The Real Danger of Smoothies and Juicing

_Waffle_

A recent paper published by a emeritus professor of biochemistry shows that juicing and smoothies are much worse for you than simply eating the fruit when it comes to weight loss.

Anything like this that you do to a food, such as grinding, pressing and even chewing, accelerates the rate at which the sugar is released into the blood. It increases the surface area of the food - making it easier to absorb and increasing the rate of digestion in the intestine.

Similarly, eating an apple whole releases less sugar into the blood than apple puree, which in turn releases less sugar than drinking apple juice, according to a study

It appears that every turn in the blender or juicer is simply akin to predigestion and it's allowing your body to absorb the sugars much faster since there's little for the stomach to do after you process it before eating it. Smoothies look to be even worse. The professor warns that the overuse of them can lead to obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Our bodies have only a limited capacity to deal with high levels of fructose - the fruit sugar found in fruit juices and smoothies, and in high-fructose corn syrup, used as a sweetener in store-bought biscuits, cakes, ice creams and drinks.
That's because it sneaks past the insulin system.

High intake of fructose bypasses the body's normal processes of controlling the amount of sugar in the bloodstream - the body produces the hormone insulin to use or store the glucose it gets from food. But high levels of fructose don't stimulate the body to produce insulin and hormones that suppress appetite.

As a result, fatty substances can build up in the liver, causing them to become enlarged and inefficient, leading ultimately to obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Be careful the next time someone tries to get you on their smoothie plan or tells you that juicing is better for you. You're really just sabotaging your own weight loss progress and you're putting yourself at risk of gaining weight even while you think you're doing something good for yourself.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2692057/Dont-eat-mash-dont-cook-olive-oil-DO-eat-unripe-bananas-Think-know-rules-healthy-eating-A-scientist-lots-surprises.html#ixzz37YV4ASNF

SuperC_85

Yep true that.
My grandparents just cant understand why fruit juice is so bad for their diabetes.
Its a real concentrated punch of sugars, you're better off eating the fruit.

micheleb15

Isn't the point of juicing to get nutrients directly to the blood stream? I do have one green juice in the morning with my protein. It's mostly veggies, but I do add one apple. I think this comes down to common sense. Fruit equals sugar, obviously juicing fruits will increase someone's blood sugar.

ValGogo

I heard about the grinding and chewing thing too. I have tried to mimic chewing with my smoothie, but it's weird. I like smoothies because they are good, but I don't use as a meal replacement.

rossraskolnikov

Sorry, but that's nonsense. There's millions upon millions of worse things you can eat than fresh fruit and veg; in any form. Do they sate your appetite less than eating them whole? Yes. Should you be conscious of how many calories any smoothies/juices you make contain? Yes. Just like anything else you ingest.

fivethreeone

Isn't the point of juicing to get nutrients directly to the blood stream? I do have one green juice in the morning with my protein. It's mostly veggies, but I do add one apple. I think this comes down to common sense. Fruit equals sugar, obviously juicing fruits will increase someone's blood sugar.

The point of juicing is to avoid solid foods, which contain calories. Juice does not really contain calories, unless it is a color other than green.

fivethreeone

Sorry, but that's nonsense. There's millions upon millions of worse things you can eat than fresh fruit and veg; in any form. Do they sate your appetite less than eating them whole? Yes. Should you be conscious of how many calories any smoothies/juices you make contain? Yes. Just like anything else you ingest.

Again, green juices do not contain calories. The nonsense is yours.

lisaanne1369

I bullet and get EVERYTHING! Love my green sludge!

micheleb15

Isn't the point of juicing to get nutrients directly to the blood stream? I do have one green juice in the morning with my protein. It's mostly veggies, but I do add one apple. I think this comes down to common sense. Fruit equals sugar, obviously juicing fruits will increase someone's blood sugar.

The point of juicing is to avoid solid foods, which contain calories. Juice does not really contain calories, unless it is a color other than green.

I disagree, I don't use juice as free calories. I don't understand how consuming juice wouldn't have calories. Mine is around 200 calories and they are included in my daily intake. I make the green juice for the nutrients, not as a meal replacement.

Laurenloveswaffles

If they want to juice, let them. If they don't, cool. Don't worry about anyone but yourself :flowerforyou:

_Waffle_

If they want to juice, let them. If they don't, cool. Don't worry about anyone but yourself :flowerforyou:

I just see so many people here juicing and taking smoothies thinking it will help them out. I hate seeing so many people that are uninformed. They'll be the ones asking why they can't lose weight later and we won't know that the calories were from juices instead of whole foods and won't be able to help them.

fivethreeone

Isn't the point of juicing to get nutrients directly to the blood stream? I do have one green juice in the morning with my protein. It's mostly veggies, but I do add one apple. I think this comes down to common sense. Fruit equals sugar, obviously juicing fruits will increase someone's blood sugar.

