These days, tons of products at the supermarket claim to help you eat healthier. They offer natural foods in a faster, simpler package. That’s what cold-pressed juices and green smoothies are all about. The big question is whether they work.
What Are the Benefits of Cold-Pressed Juices?
The way cold-pressed juices are prepared provides several advantages compared to traditional juices.
More Vitamins and Nutrients
Traditional juices chop up fruit with spinning blades. This saves money but also destroys essential vitamins, including vitamin C. That’s why many juice manufacturers have to add vitamins to the juice instead of giving you the original nutrients.
Cold-pressed juices use heavy presses to squeeze fruit instead. The result is that the juice ends up with far more natural vitamins.
Fresher Ingredients
Cold-pressed juices give you fresher fruit and veggies. With some fresh-made blends, you’re drinking juice just a day or two after it’s pressed! You get a big difference in flavor this way, and you avoid the need for artificial preservatives.
Less Added Sugar
You may be surprised to learn that many bottled juices are packed with added sugar. Manufacturers often add sugar or artificial sweeteners to save money while giving their juices more flavor. All that sugar turns “healthy” juice into something only slightly better than soda.
On the other hand, cold-pressed juices keep things simple, letting the fruit and veggies do the work. Blends that say “no added sugar” mean you’re just getting the natural goodness of the fresh fruit. That’s better for your waistline and blood sugar.
How Healthy Are Cold-Pressed Juices and Smoothies?
These trendy drinks are healthy, but they don’t always live up to the hype.
The Pros
On the positive side, fresh smoothies and cold-pressed juices give you tons of antioxidants. These vitamins support overall health:
Lower risk of chronic diseases: Vitamin C can boost your immune system and support heart health. Other antioxidants help your brain, eyes and joints. Some even reduce inflammation.
More fruit and veggies in your diet: Swapping sugary drinks with cold-pressed juices is a positive change. Many Americans don’t get enough fresh fruit or veggies every day, so this option may help.
Faster fruit: When you’re in a hurry, you may not have time to enjoy fresh fruit for breakfast. Cold-pressed juices and smoothies are good alternatives that you can drink on the road.
The Cons
There’s no comparison between fresh fruit and cold-pressed juices. Fresh produce wins hands-down, every time. When you eat fresh greens and fruits, you’re getting a wide range of vitamins along with fiber.
Fiber helps fill you up, so you don’t feel as hungry during the day. Your blood sugar stays balanced and you avoid sudden drops in energy. That’s something that cold-pressed juices can’t help you with.
Another downside is the price. You may be able to buy several pounds of tasty fruit for the same cost as a single bottle of cold-pressed juice!
The Takeaway
Many cold-pressed juices and smoothies are healthier than conventional juices, without a doubt. With more vitamins and less added sugar, they’re better for you. That said, they can’t (and shouldn’t) replace fresh ingredients. Your body needs a diet with plenty of greens, reds, yellows and purples every day.
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