5 Benefits of Juicing on the Body

You’re always looking for new ways to stay healthy—but you don’t have time to count calories, measure portions, or cook healthy meals three times a day. Ever thought about juicing?

If you need to boost your metabolism, more nutrients in your diet, or just want to eat real food instead of processed junk, juicing can provide a tasty solution to health problems. High stress jobs, such as careers in nursing or healthcare, could also enjoy the advantages of fresh juice on the body. These five juicing benefits can help you focus and feel better at work:

More Nutrients

Sure, you like to cook healthy meals when you have time, but did you know that heating fruits and vegetables can lower their nutritional value? Juicing raw foods, on the other hand, preserves more nutrients and allows you to absorb them without barriers such as fiber. Juicing can also help reboot a weak digestive system after years of poor dieting, but you may miss out on protein, fat, and other essential vitamins in the process. To avoid deficiencies, integrate juicing with a well-balanced diet and choose organic produce to reduce your toxin intake.

Stress Relief

Juggling your job, family, and personal life can lead to high stress levels, but juicing can help lower your anxiety. Making your own juice isn’t the total solution for stress management—you should also limit harsh substances like alcohol and consume more fiber—but it can help your body regain balance simply by helping you consume more quality foods. Stress causes your blood to thicken and can result in stroke or heart attacks, but the right combination of juices can act as natural blood thinners; simply incorporate garlic and ginger into a juicing regiment with lots of leafy vegetables to reap the stress-fighting benefits.

Disease Prevention

Researchers continually study how food can help our bodies function at peak levels, and findings consistently show that chemicals in plants may protect us from certain diseases. These phytochemicals can prevent damage to DNA, improve your body’s ability to remove toxins, and fight every ailment from arthritis to allergies. Consuming fruits and vegetables in larger quantities through juicing introduces more phytochemicals into your body, which in turn can strengthen your immune system and prevent illness.

Cleansing

Your body does a good job of cleansing itself—your liver, kidneys, and lungs do it every day. However, juicing can help these organs function better by giving them the nutrients they crave. If you do opt for a juice cleanse, remember that you don’t have to solely rely on juice to clear your body of toxins; eating whole, natural foods and eliminating processed snacks may help your body absorb nutrients better than relying on juice alone. Juice cleanses should last no longer than a few days. While they can infuse more nutrients into your diet, any long-term cleanse can result in zapped energy and crankiness.

Weight Loss

Juicing can cause you to drop pounds in a matter of days; when done regularly, it can allow your liver to focus on burning fat instead of cleaning out impurities. However, juicing can also cause you to unknowingly consume a high number of calories from sugars in fruit. Fiber would normally allow that sugar to gradually release into your body, but juicing eliminates this barrier and can cause you to consume more fruit than you normally would in one sitting. Talk to your doctor before beginning a juice regiment for weight loss, and use fruit sparingly to keep calorie counts low.
The benefits of juicing go beyond its effects on your body; it also serves as a tasty way to add variety to your diet without crunching on the same salads or celery sticks. Still, use safety precautions when juicing to take full advantage of its benefits. Avoid long periods of cleansing that could result in nutritional deficiencies, clean produce thoroughly, and only blend what you can drink in one sitting.
Talk to your doctor before implementing a juicing regiment; when used properly, it can be an effective way to battle stress and fortify your body.