When you purchase fruits and vegetables for juicing it is important to realize that many people have touched your produce before you. With all the handling it easy to see how a lot of bad things can be on the surface of most produce.
Everyone knows that juices are loaded with antioxidants, vitamins and even minerals. Certainly juicing is a great way to get concentrated nutrition in a delicious beverage made from health boosting fruits and vegetables. It makes it easy to get the nine servings of vegetables and fruit that the Harvard School of Public Health recommends that you consume daily.
But, juicing can also be harmful to your health. There can be hidden dangers in that glass of fresh juice. The Food and Drug administration warns that if your fruits and vegetables are contaminated by a disease producing pathogen, you can become ill. These microorganisms are hepatitis, E. coli, cyclosporiasis, bacillary dysentery, and even salmonellosis. These pathogens can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, and in extreme cases even kidney failure.
Pasteurization destroys these dangerous organisms, but since most people do not heat the freshly made juices, they can harbor these dangerous pathogens. So although juicing can be a healthy addition to your diet, it does not always have the desired outcome.Even if no pathogens are present, certain fruits such as pears, cherries, prunes and peaches can cause digestive upset from a naturally occurring substance called sorbitol. Baylor College of Medicine tells us that these fruits when juiced, can cause diarrhea, cramps and gas in certain people. Young children seem to be more sensitive to the sorbitol than adults.
Another potential health problem with juicing is the fact that all the fiber that naturally occurs in fruits and vegetables is removed during the process. Without this fiber the body absorbs the sugars in the juice at an increased rate. This can cause an unhealthy spike in blood sugar according to Worlds Healthiest Foods. Adding naturally sweet fruits with vegetables that are also high in naturally occurring sugar such as beets can lead to unhealthy blood sugar levels.
This is particularly troublesome for persons with diabetes or similar disorders. In addition the the spike in glucose levels juices are also high in calories. Add this to the low fiber and they are not very satisfying. This can cause a person to consume excess calories without feeling full. The energy is there, but the feeling does not last.
This may find many people failing to lose weight when they consume juice instead of the actual whole fruit or vegetables. Then there is the fact that excess consumption of foods high in beta carotene can cause carotenemia, a condition where the palms of the hands and soles of the feet turn an unsightly yellow. It is not harmful, but certainly not appealing.
