Sunday Times 2
Is juicing rotting your teeth?
Slowly sipping a glass of delicious, freshly made fruit juice is one of life’s great pleasures. From plain and simple orange or apple to complex concoctions containing vegetables, herbs or even spices, it’s never been more popular.
It’s perhaps no wonder: advocates claim drinking juice and smoothies is incredibly healthy – an easy way of getting huge amounts of micronutrients including vitamins, minerals and cancer-preventing antioxidants into our bodies.
Sales of juicers, have soared but experts said that much of the fibre and nutrients from the fruit and vegetables is lost in the extraction process (AFP)
Well, unfortunately, juices aren’t always as healthy as you’d think. Addiction to juice is being held partly responsible for weight gain, the spread of type 2 diabetes, and even dental problems.
What’s more, health advisers argue that so much damage is done to the goodness in fruit when you extract the juice or turn it into a smoothie in a blender, it’s far better to just eat the original apple, banana or orange. ‘The mechanism of consuming a whole piece of fruit is undoubtedly better for you on every level; weight loss, fibre absorption and nutrients,’ says nutritionist Jackie Lynch.
There’s no question that fruit and vegetables are good for us – they help protect against strokes, high blood pressure, heart disease and even some cancers as well as providing important nutrients including zinc, for the immune system, and folic acid for making red blood cells.
The problem is, juicers reduce many of these health benefits. They work by extracting every drop of liquid from, say, an orange or apple and leaving much of the pith, peel, core and pips behind. But it’s these parts of the fruit that contain the fibre which is so vital for our digestive systems.
Fibre helps promote beneficial bacteria in the gut – vital for preventing constipation and reducing the risk of bowel cancer. It’s also thought to play a major part in keeping our immune systems healthy as well as preventing conditions like inflammatory bowel disease, bowel cancer and autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Fibre also helps you to feel fuller for longer – handy for those on a diet – and aids the absorption of nutrients, especially minerals such as calcium, into the body. Take fibre away and you remove these benefits.
Then there’s sugar, the crystal meth of the masses. We all know that fruit contains a lot of sugar, but while few of us would eat four oranges in one go, that’s how many one standard glass of 250ml juice could contain. Apples contain even more sugar – 26g in a single 250ml glass. ‘By crushing your apple rather than simply biting into it, you are effectively making a sugary juice as you release the fructose – a type of sugar which is naturally found in fruit,’ says Scott Laidler.
Usually fructose is contained within the cells of the apple and broken down slowly as part of the digestive process. While you aren’t creating more sugar by crushing the apple, you are making it much easier for your body to absorb.
In fact, any time you drink fruit juice rather than eat fruit, you are setting yourself up for a so-called sugar crash – where, just a few hours after eating, you crave something sweet.
Cue a raid on the fridge – and a ruined diet.
© Daily Mail, London