Experiment Question

Which of these is the Better Choice? Whole Fruit or Fruit Juice?

Experiment Answer

A Whole Fruit!

Strained fruit juices are devoid of fibres. Whole fruits contain fibre and help in stabilizing the sugar spikes in blood. They delay the gastric emptying too, in turn reducing the cravings.

Scientific Rationale

While fruit juices and smoothies are trendy, we are here to find out whether or not they are as healthy as they seem. You will often see a celebrity or influencer with a big cup of green juice claiming that this can help them get the boost of vitamins and nutrients they need for the rest of the day. However, you do not see that they also have a meticulously planned diet that allows them the luxury of having fruit juices without worrying about the ill effects. 

Breaking Down The Facts

While making fresh fruit and vegetable juices at home may seem like a healthy option, it can often have hidden side effects that you may not be aware of. Making a fruit juice breaks down the fruit and releases the sugars and other nutrients within.

Consuming this causes the free sugars in the juice to rapidly be absorbed by the body, causing unhealthy spikes in blood sugar that ultimately lead to a crash which will affect your energy levels and hunger. Repeated spikes and unhealthy responses to sugar in the body are behind several lifestyle disorders, e.g., Type II Diabetes.

Discussion

Focusing on just having one fruit juice at the beginning of the day will not give you all the nutrients you need for a healthy body if you do not focus on consuming a diverse and nutrient-rich diet for the rest of the day. This is especially true if you are trying to use juicing to supplement nutrients you are already deficient in.

On the other hand, if your diet includes a wide range of fruits and vegetables and healthy portions of carbs, fats, and proteins, they may not even be needed to boost vitamin intake. This is because nutrients like Vitamin B and C are water-soluble vitamins and do not get stored in your body. If your intake of these vitamins exceeds your daily requirement, then the excess is simply excreted out of the body when you pee. If that was not enough, here are five reasons why you should ditch the juicer and start consuming your fruits fresh and whole.

1. Fruits Contain Essential Nutrients

We all are very well aware of how healthy fruits and vegetables are for our bodies. They contain several vitamins and minerals that help boost your immune system and overall health. However, did you know that most of the helpful nutrients of fruits are present in the fruit's skin? So when you discard the skin and the pulp of the fruit after juicing, you are getting rid of some of the nutrients because you picked up the fruits in the first place.

2. Fruits Contain Dietary Fibre

The lack of fibre is one of the main disadvantages of juicing. When you extract juice from the fruit, you break down the cell wall and release the sugars from the fruit, thus eliminating the fibre that would have otherwise been beneficial in easing the digestion process and allowing for smoother bowel movements. The dietary fibre in the fruits usually binds to the natural sugars present in them as it makes their way through the gastrointestinal tract. This simple act of binding makes it harder for your body to absorb the sugars from fruits resulting in a slower accumulation rate of the sugars in the body. Antioxidants that are also present in whole fruits are usually bound to the fibres present in the fruit. Juicing can cause the loss of these beneficial antioxidants for the body.

3. Fruits Help Manage Hunger Pangs

The time between meals is when most of the snacking happens. Even if you are trying your best to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle, it could be complicated to resist the temptation of processed foods and snacks when hunger strikes. This is the best time to have fruit as it can help you regulate your appetite and any cravings that you may have throughout the day.

4. Fruits Help You Stay Full for Longer

Having a fruit between meals or even carrying one with you while travelling or working can help you avoid giving in and binge eating at your favourite fast food joint that may be just a few doors down from you. At the same time, a fruit keeps you fuller for longer than a fruit juice giving you enough energy to get everything done throughout the day. Avoiding processed snacks and fast food can go a long way in managing your weight, blood sugar levels, and diabetes.

5. Chewing your Fruits is Exercise

Like all food, fruits have to be chewed before you can swallow them; on the other hand, fruit juices need little or no work to be done when consumed, resulting in excess calories. Chewing slowly also helps you promote the health of your teeth and gums. It helps absorb the nutrients from the fruit better, which in turn aids in digestion. Chewing your fruit can prevent overconsumption of food or sugars that you get from the fruit juice, which can sometimes lead to excess weight gain. Chewing your food at least 24 times allows you to reap these benefits.

While we now know that it is much better to eat the fruit rather than drink its juice, we understand that there are times when you crave fruit juice. It may be a better option to blend the whole fruit and create a fruit smoothie, as most nutrients and fibre are retained in the smoothie. Blending fruits and vegetables is also a good idea for picky eaters as you would be able to mask the taste of the fruit you do not like while getting similar amounts of nutrients from the mixture. Also know about best fruit for diabetes.