42 Interesting Facts about Raw-Food Juicing

By Karin Lehnardt, Senior Writer

Published December 29, 2016

Eating 6 large carrots is equivalent to drinking 8 ounces of carrot juice._[2]
Because carrot greens, rhubarb greens, or the peels of oranges and grapefruit contain toxic substances, these greens and skins should not be juiced. However, the pithy white part of citrus just underneath the skin is very nutritious. To benefit from this pith, grate the peel off oranges and grapefruits instead of peeling._[1]
Good quality juicers can run anywhere from $100-$500. The most expensive juicer is the original Norwalk hydraulic press juicer for $2,495._[3]
Depending on cooking temperature and time, vitamins, antioxidants, and phytonutrients are lost in varying degrees while cooking. Other negative affects of cooking food include the following: 1) proteins become denatured, which renders them useless to the body, 2) water in food evaporates, which leads to the loss of valuable minerals and water-soluble vitamins like vitamins C and B-complex, 3) food reduces in volume but maintains its calorie count, so you end up eating more calories by volume of food than your body needs, 4) food softens, making it easier to eat quickly and overeat, and 5) high heat creates toxins, especially when cooking starches and fats._[7]
When choosing raw fruits and veggies to juice, terms such as “pasteurized” and “hydrogenated” indicate that the food has been heated above the 118° threshold, which make them cooked—not raw—foods._[6]

Watermelon juice can boost a person's sex drive

While oysters and chocolate are well-known aphrodisiacs, juiced celery and watermelon can also boost sex drive. For example, celery increases male pheromones and watermelon helps relax blood vessels that increase the libido. Avocados contain a vitamin B, which is said to boost male hormone production._[4]
Raw foodists argue that humans are the only mammals that continue to drink milk (and another mammal’s milk—the cow’s—also something no other mammal does) after being weaned because of the belief that milk is important for calcium. However, plants provide all the calcium the body needs without the health risks of milk. Some of the best sources of calcium are collard greens, kale, spinach, okra, broccoli, and almonds._[1]
While juice can provide the same calcium as milk, milk may be more satisfying than raw juice because milk has more protein. Some juices also have more calories than milk._[8]
Green juice is rich in chlorophyll, which helps the body detoxify and circulate oxygen. It also balances the body’s pH by reducing acidity. Low-grade acidosis can zap energy and contribute to many health problems, such as kidney stones._[4]
While eating a plant-based diet is linked to lower risk of heart disease and cancer, there is not significant research linking the health benefits to juicing specifically._[6]

Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food.

- Hippocrates

The skins of fruits such as kiwi and papaya should be removed prior to juicing, but the skins (peels) of lemons and limes may be left on._[1]
While all pits, such as plum pits and peach pits, should be removed before juicing, the seeds of citrus fruits, grapes, papaya, and melons may be put through the juicer._[1]
Form leafy veggies into a compact ball or roll before inserting them into the juicer’s feed chute to keep individual leaves from getting stuck between the juicer’s feed chute and the plunger that is used to push the food down._[1]
Juicing avocados and bananas produces a puree rather than a juice, so it is often more effective to blend them instead._[1]
For best juicing results, use fresh crisp, precooled vegetables. If you need to freeze fresh produce, use frozen produce within 2 to 3 months for best juice flavor._[6]

For best results, drink your juice on an empty stomach, and make sure it’s as fresh as possible.

The softer the texture of a fruit or vegetable, the thicker the juice produced. Apricots, peaches, pears, melons, and strawberries are soft-textured fruits, so their juice is very thick. Many raw foodists combine these juices with thinner juices, such as carrot or apple._[1]
Beet greens, parsley, spinach, and watercress yield very rich and thick juices. They are very strong flavored and taste best when combined with other fruits and vegetables. For example, green vegetable juice mixed with carrot juice procures a sweeter vegetable flavor._[1]
To make juice clear, filter juice through layers of cheesecloth or a nut milk bag. This will also remove any foam that forms during juicing. You may also strain the juice through a fine mesh strainer to reduce pulp and foam._[1]
Because enzyme degradation occurs almost immediately after juicing, most experts do not recommend storing homemade juice longer than 24 hours._[5]

Celery leaves contain a high amount of vitamin A and C, potassium, sodium and sulfur

