Juicing involves the process of extracting the majority of soluble fiber out of vegetables and fruit. Fiber plays a very important role in the body and consists of indigestible components of veggies, fruits, seeds, nuts, and whole grains. When you eat a regular whole food diet it’s recommended that you eat a minimum of twenty-five grams of fiber a day. For many people, juicing can be a great solution to an improper diet, especially for those who struggle to make the right food choices and incorporate the recommended daily amount of vitamins and minerals. But does juicing help removing fiber? If so, how much fiber and which type of fiber, soluble or insoluble?
Does juicing help removing fiber? Juicing removes up to ninety percent of fiber from fruits and veggies. This helps the body to absorb vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients in juice more efficiently, however, it can lead to bowel irregularity if you fail to supplement this loss of fiber. You can obtain the recommended twenty-five grams of fiber in supplement form or from other food sources such as legumes or whole grains. The proper balance of vitamins, minerals, and fiber can boost immune function, and promote bowel regularity and a healthy balance of good bacteria in the digestive tract.
Now that you know a large percentage of fiber is removed from juice during the juicing process, learn about fiber’s important role in your daily diet and what you can do to supplement the recommended daily amount of fiber.
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Fiber Role in Your Healthy Diet
When you juice, the machine ends up removing essential dietary fiber. This means you will still need to consume whole foods or take a fiber supplement in order to meet daily recommendations. Fiber is an important nutrient that has been proven to help prevent certain health complications and diseases. Fiber aids the body in nutrient absorption. As we briefly touched on earlier, fiber is a type of indigestible component of veggies and fruits, seeds, nuts, legumes, and whole grains. The amount of fiber derived from juiced fruits and veggies is often a concern most beginners have. But this can depend on how the juice is extracted. In reality, not all fiber will be removed from the juice.
Now, let’s learn more about the different types of fiber and what happens to the fiber content when you juice.
Soluble and Insoluble Fiber
Soluble and insoluble fiber are the two types of fiber you can get from fruits and veggies. Any veggie or fruit will contain fiber. Both soluble and insoluble fiber share the same functions of softening the stool and increasing its bulk.
Insoluble fiber will not dissolve in water and absorbs it instead. This type of fiber is also responsible for regulating bowel movements and helps to speed up the passage of food in the digestive tract. However, while this fiber is very beneficial you don’t want to overdo it. Too much insoluble fiber will cause loose stools. It can also negatively impact how well your body absorbs certain nutrients. This is due to the increase of bowel movements, which will flush the important nutrients out of the body before they can be absorbed. This kind of fiber is responsible for maintaining gut flora balance, which prevents toxic substances from building up in the colon.
Soluble fiber isn’t much different from insoluble fiber, however, unlike insoluble fiber, soluble fiber can be partially dissolved in water. It can also help to regulate bowel movements. Once this type of fiber is dissolved it will form a type of gel-like substance which is not digestible. The gel substance turns into a type of shield that absorbs cholesterol, then eliminates it. This effectively helps to lower bad cholesterol levels.
Juicing and Fiber
When insoluble fiber is removed from fruits and veggies, it allows the body to absorb the vitamins, minerals, and other important nutrients in the produce at a much faster rate and with minimal energy. Basically, insoluble fiber slows down the absorption of these important nutrients, so removing this type of fiber from the juice allows the body to fast-track nutrient absorption. The ability to absorb nutrients at a much faster rate can be very beneficial for everyone, especially people who are suffering from an illness or compromised immune system.
But exactly how much fiber are you losing when you juice?
Supplementing the Loss of Fiber
If you just purchased the Breville BJS600XL Fountain Crush, one of the top-selling juicers on the market, and you’ve been eager to start juicing and make healthier lifestyle choices, you will also need to learn how to incorporate insoluble fiber into your diet. While you’re juicing and packing in more vitamins and minerals than you ever have before, you’re actually missing out on as much as ninety percent of fiber in your diet. When you juice you may be getting three thousand percent of your daily vitamin C intake but only ten percent of your daily fiber requirement. However, this will also be dependent on the type of fruits and veggies you juice. As an example, if you juice an orange, which contains around three grams of fiber, the amount of juice produced from the orange will only contain .2 grams of fiber. Keep in mind that you need a minimum of twenty-five grams of fiber a day to promote bowel regularity. While there’s no doubt that juicing is healthy, you will also need to incorporate your daily recommended fiber intake to keep your bowels moving. By both eating whole fruits and veggies and juicing you can enjoy a major increase in nutrient absorption and your daily intake of fiber. If you find it difficult to meet your daily fiber goal, you can take a fiber supplement such as Metamucil, or get your fiber from another source such as nuts, grains, or legumes.
Juice Fasting and Fiber
A juicing fast can last twenty-four hours or ten days. Many of these juicing fasts can be dangerous if done incorrectly, which is why it’s important that you consult your physician prior to trying the latest juicing trend.
When you’re on a strict juicing fast you may get less than five grams of fiber a day, depending on the juicing recipe. During a fast, a large amount of toxins, waste, and dead cells are flushed out of the body. These toxins are eliminated via sweat, skin, bowels, and the kidneys. If your body is unable to remove these toxins from the body properly, it can remain in your colon, only to get re-absorbed into the system. Because of this, it’s crucial that you increase your water intake during a juicing fast. Most juicing fasts will allow you to take a fiber supplement during this time to help promote bowel regularity in order to encourage efficient removal of these toxins.
Related Questions on Juices
What’s a Simple Nutrient Dense Juice I Can Try?
If you’re new to juicing, then creating your own juice by experimenting with different combinations of fruit and veggies can be exciting. However, creating a nutrient balanced juice that tastes great is trickier than you’d think. If you’re looking for great tasting juice that’s packed with nutrients, click here to read our guide on juicing recipes for beginners where you’ll find easy to follow recipes that are loaded with flavor and essential nutrients.
Which Type of Juicer is More Beginner-Friendly?
Hands down, a centrifugal juicer is much easier to use. However, it’s not without its downsides. The centrifugal juicer can produce great tasting juice within a few minutes. However, it juices with the aid of sharp blades which tear apart the fruits and veggies. This will not only create a lot of foam, but it can end up destroying important enzymes due to the heat that’s generated by the friction of the blades. While much slower compared to centrifugal juicers, masticating juicers will produce juice with minimal foam and a high enzyme content. Additionally, masticating juicers will also produce a higher juice yield. These machines can be more complex to learn how to use compared to other types of juicers but the results are often worth it. To learn more, click here to read our juicer buyer’s guide.
Final Thoughts
Juicing can be a great way to ensure you get your daily recommended servings of important vitamins and minerals that can have a major impact on your health, energy level, and even your weight. But juicing is not without its drawbacks.
So, does juicing help remove fiber? It does. Juicing will remove insoluble fiber, which is responsible for promoting bowel regularity. While the removal of this fiber helps the body to absorb the vitamins and minerals in juice at a much faster rate, the body still needs twenty-five grams of fiber daily. Because of this, taking a fiber supplement or incorporating fiber into your diet through different sources can help to keep the balance in the body and prevent constipation while promoting weight loss and healthy pH levels in the digestive tract.