The Pro’s and Con’s of Juicing – Are Juicing Diets Safe?

If you’ve ever tried to lose weight that you’ve seen your fair share of fad diets. The low calorie diet, the no carb diet, the only eat meat diet, the stay hungry until you give in diet. Whatever diet you’ve done, you know that they never really work. Despite the fact that we know a one week fad diet won’t help us drop thirty pounds, we try it anyways. The first three hours are great until you get hungry. Then you quit the diet and try to reassure yourself that you didn’t really want to lose weight anyways. Fad diets are supposed to help you lose weight but most of them are unhealthy and do more harm than anything else.

What is Juicing?

If you aren’t familiar with the concept of juicing then you are in for a nutritional treat. Juicing is exactly what it sounds like, it is fruits and vegetables put through a juicing machine which separates the juice out of whatever food item you put through it. For example if you juice a carrot you shove the carrot through the juicing machine and you’re left with a cup of carrot juice and then inside the machine is the leftover carrot shreds that usually contains the exterior of the carrot which is most likely the fiber. A liquid diet is similar except that it can be any liquified foods. Some examples of foods that can be liquified are meats, pasta, fruits, or soups which anybody that can’t chew or is going through a dental procedure or old age may use.

The Pro’s and Con’s

If you’re trying to lose weight then the best way to do that is through a healthy lifestyle change. A two week diet won’t give you lifelong results or killer abs. A healthy balanced diet will though, along with regular exercise. However, there are some great benefits to juicing along and some things you want to watch out for. Here is a list of pro’s and con’s to help you figure out if juicing is for you.

Pro’s

• Juicing gives you a chance to get the necessary serving of fruits and vegetables in one big cup. This is beneficial since most of us don’t get enough fruits and vegetables in our diets anyways.

• Juicing will cause weight loss.

• Beneficial for your overall health.

Con’s

• Juicing is great but not if it’s done alone without the other food groups. You’ll be missing out on important nutrients which will make you more exhausted than usual and limit your ability to workout. This will also weaken your teeth and bones since they won’t be getting calcium or enough vitamin D to stay strong.

• Yes, you will lose weight if you only drink juice but it is not sustainable. As soon as you begin eating regular food the weight will come back on.

• Although it is healthy to begin juicing your fruits and vegetables for nutritional purposes, sipping on acidic juices all day is bad for your teeth. The acid will cause continuous bacteria to sit in your mouth from the food and plaque causing cavities will form. The acidic fruits and vegetables will also eat away at your teeth if you continue to sip on the juice all day.

When it comes to diets and juicing it is all about balance. Balance your juicing with regular meals to allow your body to still get all the nutrients it needs for strong teeth and bones. Drink a juice in the morning but don’t sip on it all day or the enamel on your teeth will begin wearing down. Eat healthy and you won’t have to depend on fad diets to help you lose weight or stay healthy.

Victoria Cairo is a blogger from Greenspoint Dental in Houston, Texas. She loves new healthy ways of life and tries to stay as balanced as possible.