Something many do when starting a balanced diet to lose weight or improve health is cut out soda. After all, there are many harms that soft drinks can cause to the body.
So, after getting rid of sodas, some choose juice as a substitute drink. But did you know that juices are not so harmless for the diet? Including natural juices!
Table of Contents
First: What Is Juice?
Natural fruit juice is a drink made from one or more fruits that have been beaten in a blender or passed through another device, such as a centrifuge or juicer.
It is important to emphasize this because industrialized drinks are similar to juices. Although they contain an artificial flavor identical to some fruit, they contain the fruit. But if it doesn’t have fruit, then the drink in question doesn’t fall into the juice category.
Speaking of industrialized beverages, it is worth mentioning that the powdered, boxed, or concentrated juices that we buy ready to drink have high amounts of sugar and carbohydrates. In addition, these products have very little liquid.
To Strain Or Not To Pull?
When placing the fruit in the centrifuge or juicer, the device releases only the juice liquid and retains the food fibers. After blending the fruit in the blender, some people prefer to strain the drink to discard the threads, as they do not like to feel pieces when drinking the juice.
However, getting rid of the fiber in the fruit when juicing is not a good idea. A single unit or portion of fruit is rarely used when blending a juice, as this yields very little, especially after straining.
For example, it is common to use three to four slices of watermelon or five pieces of orange to make a single juice. The problem is that this makes a drink with a very concentrated and high amount of carbohydrates and calories, even if no sugar is added to sweeten the juice.
After all, the natural carbohydrates and calories from all those servings of fruit ended up in a single drink.
The Role Of Fibers
Therein lies the danger of discarding the fibers of the drink. All because fiber is a type of carbohydrate that the body does not digest, which causes other carbohydrates to be absorbed more slowly by the body.
So without the fiber, the juice is left with many high-glycemic carbohydrates that the body absorbs more quickly. Faster absorption of carbohydrates causes spikes in blood sugar levels, which result in insulin spikes.
This hormone is responsible for stimulating cells to absorb glucose (sugar) from the blood to use it as energy or store it in another region of the body, which can occur in fat. That is, too much insulin can mean more fat.
The juice situation is even worse if, in addition to using many fruits in a single recipe and discarding the fibers, the person adds any sugar or honey to sweeten the drink.
Also Read: The 10 Most Delicious Summer Snacks Under 100 Calories
And What About Refreshment?
Many people may confuse juice with soda. But, unlike juice, in which many portions of the fruit are used to prepare the drink, the refreshment is made by mixing a smaller amount of fruit with water.
Usually, a single unit or portion of the fruit is placed with water and blended in a blender. By using a small amount of fruit, the problem of concentrating too many calories and carbohydrates in a single juice is alleviated.
However, in the case of soft drinks, the rule of not straining the juice is also valid so as not to eliminate the fibers and prevent the carbohydrates from being absorbed too quickly. Of course, the rule of not adding sugar or honey still applies.
Two Juices In Particular: Whole Grape Juice And Orange Juice
We chose to talk specifically about these two, which are healthy juices rich in vitamins and minerals, but they may not be the best choice for the diet of a person looking to lose weight.
In a single 250 ml glass of whole grape juice, there are 38 grams of carbohydrates. This is equivalent to approximately four slices of bread, to give you an idea.
On the other hand, orange juice has, on average, 30 grams of carbohydrates. This corresponds to practically three tablespoons of rice. These juices are a carbohydrate bomb, which will generate a very high insulin spike.
All that amount of carbohydrates in juices also indicates that they are not low in calories, as there are four calories in every gram of carbohydrate.
As these drinks are consumed to accompany breakfast, lunch, snack or dinner, imagine how high the meal’s final carbohydrate and calorie content can be!
After all, the foods eaten in these meals already have their amounts of carbohydrates and calories.
Also Read: 7 Best Fruits To Eat At Night
