of nut butter, or snack on a bar
with 5 grams of sugar or less. Either option is a much healthier bang
for that would-be-juice buck.
To
actually help reset after a vacation or jump-start a health goal, pack
in extra produce by doubling or tripling the veggies you eat in a day.
Also, skip the fried foods and baked goods. Cutting back on your booze
intake will also help you feel better. When you do imbibe, drink a glass
of water
for every alcoholic beverage. And the ultimate way to feel restored and
refreshed is to get more sleep. Even an extra 30 minutes a night will
add up and have you feeling rejuvenated and energized.
More:
