Surely, you have heard lately that consuming fruit juices is part of a healthy diet due to all the nutrients they provide . However, there is something much more nutritious than taking juices, eating the whole fruit . So what is better? Eat whole fruit or juice?
Drinking fruit juice is not necessarily an unhealthy option, but compared to whole fruit, it is less so. In fact, just like opting for refined grains over whole grains, choosing to drink natural juices over fruit or vegetables means your body is missing a lot of the nutrients.
Eat whole fruit or juice. What’s the difference?
The difference between eating the whole fruit or just the juice is that it not only gets rid of the inedible parts, but also eliminates important parts of the fruits and vegetables, and in doing so they lose their fiber . Fiber is of particular importance because it not only improves gastrointestinal health, but it also helps maintain a feeling of fullness.
When you squeeze your fruits and vegetables, what you are left with are just the sugars, water, some antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Lack of fiber in juice can cause blood sugar spikes and increase appetite.
The main reason juices are more caloric than fruits is that they contain more sugar. By drinking the juice, the sugar is absorbed faster, the insulin is boosted and this hormone tends to accumulate that increase in sugar in body fat. So the relationship is clear: drinking juice instead of eating fruit increases the risk of being overweight.
As a whole food, fruit takes longer to break down in the body and this increases caloric expenditure . In turn, this could satisfy hunger for long periods of time, as well as helping to better control blood sugar levels.
Eating whole foods instead of juices significantly increases thermogenesis (the energy it takes to metabolize food) and therefore burns approximately 50% more calories compared to when consuming liquids.
Disadvantages of drinking only fruit juice
The differences between eating whole fruit or juice in terms of nutritional values, is quite significant:
- The juice removes the fiber you need for healthy digestion.
- Juices can also be problematic because they raise blood sugar.
- Eliminating fiber can increase your appetite.
- Not digesting all the fruit robs you of the opportunity to burn calories .
- Eating the whole fruit gives you the advantage of getting more nutrients.
How to prepare a fruit juice for nutritional benefits
In general, it is nutritionally better to choose to eat whole fruit over juice. If you want to drink juice to improve your health and eat healthy, the best alternative is to mix fruits and vegetables with a little water or tea . Mixing them does not eliminate any of the beneficial parts of the fruit or vegetable. Be sure to include some leafy greens, like spinach, and antioxidant-rich berries . It is even possible to mix in some chia, flax or hemp seeds.
