Fruit and vegetable juices are often considered a healthy choice because they provide vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. However, this is not a sustainable weight loss method due to lack of fiber and protein and can affect the body's metabolism.
In essence, juice is made by separating the juice from vegetables and fruits and removing the pulp. Meanwhile, the pulp, bark, seeds, or pulp contain mostly fiber. This is an important difference that makes juice unable to completely replace a meal.
Many people choose to drink juice with meals, instead of 1-2 meals a day, even only drinking juice for a few days to lose weight quickly. This method can help reduce weight in a short time due to lower calorie intake. However, the initial weight loss is mainly water and stored glycogen, not sustainable excess fat. When returning to a normal diet, weight is very likely to increase again.
Another major limitation is that juice does not create a feeling of fullness for long. Fiber and protein are two components that help slow down digestion and maintain a feeling of fullness, but juice is almost lacking in both. Liquid foods also often make the body less full than plain foods. Therefore, a glass of juice from a few apples can be drunk very quickly, while eating directly those apples will make you feel full longer.
Reducing calories excessively with juice for a long time can also cause the body to fall into a state of "energy saving". Due to protein deficiency, the body may have to break down muscles to create energy, reducing muscle mass and slowing down metabolism. This makes it more difficult to lose fat later.
In addition, abusing juice also risks causing a lack of healthy fats, oil-soluble vitamins and many essential minerals, affecting immunity, cardiovascular health, bones and daily energy levels.
If you like juice, you can still use it reasonably to supplement micronutrients. You should prioritize green vegetables, limit sugary fruits, or choose smoothies to retain fiber, and combine with a meal of enough protein instead of just drinking juice for a long time.