The point of juicing is to avoid solid foods, which contain calories. Juice does not really contain calories, unless it is a color other than green.

I disagree, I don't use juice as free calories. I don't understand how consuming juice wouldn't have calories. Mine is around 200 calories and they are included in my daily intake. I make the green juice for the nutrients, not as a meal replacement.

Couldn't you just have a salad? Less sugar, more fiber.

MireyGal76

My kids love a smoothie as a bedtime snack... I'll mix up some frozen fruit (a blend of strawberries, melon, mango, blueberries - whatever I have), a banana, sometimes an orange, add a scoop of ice cream / frozen milk / sherbet / frozen yogurt, and some milk.

Honest question... is this actually NOT a healthy snack? I've always been of the impression that it is better than toast and jam... though I let them have that too, if they so desire.

Or is it a matter of... *gasp* ... moderation?

workshardplaysharder

Isn't the point of juicing to get nutrients directly to the blood stream? I do have one green juice in the morning with my protein. It's mostly veggies, but I do add one apple. I think this comes down to common sense. Fruit equals sugar, obviously juicing fruits will increase someone's blood sugar.

The point of juicing is to avoid solid foods, which contain calories. Juice does not really contain calories, unless it is a color other than green.

Whaaaaat? :huh:

So you're saying that when I squeeze the juice out of an orange the by-product has no calories? That makes zero sense.

And no, not everyone juices to "avoid solid foods". A lot of people juice because they would much rather take their own veggies or fruits and make a drink or it's the only way they'll actually consume their fruit and veggies.

natethegreat80

haha really? this study is BS...the sugars that you get from blending or juicing are NOT the same and do not have the same effect on your body as processed sugar in cookies, sweets etc. ive been juicing and blending for 5 years...Ive lost 100 lbs, Im more fit and active than I have ever been and my blood tests are excellent....

HeidiCooksSupper

Sorry, but that's nonsense. There's millions upon millions of worse things you can eat than fresh fruit and veg; in any form. Do they sate your appetite less than eating them whole? Yes. Should you be conscious of how many calories any smoothies/juices you make contain? Yes. Just like anything else you ingest.

No, it isn't nonsense. Recent research is determining that fruit juices are more likely to cause an insulin spike than eating whole fruits. Another problem with fruit juices is that they are relatively calorie dense and therefore it is easy to drink too many calories without noticing it. I haven't seen any research yet saying the same thing about smoothies but it may be the case. I'd watch the research.

No, 80 calories of apple juice is not "bad," but 80 calories of a whole apple would be better for you. Those who "juice" while eliminating much other, healthier foods, are not doing themselves any favors and may indeed suffer nutritional deficiencies.

workshardplaysharder

Isn't the point of juicing to get nutrients directly to the blood stream? I do have one green juice in the morning with my protein. It's mostly veggies, but I do add one apple. I think this comes down to common sense. Fruit equals sugar, obviously juicing fruits will increase someone's blood sugar.

The point of juicing is to avoid solid foods, which contain calories. Juice does not really contain calories, unless it is a color other than green.

I disagree, I don't use juice as free calories. I don't understand how consuming juice wouldn't have calories. Mine is around 200 calories and they are included in my daily intake. I make the green juice for the nutrients, not as a meal replacement.

Couldn't you just have a salad? Less sugar, more fiber.

It's important to listen to smarter people.

^^ This coming from the person who said when you juice the calories disappear.:laugh:

natethegreat80

its very healthy...just knock out the dairy...and use coconut milk or almond milk instead of milk/yogurt....my son also loves smoothies...now if i could only get him to drink a green smoothie!

fivethreeone

Isn't the point of juicing to get nutrients directly to the blood stream? I do have one green juice in the morning with my protein. It's mostly veggies, but I do add one apple. I think this comes down to common sense. Fruit equals sugar, obviously juicing fruits will increase someone's blood sugar.

The point of juicing is to avoid solid foods, which contain calories. Juice does not really contain calories, unless it is a color other than green.

I disagree, I don't use juice as free calories. I don't understand how consuming juice wouldn't have calories. Mine is around 200 calories and they are included in my daily intake. I make the green juice for the nutrients, not as a meal replacement.

Couldn't you just have a salad? Less sugar, more fiber.

It's important to listen to smarter people.

^^ This coming from the person who said when you juice the calories disappear.:laugh:

Obviously I'm not talking about myself. I'm the first to say I should of been born a blonde! I'm talking about the scientists mentioned in the artical

fivethreeone

haha really? this study is BS...the sugars that you get from blending or juicing are NOT the same and do not have the same effect on your body as processed sugar in cookies, sweets etc. ive been juicing and blending for 5 years...Ive lost 100 lbs, Im more fit and active than I have ever been and my blood tests are excellent....

:huh:

I'm juxt wondering what company pays you to say this stuff.