Fruits or fruit juices: What's your choice?
For those on the move, having a fruit juice is
easy and not messy as compared to eating fruits. While in the long run, fruits
make for a better choice, juices too have their benefits; a glass of juice
means you consume more fruits at one go. Also, for patients or those with a
medical condition where it is recommended to have liquids, juices are an
excellent way of getting essential nutrients for a recuperating body . They are
also easier to digest and enables your body to absorb more nutrients faster.
According to Dr Deepshikha Agarwal, dietician
and sports nutritionist, “Fruits are always better than their juice. Many vital
nutrients along with fibre are lost while juicing. For example, in case of
orange juice, the water-soluble vitamin C is lost in the process. Similarly ,
some of the phytonutrients are lost when exposed to air or humidity . Lastly,
fruits are fresh with no added sugar, salts or additives.“
Here's a lowdown on how fruits and their juices
should be consumed.
SKINS, PEELS AND PULP -ALL ARE NUTRITIOUS
Don't ever eat the fruit without the skin,
unless it is natural to do so.The peel is exposed to sunlight, which creates
coloured pigments that include carotenoids and flavonoids; these are healthy
and full of nutrition. All these are lost when we remove the skin before
juicing. So, while you have to peel bananas, pineapples, oranges, litchis,
mango, etc., it is beneficial to eat apples, strawberries, pears, peaches,
plums, grapes, etc., with the skin intact.
And for those who worry about fruits having
pesticides, Dr Agarwal adds, “Different foods vary in their toxin and pesticide
content used on them.Dietary variations can help one avoid accumulation of too
many toxins in the body . So add a variety of fruits in your diet instead of
sticking to just one or two. Also, the level of pesticides used on fruits is
usually low as compared to some vegetables, so there is no harm in eating
fruits in small amounts like two portions per day . Remember that excess of
anything is harmful in any case.“
In fact, some fruit peels are useful to make
beauty products and have medicinal properties, too. The entire juicy pulp of
the fruit is loaded with fibre and many other nutrients. Juicing separates the
water in the fruit from the pulp and other solid parts, thus leading you to
only drink the water and nutrients that dissolve in it.
Although many commercial products write `with
pulp added' on the packaging, you may not know for sure how much is added and
it may not be the original pulp but just added flavour.
Many weight watchers believe that fruit juices
will help them shed those extra kilos, when, in fact, it is the other way round
since most of them lack fibre but are loaded with added sugar, thus increasing
your calorie intake. It is not healthy to depend heavily on fruit juices if you
are looking to reduce weight. They should nevertheless be taken in moderation.
FRUIT JUICES LEAD TO BAD TEETH
Juices contain acids that can erode the enamel
and roots, making the teeth sensitive. This is more dangerous for children who
get sensi tive teeth at an early age if they are on a reg ular diet of fruit
juices.
The best choice for a drink is water, which is
not only good for health, but also aids in weight loss. Lemonades, coconut
water, buttermilk, sweet or salty lassis, milk, and sherbets like khus, kokum,
etc., are a good choice.
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Seema Mattoo
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BT4AUG15
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