More and more people are drinking juice in the hope of supporting their health. At the same time, there are occasional critics saying that drinking juice is not really healthy at all. At Sap.je we regularly get asked the question: How healthy is drinking juice, really? Since making as healthy a juice as possible is our most important mission, we have given this a lot of thought. Giving a simple answer to this question, however, remains difficult. All we can say is: It depends on a lot of factors! In this blog, you will discover what it takes to make juice drinking really healthy. This will help you make the right choice, whether you want to make it yourself or buy juice.
Is drinking fruit juice healthy?
Not so long ago, fruit juices from concentrate were referred to as a ‘responsible choice’. Because many people with busy lives found it difficult to eat several different pieces of fruit in one day, they regularly drank this kind of juice. Later, it became clear that such fruit juices cannot replace eating fruit. In fact, it is actually not very healthy! Firstly, juice from concentrate only contains a small proportion of the original vitamins and minerals.
Fruit sugars
Secondly, this juice contains very little fibre and a lot of fruit sugars. Your blood sugar level will become quite unbalanced, particularly if you drink it quickly. If you drink it often, it can lead to obesity or diabetes. Freshly squeezed fruit juice from your own kitchen often contains more nutrients and sometimes a little more fibre. However, this does not eliminate the disadvantage of fruit sugars. Moreover, sour fruit juices are often bad for your tooth enamel. Therefore, we say: Drink fruit juice in moderation and go for vegetable-based juice.
Is it healthy to drink vegetable juice
Vegetable juice usually contains much less sugar than fruit juice. How many of the original vitamins and minerals actually end up in your glass depends on several factors. For example, the quality of your ingredients is important for nutritional value. It is best to work with fresh, organic vegetables. This way, you know for sure that they contain a lot of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and less harmful pesticides. The juicing method is also important. That is why we at Sap.je have done a lot of research into the best way to squeeze vegetables into juice. For us, the best way is the one that provides the highest nutritional value and the best taste.
Slowjuice
Making vegetable juice with the slowjuicer was the undisputed winner in both areas. Compared to cold pressing or using a centrifugal juicer, juicing with the slowjuicer resulted in a better smell, colour and taste. But the most important thing was that this juicing method preserved most of the vitamins, minerals, trace elements, antioxidants and enzymes. Read this blog to learn more about the benefits of vegetable juice.
At leat 85 per cent vegetables
In order to add extra nutrients to the vegetable juice and further improve its taste, we add a little bit of fruit, and some herbs and spices. Would you like to make your own vegetable juice with a little fruit? Then, make sure your juice consists of at least 85% vegetable juice. We do the same with our juices
Is drinking slowjuice healthier than drinking a smoothie
First of all, let’s say that drinking vegetable juice and drinking a smoothie are both healthy. They are just healthy in different ways. In a smoothie, the ingredients are chopped to a pulp. Often, this is a rather thick mass because the fibre from the fruits and vegetables used are still in it. In itself, there is nothing much wrong with that, but to make it drinkable, you have to add liquid. For a smoothie of 250 ml, you often have to use 150 ml of water or another liquid. In addition, the large amount of fibre ensures that a smoothie will quickly make you feel full. You can’t drink a lot of it easily, which means that you get relatively fewer vegetables. Moreover, some people have problems with their digestion because of the large amount of fibre.
More vegetables in your glass with slowjuicing
If you Slowjuice your vegetables, you will get a completely different result. A machine that more or less imitates your chewing movements slowly presses the vegetables. The resulting juice contains about 10 to 20 per cent of the original fibre. This is not bad (unless you have used a lot of fruit) because fibre can also be ingested in other ways. Slowjuice is rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other valuable nutrients. Moreover, with Slowjuice you can fit more vegetables into a 250 ml glass because you don’t have to add liquid. The result is a highly-concentrated power drink.
Is drinking vegetable juice healthier than eating vegetables?
We are also asked this question on a regular basis. In principle, you could say that drinking vegetable juice should not replace eating vegetables. Both have advantages. It is best to drink vegetable juice as a supplement to your regular vegetable diet. However, if we look at the figures, many people find it difficult to eat enough vegetables. According to the Nutrition Centre, around 95% of Dutch people consume less than the recommended 200 grammes of vegetables every day. What’s more, most of us eat vegetables in a heated form, which can result in the loss of a lot of nutrients. Read all about the benefits of vegetable juice here.
Easy consume lots of vegetables
Drinking organic vegetable juice is a way to easily consume lots of vegetables. Our 240 ml juices contain an average of 400 grammes of raw vegetables. Drinking such juice is easier to do than eating 400 grammes of raw vegetables. As you have read, the Slowjuice method preserves many of the original nutrients. In pressed form, our body can absorb them better than if we eat the whole vegetable, in many cases, this is precisely because the nutrients are already largely separated from the fibre. As a result, the vitamins, minerals and other beneficial substances enter your bloodstream faster, without costing your digestive system as much time or energy.
Has the health aspect of drinking juice been tested?
Now that juices have become so popular, they are advertised by many providers who make all kinds of health claims. Whether these are justified depends on the quality of the juice in question. In this respect, it is best for us to speak for ourselves: We do everything we can to ensure that our juices really support your health. Here, you can read more about it.
Tested by experts
We work with well-known health experts, such as Juglen Zwaan, Dr Richard de Leth and David Wolfe, to achieve the best results. In addition, our juices have been comprehensively tested and assessed on all nutritional claims we make by the NVWA (Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority). To be able to call our juices Energy, Detox, Recover, Boost and the like, the associated health benefits had to be scientifically substantiated. Thus, these juices must actually contain nutrients that give you energy, help you detoxify, facilitate recovery, and so on.
How can juices support your health?
Do you want to become healthier with vegetable juice? You can do this in different ways. A fresh, organic juice each day helps to supplement vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Some juices are also formulated in such a way that they have a specific health benefit.
Better performance
Our Recover juice, was originally formulated for the Ajax 1st team. In collaboration with their doctor, dietician, coach and various other experts, we created a juice that optimally contributes to muscle recovery after a tough workout. Our Sunny juice has been developed especially for the Lotto Jumbo cycling team and is a good way to support your immune system. These are just a few examples. Take a look at our whole range of juices and discover how they can contribute to your energy levels, mental clarity or an optimally functioning digestive system.
Juice cleanse
With a juice cleanse you can work on your health by drinking a sophisticated mix of juices for one or more days. This helps detoxify your body and can also help you lose weight. You can choose between a juice cleanse of 3, 5 or 7 days. How will drinking juices support your health?
