Expert: Hillarie Speziale - 7/16/2006

Question
juicer juice

wanted to know whats your take on natural vegetable juices like carrot and cucumber juice?

is there any proof/study that proves health benefits of juicing your vegetables?

would you consider juicing vegetables an activity that does nothing more than take away precious time and really has no significant positive health benefits?

Answer
Hi Michael:
   I'm sorry to say that nutrition is not my forte. I did some general research to see if I could find anything for you. The general consensus from nutrition articles I found seemed to suggest that there was really no improvement in drinking your vegetables. They did point out that you lose the fiber, good for colon health, and also as a filler so that you consume less. They felt that the drinks might lead people to consume more, thinking it was low calorie since it's vegatable, but without the fiber to slow you down, the increased consumption could become a significant calorie source. Below is a small excerpt from on such article. Hope this was of some help.

The Real Juice Difference. Juices generally contain the same nutrients as the produce they come from. (Researchers think the same is true for the disease-fighting phytochemicals in produce.) Fiber, however, does come up decidedly short when comparing juice to whole fruits and vegetables.Authors:Walsh,Julie Source:Environmental Nutrition, Mar2000, Vol. 23 Issue 3, p5, 1p, 1 chart.