Should I be juicing? It’s a question I get regularly, and it’s easy to see why. Juice bars have become pretty mainstream, green drinks line grocery coolers, and restaurants are even serving up juice blends with brunch specials. People want to know: Is it worth the cost? What produce should I be sipping? Do I really need a fancy juicer?
Here’s the short answer: A mostly-veggie juice delivers a concentrated dose of vitamins, minerals and plant compounds that our bodies can absorb relatively efficiently. But it’s no miracle cure, and juicing won’t ‘undo’ our not-so-nutritious choices.
Juicing basics
A juicer separates nutrient-rich liquid from fibrous pulp. The upside is that we can drink the nutrients of several pounds of vegetables like spinach, kale or beets in a single 8- to 16-ounce glass — far more than most of us could consume if we were eating these same foods. Without the fiber, though, the juice won’t keep you full for long. It also has virtually no protein or fat, so think of fresh-pressed vegetable juice as a nutrient booster, not a stand-alone meal or snack.
Blending, on the other hand, purées everything — fiber included. It’s also easy to add protein (Greek yogurt, protein powder) and healthy fats (chia, almond butter, avocado) to whip up a versatile drink that can stand in for breakfast, snacks or even a little lunch on the go.
Veggies vs. fruits
My rule of thumb: stick to non-starchy vegetables and skip the fruit except for a squeeze of lemon or lime. Ounce-for-ounce, fruit juice can rival soda in sugar content. A veggie-centric pour keeps calories low and nutrients high.
Can juicing this way boost nutrient intake? Absolutely — especially if veggies rarely hit your plate. Juice can bridge the gap, delivering potassium, vitamin K, folate and a rainbow of phytonutrients. But it’s not a substitute for eating vegetables.
And just as it’s important to vary your veggies, your juice should also have a healthy mix. If you drink the same blend every day, you’re missing out on the full spectrum of “eat-the-rainbow” nutrients.
Tip: Rotate what goes into your juicer — think carrot or bell pepper for beta-carotene one day, beets for nitrates the next, and turmeric for curcuminoids every so often as well.
What the research says
Adding vegetable juice blends to our daily intake has been shown to benefit blood pressure, along with total cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides. It can also help to support a healthier gut microbiome, in part by creating a more diverse ‘good’ bacteria profile in our bellies.
Consuming vegetable juice on the regular is linked to an increase in nitric oxide, a natural vasodilator that enhances blood flow by widening the blood vessels, which is a good thing for most people. Juicing can also decrease oxidative stress. Why is that important? Free radicals can damage our DNA, proteins and cell membranes, raising risk for chronic diseases. Antioxidant-rich vegetable juice blends appear to mitigate this stress — just one more reason why a mostly-green juice blend can be a good addition to an already healthful diet.
Worth the squeeze?
Fresh-pressed vegetable juice isn’t cheap, and using a home juicer can be time-consuming and messy. If you do opt to DIY, be sure to wash your (preferably organic) produce well — and drink or freeze juice within 24 hours. And don’t toss the pulp! Save it to add to soups, pasta sauce and better-for-you baked goods, or freeze it in ice-cube trays to use later in smoothies.
If you decide to go the store-made route, try to steer clear of the many bottled “green” juices that are sugar bombs in disguise, with apple juice or pineapple juice as the first ingredient. Instead, look for bottles that list vegetables first on the ingredient label, and single-digit grams of sugar for a 12-ounce bottle.
Here are two brands I’m loving now.
- Suja Organic Twelve Essentials (16 oz.) is an all-veggie blend of cucumber, celery, chard, spinach, kale, collard greens, herbs, lemon and more. (55 calories, 6 grams sugar)
- Evolution Fresh Organic Essential Greens (15 oz.) is another veggie blend with celery, cucumber, spinach, romaine, kale, parsley and lime. (70 calories, 12 grams sugar).
Here in New Orleans, we order weekly from The Green Fork where my favorite is “Balance,” a blend of cucumber, kale, spinach, parsley, cilantro, beet, ginger, spirulina, lime and a dash of Celtic salt. My husband and I usually split a 16-ounce jar. The Green Fork also collects empty jars for a credit.
The bottom line
If you decide to give juicing a whirl, start small. Eight ounces of mostly greens can help to head off a mid-afternoon slump. Pay attention to how you feel and adjust from there. Think of juicing as a nutrition booster — to supplement a balanced whole-food diet that includes lean proteins and plenty of colorful produce — with the potential to support a healthier body and mind.
Molly Kimball, RD, CSSD, is a registered dietitian with Ochsner Health and founder of Ochsner’s Eat Fit nonprofit initiative. For more wellness content, tune in to Molly’s podcast, FUELED Wellness + Nutrition, and follow @MollykimballRD and @EatFitOchsner on social media.