The Diabetics Juicing Debate

Juicing is one of the fastest growing diet trends, and it’s hard to go anywhere without seeing some kind of juice bar nowadays. The benefits of juicing are many, ranging from weight loss to better digestion to decreased risk of chronic disease. However, there are still many misconceptions about the health effects of juicing, especially among people with diabetes who need to be cautious about how much sugar they consume. Can you drink all the juice you want if you have diabetes? Or should you avoid juices altogether?

Is Juice Nutritious?

A lot of people with diabetes are very interested in adding fresh juices to their diet, but they often assume that juices are better than eating fruits and vegetables. There is a lot of truth to that assumption – if you’re not juicing properly. The problem with juicing is that it breaks down some of what makes whole foods so nutritious: fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. So yes, while you will get some benefits from juicing (like vitamin C), it’s nowhere near as good as eating whole fruits and vegetables. And if you don’t eat whole fruit because your blood sugar levels are high, juicing is probably not for you either.

Is Juice Helpful For People With Diabetes?

Although you might be tempted to run out and buy a juicer, there’s no evidence that consuming large amounts of juice has any health benefits for people with diabetes. Consuming fruits and vegetables is fine; it’s just that squeezing them removes many of their vitamins, minerals, and fiber—the nutrients in fruit and vegetables that can help to reduce blood sugar levels. If you have diabetes, sticking with whole fruits and vegetables is always your best bet. Juice lovers can always find other ways to add more fruits into their diet; try adding fresh blueberries into oatmeal or strawberries into yogurt or cream cheese on toast. What Does This Mean For You?: The bottom line is that while both drinking juice and eating whole fruits are good things to do (in moderation) if you want to stay healthy, neither one will miraculously reverse your diabetes or its complications.

Is It Worth A Try?

The jury is still out on whether or not juicing can have health benefits. Still, if you’re like most Americans who are always looking for a magic bullet to lose weight, boost energy and get healthy, it might be worth adding juices to your diet. Experiment with different types of juice combinations until you find one that feels good for you, and don’t forget to check in with your doctor before trying any new supplements. However, when it comes to those claims about lowering insulin levels and blood sugar? You should probably take them with a grain of salt. Researchers haven’t done much testing with these claims yet—so we really don’t know how well (or if) they work. But remember: Foods with lower glycemic index ratings digest slower than foods with higher glycemic index ratings, so all things being equal (and assuming there aren’t other factors at play), most doctors would prefer their patients consume low-glycemic foods. What does all of that mean?