The leaves of celery are often bitter, so it is recommended to include them with other vegetables such as carrots or cucumbers, or a sweet fruit such as a green apple._[1]
Because homemade raw juice is not pasteurized, it is important to wash fruit and veggies thoroughly (even organic ones) and to drink raw juice immediately after it is made to minimize the risk of food-borne illness, such as E. coli and hepatitis. Additionally, the antioxidants and other phytonutrients start to break down almost immediately once they are exposed to light and air._[1]
Because juicing removes fiber from fruit and veggies, the body absorbs fructose sugar from fruit juice more easily, which can upset blood sugar levels. Because of this, many health professional encourage people to drink more veggie juices and to limit fruit juice to a glass a day._[8]
In a Department of Agriculture study, researchers analyzed 12 fruits and found that 90% of the antioxidant activity was in the juice rather than the fiber._[7]
A juicer is not a blender. A blender mixes/pulverizes instead of extracts. Specifically, blenders do not separate the juice from the fiber whereas juicers or juicing machines do._[1]
Raw food dieticians recommend drinking juiced raw vegetables immediately after they are prepared and on an empty stomach. They suggest waiting 10-15 minutes to eat after drinking 8-30 ounces. If you drink more than 30 ounces, they suggest waiting at least 45 minutes before eating. Drinking juice on an empty stomach helps the nutrients to be absorbed more quickly and efficiently._[1]
Because apple seeds contain cyanide, it is important to core apples and carefully remove seeds before juicing._[1]

Apple seeds contain cyanide, but you would need to juice many, many apples to experience any negative effects

Because juicing removes fiber from food—and fiber is an essential part of healthful diet and long-term health—dieticians don’t recommend replacing regular meals with juices except for short-term weight loss or cleansing programs._[5]
Raw food nutritionists recommend chewing raw juice. When drinking juice, chewing activates the digestive elements in the mouth, which helps assimilate the juice in the body._[1]
While raw food dieticians recommend giving up coffee, if a person must drink it, they suggest drinking it at least 30 minutes before or after drinking a fruit or vegetable juice. Coffee and caffeine are highly acidic, dehydrating, and taxing to the body._[1]
Juiced coconuts provide a rich source of electrolytes. In fact, doctors have used coconut juice to fight dehydration due to dysentery, cholera, and influenza._[4]

Interesting Facts about Raw Food Juicing

Juiced broccoli is rich in healthy nutrients

Juiced broccoli can help boost a person’s immune system. Broccoli is high in vitamin C, which increases the production of infection-fighting white blood cells. Adding garlic, which contains sulfur-based compounds, also has a powerful immune boosting quality._[4]
Juiced papaya is an excellent digestive aid. The fruit contains papain, an enzyme that helps digest proteins. Ginger, which helps relax the intestinal tract, and cabbage, which helps clean waste from the stomach and upper bowels, both provide additional digestive power._[4]
By eating a whole apple, you can get up to 15 times the amount of fiber of drinking juiced apples._[8]
Each ½ cup of fruit has about 60 calories, so 4-5 cups of juiced fruit has the equivalent of about 480-600 calories in each serving. In other words, portions still matter even when juicing. Juice can contain more calories than some sodas._[8]
To make juice more balanced with protein, raw foodists suggest adding almond milk, Greek yogurt, flaxseed, or peanut butter._[5]
Physicians recommend talking with a healthcare provider before incorporating juice into a diet to avoid potential food and drug interactions. For example, large amounts of foods high in vitamin K (e.g., spinach and kale) may interact with some anti-blood-clotting medicine._[5]

Juicing for 2 people and cleaning up takes about 10-15 minutes

There are two basic juicers available on the market: centrifugal juice extractors and cold press juicers (a.k.a. masticating juicers). Specialists suggest buying a centrifugal juicer if you a) want to use the juice mostly for cooking, baking, or other processes where the juice will eventually be exposed to heat, b) don’t mind if it is less efficient at extracting all the nutrients, and c) are trying to save cash. A cold press juicer is more helpful if you a) are interested in cleansing, making nut milks and green juices, and fresher juices, b) want to pack as many nutrients into your body as possible, and c) can afford a more expensive juicer._[1]
Most physicians do not recommend using juicing as an extreme weight loss measure. Research shows that adding protein is essential to preserving muscle mass during weight loss. Additionally, at the end of an extreme diet, the body’s metabolism may have temporarily slowed, which makes the body more prone to building fat cells._[5]
Juicing as a way to detox or cleanse the body hasn’t been scientifically proven. Researchers note that the body’s liver and kidneys detox the body whether a person is juicing or not._[5]
While fans of juicing claim that juicing is better than eating whole fruits and veggies because the body does not have to work to process fiber, most people do not receive the recommended amount of fiber per day anyway._[5]
Raw foodists suggest that the leftover pulp from juicing can be put back into the juice or used in cooking, such as muffins or broth._[2]
Most Americans (90%) do not eat the U.S. daily recommended amount of fresh fruits and veggies. Juicing can help a person meet the daily recommendation in one drink._[1]