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What’s Healthy About Fruit Juice? [Nutritional Profile]

What’s Healthy About Fruit Juice

As juicing fruit removes the pulp I wondered whether the remaining fruit juice would be just as healthy and nutritious as whole fresh fruit and whether there is any sort of health benefits of drinking fruit juice without the pulp.

I looked at some academic studies and here’s what I found.

Fruit juice is healthy because it contains vitamins, minerals, and carbohydrates that fuel and cleanse the body.

It has been shown that when you juice fruit you remove some of the vitamin C and a lot of the fiber.

But, other than that they retain the same nutrients and sometimes contain more.

In this article I will cover common questions I had about drinking juice versus eating fruit, such as whether it’s better to eat fruit or juice it, what’s the best time to drink fruit juice, and whether drinking fruit juice on an empty stomach is good.

Is it better to eat fruit or drink juice?

Is it better to eat fruit or drink juice

Something I always wondered was whether eating fruit is healthier than drinking juice.

Fruit juice tastes amazing, so I figured it must be good for you.

So, I looked at the scientific findings, and here’s a summary.

As a general rule, eating fresh fruit is slightly healthier than drinking fruit juice.

However, it is still beneficial to consume fruit and vegetable juice.

If you primarily consume juice instead of whole fruits or vegetables then it can be a good idea to eat fresh fruit and vegetables as well to get enough fiber.

Fiber is good for your digestive health.

And it’s generally recommended to consume around 25g to 30g of fiber per day.

Each serving of fruit or vegetables – for example, one apple or one banana – contains about 3 grams of fiber.

Whereas, the juice contains less than 0.2g of fiber.

Therefore, you should eat around 10 servings of individual fruit and vegetables per day.

Whereas, if you’re drinking only juice you need to drink about 15 times as much.

What is the best time to drink fruit juice?

What is the best time to drink fruit juice

Fruit juice is beneficial for your health, and in some cases has more nutrients than the fruit it’s made from.

But, is there a better time to drink fruit juice than others?

As a general rule, you get the best nutrient absorption if you drink it on an empty stomach, and especially after a fast.

When you sleep you typically don’t eat for 8 to 10 hours.

Therefore, your stomach is particularly empty first thing in the morning.

So, it’s also a great time to drink fruit juice.

At this stage, there are no scientific studies that have looked very precisely at the best time to drink fruit juice during the day.

Therefore, a general rule of thumb is to drink it on an empty stomach where possible.

You can also experiment with drinking it at different times of the day, and see what your body responds well to.

Some people prefer to drink fruit juice or fruit juice smoothies at night instead of a heavy meal.

As they say that they wake up feeling more refreshed.

The reasoning is that if you eat a heavy meal that takes a lot of energy to digest then you will be more tired in the morning.

I personally think this is true, and that after a big meal it feels harder to move around and I don’t really feel like doing much.

Is it good to drink fruit juice on an empty stomach?

Is it good to drink fruit juice on an empty stomach

Intermittent fasting is one of those topics that appears to be at the forefront of the health field, as many people have tried it and experienced good results.

Is it ok to drink fruit juice on an empty stomach though?

Generally, drinking fruit juice is perfectly fine on an empty stomach.

It’s also widely accepted that drinking fruit juice on an empty stomach leads to better absorption.

Also, juices can also be used to cleanse the digestive system after a fast.

At this stage, however,  no scientific studies have been done to determine whether it’s better or not. It’s also interesting to know how fruits combine with other foods.

For example, certain fruits are quite acidic such as oranges and pineapples.

And the acid in the fruit can partially ‘cook’ other ingredients.

As you may know, a raw fish salad that is popular in many countries is made by soaking cubes of raw fish in lemon juice.

During that process, the outside of the fish turns white as it is gently cooked by the acid in the lemon juice.

For that reason, you should keep it in the back of your mind when thinking about when to eat fruits and drink fruit juice.

Milk and cream for example will curdle when they are mixed with an acid like lemon or orange juice.

So, you should generally avoid mixing acidic fruits with dairy.

Can we drink mosambi juice on empty stomach?

Can we drink mosambi juice in empty stomach

Mosambi is a sweet citrus fruit that is a good source of vitamin C. But, is it a good idea to drink mosambi juice on an empty stomach?

Generally, it’s perfectly fine to drink mosambi juice on an empty stomach.

It’s generally thought that drinking juice on an empty stomach increases the absorption of beneficial nutrients.

However, currently, there aren’t any studies to back this up.

But, in my opinion, it makes sense that you would absorb more of the nutrients on an empty stomach.

Nutrients are absorbed through the walls of your digestive system.

Therefore, the juice needs some surface area to be absorbed.

But, when there is already other food against the walls of your digestive system then it’s harder for the juice to get through and make contact with the sides.

Therefore, more of the juice is passed through without being absorbed.

Is it good to drink fruit juice everyday?

Is it good to drink fruit juice everyday

Juice is very refreshing and certain combinations can be so delicious you might want to drink them everyday.

However, is it a good idea to do so?

It is perfectly fine to drink fruit juice every day.

The main concern with consuming fruit juice instead of fruit is that you only get a small percentage of the fiber.

Therefore, you need to also eat additional fruit and vegetables to get enough fiber daily.

It has been shown that 1 small fruit such as an apple or orange has around 10% of your daily fiber needs.

The same is also true of a vegetable such as a capsicum (bell pepper) or a carrot.

But the equivalent amount of juice for example, about half a cup has about 0.7% of your daily fiber needs.

Therefore, you could never really get all the fiber you need in a day by drinking fruit or vegetable juice.

And you need to eat additional fruits and vegetables.

2 cups of vegetables and about 5 pieces of fruit per day will give you the recommended amount of fiber per day.

Or, instead of vegetables, you could eat another 5 pieces of fruit.

Is real fruit juice healthy?

Is real fruit juice healthy

Fruit juice doesn’t contain much or any of the pulp in the fruit.

So, you could be forgiven for thinking that fruit juice is maybe not that healthy.

Based on my research here’s what I found:

Real fruit juice is very healthy.

It contains on average about the same nutrients as the fresh fruit itself.

But, the major difference is that the juicing process whether done in a factory or at home removes most of the fiber.

So, you need to eat additional fruits and vegetables to get enough fiber.

There are also drinks that have a similar appearance to juice but are fruit drinks.

A fruit drink will have only a small percentage of fruit juice or can be artificially flavored.

As a result, most don’t contain many beneficial nutrients.

Real fruit juice, as well as vegetable juice, is more convenient and for the most part, is more delicious than eating the individual fruit or vegetable.

Is fruit juice good for weight loss?

Is fruit juice good for weight loss

Certain foods are better than others for weight loss.

For example, vegetables like celery have very few calories but still fill you up.

So, I wanted to know if fruit juice is good for weight loss.

Overall, fruit juice is good for weight loss.

Fruits and vegetables are good for weight loss because they digest easily, and have a modest amount of calories.

Certain sugar snacks such as snack bars, and donuts have a significantly higher amount of calories.

So, drinking fruit juice will lower your calorie intake.

For example, a donut seems quite innocent but 100g of a donut has 450 calories.

Bananas and apples by comparison have only 100 calories per 100g – or about half a cup.

Fruit juice contains around the same amount of calories as fresh fruit.

Therefore, when you consume fruit juice or fruit you will feel full on less food.

And because of that, you will eat fewer calories overall.

The main considerations with weight loss are diet and exercise.

Therefore, drinking fruit and/or vegetable juice instead of other unhealthy snacks is a very good move for weight loss and your overall health.