My Squeeze on Juicing

by Kris Pitcher

This is a reader requested topic. If you have a topic you'd like to hear about, let me know. I love to hear from you! Thanks Ginger!

Juicing has been around for years, and like a lot of food trends it has gone in and out of fashion. It's in fashion and people are loving their giant blends of juices. So, why has this been so popular?

Juicing is embraced by the health conscious for it's quick delivery of nutrients and enzymes responsible for cancer fighting properties. The USDA encourages us to eat more fruits and vegetables for a healthy diet.

This practice is also embraced as a weight loss mechanism. But this is where I find I'm tensing up, my teeth are clenching and I have to almost hold myself in my chair. Here's the deal.

Juicing to lose weight is the exact opposite of what you want to do. Liquid calories from fruits and vegetables provide relatively little nutrients, no fiber, and are simple sugars. Simple sugars cause a quick spike in insulin, and a blood sugar environment which isn't conducive to fat loss.

Would you lose weight? Sure. But you would lose your muscle mass. This isn't what we want. We want to maintain our muscle mass and lose our fat mass. We do this by limiting the simple sugar (eliminating it), eating lean protein, complex carbohydrates and the right kinds of vegetables high in fiber.

Does an occasional glass of high quality juice have it's place in your plan? Maybe. I would advocate for enjoying those berries in their whole form so you benefit from the fiber. Skip the 800 calorie Jumbo Juice at the mall - you're not doing yourself a favor or being "healthy". You're having the equivalent of a milk shake. And that's my squeeze on juicing.