Taking whole fruit or fruit juice nourishes your body and satisfies you with great taste. Fruit juice provides vitamins and minerals but there are some downsides to drinking too much of it when compared to whole fruit.
Whole fruit is fuel packed with essential nutrients and minerals that we need for the day and so are fruit juices; after all, juices are a fruit byproduct, right? But there are some differences which you are about to find out now.
Nutritious, delicious, pulpy & vibrantly coloured, whole fruits are all you’ll see when it comes to healthy eating on most websites. But have you ever thought, why are fruit juices not mentioned in these lists in particular?
Well, it’s easy reasoning; whole fruits contain a full variety of nutrients. Whereas fruit juices can not provide you with the same nutrients, depending on the juicing process.
Through this article, I will guide you towards a healthier lifestyle by answering the question of whole fruit or fruit juice.
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Whole Fruit or Fruit Juice?Advantages of whole fruit over fruit juice
- The Benefit of the fruit peel or skin
Fruit peels are important in supplying the body with nutrients as they communicate with different light wavelengths and digest them by producing coloured pigments such as flavonoids and carotenoids that are said to improve health and nutrition.
The skin of grapes and blueberries contains a high proportion of antioxidants and also protects the body from ultraviolet light and helps to reduce the risk of cancer. The skin is not consumed when it comes to fruit juice because different juicing methods require removal of the peel which means fewer nutrients run through the body.
- The Benefits Of The Fruit’s Pulp
The fruit pulp is high in minerals and fibre. The white pulpy portion, for example, includes flavonoids, whereas the juicy orange parts are home to vitamin C. When an orange is consumed, the flavonoids and vitamin C function together to provide the body with food.
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Unfortunately, the white component is lost as orange juice is juiced which implies you are lacking flavonoids. Although many companies claim to have added this particular portion of orange to the juice, it is highly unlikely that they would actually add it.
- The Health Benefits of the fibre content
Have an idea how much fibre you sacrifice as you start to collect fruit juice from whole fruits?
Considering Apple as an example, the skin of an apple contains nearly half of its total dietary fibre. But the skin is separated during juice extraction, and the pulp gets lost.
You’ll make juice from 4 apples, for example. They compose of about 12-15g dietary fibre. During the extraction process, almost all of that fibre will be destroyed. Whereas adding this fibre back into the juice would double your daily intake of fibre.
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Whole Fruit or Fruit Choice: Which Is The Healthier Choice?
The determination as to the fruit juice’s quality relies on the juice content and how it is processed. If the juice is stripped of nutrition and vitamins, it is actually eating sugar that is not capable of helping to absorb nutrients in the body.
However, fruit juices raise blood sugar levels at a faster pace than whole fruit because they are high in sugar. Therefore, it is important to read the nutrient label before consumption of these items.
Whole fruits are natural, have the highest and best health benefits and hardly pose any danger.
My Verdict
Fruit juice elevates blood sugar quicker than whole fruit, and the sugar content that can be derived from fruit juice is greater than that present in the whole fruit. For example, whole apples in 120 calories contain about 24 grams of sugar, whereas apple juice in 120 calories contains about 30 grams.
Remember that the sugar in whole fruit is natural and easily metabolised while that of fruit juice is opposite.
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Fruit juice is definitely a good alternative when deciding either soda or water. Nonetheless, whole fruit would always be the best choice and the change from it to fruit juice can only be done at the cost of your full fitness and healthier life.