A fruit is the edible fleshy seed-bearing part of the plant. Fruits are considered under the “protective foods” category in terms of functional classification. Fruits are liked by all due to their attractive appearance, appealing flavors and pleasing odour also they are rich source of nutrients like vitamins, minerals, trace elements, energy and phytochemicals including flavonoids, polyphenols and antioxidants which possess various health benefits. In the recent few year’s juices have become popular beverage amongst consumers, as they consider it as healthy option, which is also natural and appeals to the busy individual wanting an easy way.
Fruit juices are excellent health-promoting beverage as they are rich in antioxidant substances, such as phenolic compounds and vitamin C. Consumption of fruit juice is associated with several health benefits, including increased antioxidant capacity, improved endothelial function, reduced low-density lipoprotein oxidation, and improved cardiovascular and neurocognitive function. Fruit juices also prevent the formation of kidney and gall stones, due to their potassium salt richness. Arils, is the edible part of a fruit being pulpy and fleshy which can be consumed fresh or as a processed product, such as juice. The outer rind of the fruit is usually not consumable but recent studies suggest that use of the fruit peel can increase the amount of total polyphenols and flavonoids in the juice products. Thus, the removal of peels may result in a significant loss of constituents beneficial to human health.
What Happens When You Drink Juice Every Day
In recent studies it is found that consuming juice in moderation can improve cardiometabolic health and help prevent chronic disease. However, you may be surprised that drinking juice daily can lead to adverse health outcomes. Consuming juice every day may spike blood sugar levels, increase total calories consumed in the day, contribute to weight gain and increase risk of cavities.
The health effects of daily juice drinking will vary depending on the ingredients and the type of juice. As always, be a conscious consumer and check labels and ingredient lists before buying to avoid added sugars and excess calories. “When choosing a pre-packaged juice, choose the one with the least amount of ingredients for freshness. Some juices will have harmful preservatives, dyes and flavorings.
How obesity is associated with fruit intake
The health-promoting activity of fruits has been the subject of multiple studies. It is thought to be due to multiple mechanisms, some of which are:
Satisfaction/ Satiety
When we consume whole fruits it increases satiety and there is slow release of sugar into the blood stream, leading to less frequency and volume of food intake. Satiety is a biochemically mediated process which involves the secretion and binding of various peptides that act as signals, released from the gut and other organs in response to food intake. This in turn regulates hunger and appetite.
Fiber content
Whole fruits contains both soluble and insoluble fiber so when we consume then it reduces the overall energy intake. Fiber produces satiety feelings and prevents further hunger-associated cravings. It reacts with water in the small intestine to form a thick gel, which in turn inhibits gastric emptying and digestive enzyme secretion.
The slowing of the process of food digestion means that the products of digestion from micro nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats and proteins are made available to the body at a much slower rate. The receptors for the digestion products are thus kept in contact with their substrates such as fatty acids, amino acids and sugars for a much longer period, which leads to prolonged reduction of hunger feelings.
The volume of undigested food also increased by gel formation, which in turn reduces nutrient extraction and overall energy gain.
Antioxidant effects
Almost all fruits have antioxidants in them. It has also been shown to increase the availability of phytochemicals, which have powerful antioxidant activity and may inhibit fat production.
Weight management
The anti-obesity actions of fruit intake have been confirmed in various types of interventional trials, and have been shown to occur with fruit and pure fruit juice. Since such trials were conducted on obese or overweight individuals and lasted for short periods of time, such as a few months, the positive effects on body mass index (BMI), body weight and waist circumference increased significance in the light of the relatively modest interventions and the short-term nature of such dietary alterations.
However, this has been disrupte by some studies, which have found a correlation between obesity risk and increased fruit intake. Simple sugars in several types of fruit juice are abundant and they increase the total energy intake when such juice is regularly consumed over a long duration. The choice of such fruits in excess is thus sometimes connected to weight gain.
Fruit chewing is a good exercise
Everyone should chew their food before swallowing it. Chewing foods slowly and properly helps to promote teeth and oral health. Along with that, it helps with digestion, thanks to the absorption of nutrients. It also prevents overeating, which leads to weight gain. So, chew your food at least 24 times to gain all the benefits.
Fruit juice versus whole fruit
In one study, increased fruit juice consumption in early life led to a higher risk of obesity and shorter adult height. This was again confirmed in another study, where fruit was added to a full-calorie diet instead of substituting for other sources of sugar, and therefore led to weight gain.
Other studies have clarified that increased fat mass is related to regular fruit juice consumption only, whether homemade or commercially produced, and the juice only increased the gain in children who are already overweight or obese.
Lack of fiber
This is due to the lack of dietary fiber in pure fruit juice, even though most other beneficial phytochemicals are present in more or less the same proportions as whole fruit. Commercially produced fruit juice lacks fiber and thus does not produce a prolonged feeling of satiety for long, rather increasing the feeling of hunger and increasing the total food intake.
Added sugar
Fruit juice also is often likely to contain added sugar for preservation and taste enhancement, which again contributes to the risk of obesity.
Rapid absorption
Fluids are able to pass into the intestine much faster than the corresponding solids, and thus are absorbed more rapidly. Thus, fruit juice causes the blood glucose and the insulin levels to spike faster and higher than the whole fruit does. This explains how fruit juice increases the risk for type 2 diabetes and obesity with associated disease risk, in contrast to the lowered risk with whole fruit.
Fruits are enjoyed by all groups and at all times either as an appetizer, a snack or as a desert. It is clear that both whole fruit and their juices are important sources of minerals and vitamins. Although it is a known fact that eating whole raw food is more nutritive because of its high fiber content and less total sugars as compared to their juices but when the fruits are to be used as curative tools. Eating these amazing super foods as part of a healthy diet helps to reduce inflammation and prevent heart disease, cancer and other damaging health conditions.
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