Supplementing with vitamins and antioxidants is essential for health, especially in preventing chronic diseases such as cardiovascular issues and cancer. Therefore, incorporating more fruits and vegetables into the daily diet has become a key to health and longevity. However, there is an ongoing debate about whether it is better to eat fruits and vegetables or to drink fruit and vegetable juices?
Advantages of Eating Fruits and Vegetables
When you eat an orange, your body receives orange juice along with nutrients like vitamin C, glucose, and fiber. The sugars from the orange are absorbed slowly, helping to regulate insulin release and maintain stable blood glucose levels, which makes you feel more refreshed. The fiber from whole fruits (which is absent in fruit juices) helps regulate carbohydrates and promotes healthy digestion.
The Role of Fiber in Health:
Preventing Constipation: Fiber that is not broken down by digestive enzymes absorbs water, softening stools and stimulating the intestinal walls, which increases bowel motility and facilitates easier elimination, thus acting as a mechanical method to prevent constipation.
Reducing Gallstones: Fiber helps eliminate bile acids through the intestines, preventing gallstone formation while retaining bile salts that force the body to use cholesterol from the blood to produce bile, thereby reducing blood cholesterol levels and lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Combating Obesity: By retaining nutrients during digestion and releasing them slowly, fiber helps prevent the rapid absorption of nutrients that could lead to excess being stored as fat in adipose tissues, thus reducing the risk of obesity.
Advantages of Drinking Fruit and Vegetable Juices
Drinking fruit and vegetable juices allows for quicker absorption, meeting nutritional needs efficiently. Freshly squeezed juices from selected fruits are always better than canned or carbonated juices. Most bottled and canned fruit juices contain very little actual fruit essence and are primarily made up of water, sweeteners, flavorings, colorings, and preservatives. Therefore, it is advisable to make fresh juices at home.
In summary, eating fresh fruits is beneficial for long-term health, helping to prevent what are commonly referred to as “rich people’s diseases,” such as obesity, high cholesterol, atherosclerosis, and colorectal cancer. When there is a need for quick nutrient supply for the body, fruit and vegetable juices serve as a necessary supplement.
