Fruits, Veggies, and Juice for Weight Loss

So why not just drink a veggie-juice combo instead of going to the trouble of cutting up fruits and vegetables? Or, why not just eat some granola or cereal bars with all of that stuff in them?

Vegetable juices, fruits and bars are not the same as the real things.First, because of the processing that they have to go through to become juice or bars. Mainly, and most important to your diet, processing removes the fiber. Numerous studies have shown fiber to be very important to good health, cancer prevention, and even a healthy heart. But, recent studies have shown that fiber is also essential in weight loss, as it helps dieters feel full longer. The connection is obvious to those of us who love to eat - feel fuller, longer, and we'll eat less! This is big.

Next, processing our fruits and veggies into juice removes most if not all of the polyphenols and biochemicals from these foods. This causes us to lose many of the nutritional benefits of these foods, leaving us with nothing but sugar and water, in many cases. The two main losses to this process are Potassium and Vitamin C, both very important to living healthy, and staying fit.

We talk extensively on this web site about how important what foods you eat are to your weight, and I believe the right types of juice are an important element in our diet. However, having said that, it's important to note that 6-8 ounces a day of juice is probably enough for most of us. Also, be sure that the juice is high quality, and comes directly from the fruit. There is an exception to this rule about juice. If you have a juicer, a good one that grinds up the pulp, seeds, and whatever else you throw into it, drink all the juice you want.

There are countless examples of very sick people who overcame cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, and a host of other potentially life threatening illnesses using juicers.

In short, be sure that you get your 10 to 15 servings a day from the freshest source possible first- like a farmers market, a whole food store or natural section of a grocery store. While you're thinking like this, your own garden has so many benefits for you that I may have to start another web site just about home gardens for healthy living! After that, go to frozen fruits and vegetables. Finally, canned is better than nothing.

Remember to eat as much of this food as you can in its natural state - that is, raw. The less you cook fruits and veggies, the better they are for you, as you'll retain most of the biochemicals in their natural state. You'll also benefit from the fiber in the peel and pulps, making you feel content, and keeping you healthy.

As mentioned above, one of the best ways to eat fruits, veggies, and juice is to make juice out of them. Have a look at this juice diet site for fantastic info on juicing, veggies, juice, and nutrition.