Fruit Juice Or Whole Fruit, Which One Is A Healthier Option?

Running late for work, no time to prepare breakfast, I would rather take a fruit instead or simply gulp a glass of fruit juice. A situation which is faced by most of us when we are running late for work, school or college, we all tend to prefer taking a glass of fruit juice as breakfast because it is faster and more convenient than washing a fruit, pealing it off and cutting it and finally getting a bite. But we do not realize the benefits of a whole fruit this way, we rid the fruit with all its nutrition and fiber content. Irrespective of the juicing technique you use and the nutrition and fiber content of the fruit, you can only get complete nourishment when it is in its whole form. Well, if fruit juice is not fiber and nutrition, what is it? It is plainly sugar!

Moreover, if you consider drinking a glass of fresh juice of say 5 oranges or canned juice (which is equivalent to drinking a glass of soft drinks), it is not a fulfilling option and nowhere near the benefits of a whole fruit. You would still wish to eat something else. Whereas, eating five whole oranges will be quite fulfilling and you will not feel hungry for long. Besides, research shows that fruit juice contains higher sugar levels than whole fruit, making it a big "no no" for all those on a diet or a weight loss plan. It may seem tempting because of convenience and flavor but in terms of health, it is that one option you certainly need to avoid.

Some people believe that juicing is a good way to add all those veggies and fruits in your diet which you would usually avoid in the whole form. It is also said to make digestion of all nutrition and fiber content of the fruit for your body as it absorbs all the nourishment faster and provides rest to the digestive system from breaking down the fiber. Though there are no sound evidence that would prove that in some way or the other, fruit juice proves healthier than whole fruit.

Considering the benefits of a whole fruit, we first need to indentify its components; the skin and the pulp. Each of these possesses their own set of benefits which are the reasons as to why you shouldn't ignore either while consuming a fruit.

The Skin...

Fruit skins are the very first recipient of the sunlight which helps in the formation of pigments absorbing different wavelengths of light. To simplify, we can say that fruit skins possesses a higher percentage of a nutrition and fiber content of the fruit, which guard our health and keep up nourished and healthy. So, when you take these fruits in juice form, the skin is usually removed, hence ridding it of all those attributes.

Fruit Pulp...

Pulp is the main fiber source in a fruit. Though it is present in the skin as well, but majorly fruit fibers and vitamins are stored in the pulp. It is that part which offers the actual benefits of whole fruit. As the pulp is lost while juicing, whole fruit fiber cannot be enjoyed.

To sum it up, is fruit juice an unhealthy option?

Fruit juice being unhealthy or not depends on how it is being consumed. If you take some amount of fruits and juice put them into the juicer to extract fresh juice, it is only a glass with high sugar content and negligible fiber and nutrients with the flavor intact. Whereas, if you put it inside the juicer along with some vegetables, the juicer, being a 100% skin and pulp retaining machine, there are chances of retaining the fiber and nutrition in the drink.

Though this is an option to get all the nutrients and fiber in place, replacement of whole fruit with fruit juice is a choice you should make only at the cost of complete nourishment.