Does Juicing Really Help You Lose Weight

Ever since weight loss became the annual New Year resolution for most people around the globe, Google search on weight loss topics has surpassed every other enquiry. Advices, suggestions, programs, fad diets and what not, there are multiple options which will help you lose weight. Team Plattershare researched on various fad diets which come with a boom, make a lot of unrealistic (we would not say false) promises and leave you exhausted and sometimes nutrient-deficient after the completion of the diet. Read about the latest Fad Diets which the world is crazy about here.

One of the most sought-after diet is juice-only diet, which simply means that a person who wants to lose weight has to be on juices and liquid diet for specified period of time to lose weight, but the million-dollar question is Does juicing really help you lose weight?

• What about the side-effects of not eating solids while you are on a juice-diet?
• Is it also one of the many fad-diets which will fade away very soon?
• What happens when you stop the diet?

We probed into these questions and checked with our in-house expert nutritionist Ranjani Raman, who is also a nutrition counsellor, dietician, child nutritionist and a certified diabetes educator. She has broad experience in the field of exercise & fitness, diabetes management, therapeutic nutrition, food testing and corporate nutrition. Her approach is holistic – focusing on healthy eating habits, balanced nutrition intake & lifestyle modification practices. We talked to her about the truth, secrets and effects of juicing on our health especially weight-loss concerns.

All about the juicing

Ranjani says – “Juicing is primarily done to manage the situation where one cannot eat solid foods, cannot digest or has trouble in absorbing certain nutrients etc. When fruits are crushed using a juicer to a simpler consistency, it is called juicing. Also, under normal conditions, it is always better to eat whole fruits and vegetables over any fruit juice so that the fibres are available”.

All of you would definitely agree that vegetable juices and fruit juices are one of those quick doses of nutrients, when you are running short of time. But health expert suggests not to depend on juices as it is good to have whole fruit meals rather than extracting the juice from it.  Blending is a better option as compared to juicing as fruits and vegetables which are blended in a mixer or blender together result in smoothies in which fibres are retained unless otherwise sieved and removed, whereas a juicer removes the fibres of the fruits and vegetables giving a thinner and watery consistency to the juice. Fibres are considered as an important part of any vegetable or fruit and help in bowel movement.

What about cold-pressed juices?

When juices are extracted from fruits and vegetables without using conventional juicers like centrifugal juicers (Mixer juicer/food processor) or single auger juicer (hand juicer) then cold pressed juices are produced which are 100% fruits or vegetables and that’s why they more expensive as compared to fruit squash or fruits juices available in the market. 

“They are extracted under conditions which keeps the nutrient levels intact without much loss. Cold-pressed juices are getting into the market now because of its health quotient. However, we should be sure it is authentically made using cold-pressed technology”, says Ranjani.

So one has to be more cautious while picking up the cold-pressed juice bottle in the supermarket as not all the claimed commodities are actually what they claim. Reading ingredients and label is a must when you pick any commodity for that matter.

Juice diets and Weight loss

Usually done for 2-7 days, when a person goes on juice diet, they completely rely on juices from fruits and vegetables for required nutrient and minerals.  Also known as juice fasting, juice cleansing is one of the controversial detox diets which is not recommended by dieticians and doctors across the world. Ranjani adds – “Juicing may help in reducing water retention and may cleanse the system thereby helping you to lose some kilos but when done regularly it may not really create the same impact. However, whole fruits are rich in fibre and help in managing diet better when one wants to lose weight. Therefore, it is good to rely on whole fruits for weight loss rather than juicing. 1-2 days cleansing or to help the body rejuvenate or detox is perfectly fine. But if one is aiming to lose weight by just being on juices for a longer time, it may hamper the internal system of the body”.

Calories in Juices

The amount of calories will surely depend on the fruits used and the portions included. Some mixed fruit combinations may interfere with each other’s nutritional availability. Therefore, it’s always good to drink mono-fruit juice to have maximum benefit and to avoid multiple nutrient interactions. However, combinations are still fine and are acceptable in its own way due to the variety it can add. So, one can go for mono-fruit juices once in a while.

Harmful effects of Juice-only diet

Ranjani lists the harmful effect of juicing and says not to be dependent on it for weight loss because “Our body needs all kinds of nutrients and is expected to do some activities for its regular functioning. Chewing is a very important activity for a healthy digestive system and hence it is very important to eat solid foods/fruits over any broken-down juices. The body has to digest and perform the associated activities which help in keeping the metabolism on. Juicing can be a shortcut and may make your body ineffective towards performing all these activities. Hence it’s alright to include juices once in a while for quick absorption or energy but not live on a Juice diet”

Best way of juicing at home

Ranjani recommends juicers which do not remove the fiber of the fruits, and for that matter blending is the better option. She says – “As long as the juice includes the fibre portion and is not strained, any juice is good. Food processors that strain away the fibre should not be used. Instead look for a blender which will help with a uniform blend including the peels of fruits such as apples & pears or vegetables like carrots, tomatoes etc. So, according to me, juicing should happen in the mouth, by chewing well and that is the best way :)”.

Juice recipes

Finally, here are a few juices recipes which you can  make and enjoy while you replace one meal in a day once in a while for a change and if you find it difficult to eat fruit every time and find it challenging to feed fussy kids, including juices adds flavour to your daily fruit intake. But Remember the rule – Juice-only diet is a Big NO- NO, “Eat the whole fruit and chew it properly” should be your mantra.

• Start your mornings with this Morning punch which is made from lots of fruits and a hint of veggies in it to start the detox process.
• Check out the recipe for Carrot Pineapple Ginger juice which would add zest to your 4 ‘o clock hunger pangs.
• Vegetable juices are soothing for your stomach and eyes too. Check out Spinach and Tomato juice.

We thank Ranjani Raman for sharing her knowledge with Team Plattershare. For any Dietary consultation, please reach out to Ranjani on her website Nutrilife. You can also interact and like her Facebook page or connect with her on Linkedin.