Many people ask this question when they are on a juice fast or going on a juice cleanse. Juice seems to have some health benefits, so many wonder if it is good for you. If you are looking to increase your health or get rid of some toxins that have built up in your body, is drinking juice good for you? Does it provide any kind of benefit? If you are like many people, the real answer may surprise you.
While a glass of red wine may provide you with a relaxing experience and some health benefits, it is not the same as juice. Wine may provide you with a pleasant flavor, but it does not contain all of the vitamins and nutrients that you will get from a freshly extracted plant. This is not to say that you cannot enjoy a glass of wine every now and then, it is simply not as beneficial to your health. The same is true of orange juice and sweetened soy milk. You get the benefits, but they are much more concentrated and available in smaller quantities.
There is no such thing as a "pure vegetable" or fruit. They all have some amount of pesticides or other chemicals used to protect them. Those chemicals can actually be bad for your health over time. They can become "toxic" even when they are not applied directly to your body. They build up in your liver, which then has to process them and remove from your body. That is why they tend to be more costly than fruits and vegetables.
You may be wondering what some of the other good ingredients might be. It can help to know that fresh vegetables and fruits are packed full of antioxidants, which can help to fight off free radicals and keep your heart healthy. The fiber content is going to help with getting you to feel fuller for a longer period of time. The phytosterols that are found are going to work to help reduce your risk for certain kinds of cancers. And of course, it will help to keep you looking and feeling younger.
The biggest question, of course, is what is drinking juice good for you? Juices aren't going to provide any kind of immediate nutritional benefit, because they are mostly water. Even though they do contain fruit or vegetable juices, it isn't going to be providing you with significant levels of nutrients and vitamins.
The best way to get more nutrition from your juices is to make sure you are taking them with whole food. For instance, you shouldn't be drinking juice all day long and then eating whole food like a pizza or salad. If you try that, you will wind up with empty calories and you will feel like you are doing more harm than good. You should strive to get more nutrients out of fruits and vegetables and drink juice only on occasion, like an afternoon snack or a glass in the evening. Taking a multivitamin daily can help as well. You may also want to consider the fact that there are many different kinds of juice available and you can get something that has a lot of different antioxidants, vitamins, etc.
Now, when you juice, you aren't just giving your body electrolytes, but you are also providing it with lots of water. When you get plenty of water, you help to clear out your cells and improve your skin tone. In fact, juicing is a great way to get the benefits of water into your diet. Also, fruits and vegetables have fiber in them, which helps to keep you regular. Having regular bowel movements is something that everyone needs to be careful about. However, by drinking juice, you can make sure you don't have constipation.
All in all, the bottom line is that yes, the juice is good for you. But, it is better to take it in supplement form. Juice can still provide you with a lot of the same vitamins and minerals that you would get from a multivitamin. If you want to live a healthy life, keep a bottle of juice in your medicine cabinet, and don't forget to use it often!
