Is it OK to juice twice a day?
Juicing has become an increasingly popular way for people to get more fruits and vegetables into their diets. Some juicing enthusiasts even do multiple juicing sessions per day in hopes of flooding their bodies with nutrients and cleansing their systems. But is juicing twice a day too much of a good thing? Here’s a comprehensive look at the potential benefits and drawbacks of double juicing so you can decide if it’s right for you.
Potential Benefits of Juicing Twice a Day
There are several reasons why someone might consider juicing twice a day:
Increased Nutrient Intake
Juicing makes it easier to consume larger quantities of fruits and veggies. While juicing removes the beneficial fiber found in whole produce, the process allows you to take in a concentrated dose of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Doubling up on juicing could significantly boost your nutrient intake, especially for people who struggle to eat produce.
Weight Loss
Some people use juicing as a way to reduce their overall calorie intake while still providing their bodies with essential vitamins and minerals. This may promote weight loss, especially if done alongside a healthy diet and exercise routine. Juicing twice a day may allow you to maximize this benefit.
Detoxification
Many juice cleanses or detox diets involve drinking fresh juices multiple times per day. The large influx of produce is thought to help rid the body of toxins and promote the health of vital organs like the liver and kidneys. Doing a temporary double-juicing detox could provide an intense nutritional boost and internal cleansing effect.
Disease Prevention
The phytonutrients found in produce have been shown to help prevent chronic illnesses like heart disease and cancer. Juicing generates concentrated amounts of these protective compounds. Some integrative medicine doctors even prescribe double juicing to patients as part of cancer care or to address other health conditions.
Convenience
Juicing enables you to quickly ingest the nutrients from a variety of fruits and veggies. This saves you time prepping, cooking, and cleaning up after produce. Adding a second juicing session makes it even more convenient to work toward better health.
Potential Drawbacks of Juicing Twice a Day
Despite some possible upsides, there are also several potential downsides of juicing twice a day that need to be considered:
Blood Sugar Spikes
The natural sugars found in fruit juices can cause rapid spikes in blood sugar when consumed in excess. This is especially problematic for people with diabetes or prediabetes. Juicing twice a day may cause blood sugar highs and lows that leave you feeling tired, shaky, and moody.
Not Enough Fiber
Juicing strips away the beneficial fiber naturally found in fruits and vegetables. This fiber helps regulate blood sugar levels, improves cholesterol, and promotes healthy digestion and elimination. Getting adequate fiber is important for overall health. Juicing too frequently could lead to a deficiency.
Nutrient Deficiencies
While juicing provides an abundance of some nutrients, others are removed or destroyed in the juicing process. For example, juicing decreases protein, healthy fats, calcium, zinc, and vitamin B12. Relying too heavily on juices alone could lead to deficiencies in these nutrients over time.
Unbalanced Diet
If juices make up a major part of your daily calories, your diet could become overly restricted and unbalanced. Going overboard on juicing limits your intake of lean proteins, nuts, seeds, whole grains, beans, eggs, and other important foods. A balanced, moderate diet is best for overall health.
Tooth Erosion
Frequent exposure to acidic fruit juices could erode tooth enamel over time. This damage increases your risk of cavities, sensitivity, and other oral health issues. Doubled up juicing increases this risk of tooth erosion.
Digestive Problems
Some people experience digestive discomfort when they consume too much fruit juice. Issues like diarrhea, gas, cramping, and bloating could occur. These symptoms may be aggravated by doing multiple juicing sessions daily.
Unsustainable Habit
Juicing requires a significant investment of time, effort, and money. While doing a short-term juicing cleanse can be beneficial at times, maintaining the habit of drinking fresh juices twice every day may be unrealistic and hard to keep up with for most people.
Tips for Juicing Twice a Day
If you want to give double juicing a try, here are some tips that can make the habit healthier and more sustainable:
- Use a mix of veggies and fruits. Go easy on high-sugar fruits and emphasize low-glycemic options like berries and green apples.
- Add protein powder or nut butter to your juices to balance out nutrients.
- Include healthy fats from avocados, coconut, nuts or seeds to prevent deficiencies.
- Drink one juice in the morning and one in the afternoon for energy and nutrition spacing.
- Dilute concentrated juices with ice, water, seltzer or unsweetened nut milk.
- Rinse mouth with water after juicing and brush well twice a day.
- Listen to your body and scale back if you experience side effects like digestive issues.
- Aim to also eat a balanced, whole foods diet in addition to juicing.
- Take breaks from juicing to give your body a rest.
Sample Juicing Schedule
If you want to give double juicing a try, here is an example two-juice-a-day schedule:
Morning Juice
- 1 cucumber
- 5 celery stalks
- 1 cup kale
- 1 green apple
- 1⁄2 lemon
- 1⁄2 inch ginger
- 1 tbsp flax seeds
Afternoon Juice
- 1 beet
- 4 carrots
- 1 cup pineapple
- 1⁄2 cup blueberries
- 1⁄2 avocado
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp collagen peptides
This sample schedule provides a nutritious combo of greens, veggies, fruits, healthy fats, and protein. Feel free to substitute different produce depending on your preferences and what’s in season.
The Verdict on Juicing Twice a Day
Here is a summary of the key points on whether or not juicing twice a day is advisable:
| Potential Benefits | Potential Drawbacks |
|---|---|
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Overall, juicing twice a day is likely fine and even beneficial for most healthy people in the short-term. Periodically doing a 2-3 day juice cleanse can give your body a major nutritional boost. But doubling up on juicing day in and day out for weeks or months on end may lead to some unintended consequences for your health and could be hard to maintain.
The best approach is likely to juice in moderation as part of a balanced diet. Pay attention to how your body responds. Be sure to eat plenty of whole fruits, veggies, proteins, fats, and fiber too. And rinse your mouth after juicing to protect your teeth. If you experience any concerning side effects, decrease your juicing frequency or take a break.
While juicing has some excellent health benefits, it cannot completely replace eating a diet of whole foods. But incorporating one or two juices into your daily routine can be a nutritious and convenient habit when done properly.
Conclusion
Juicing twice a day offers some positives like flooding your body with nutrients, promoting weight loss, and delivering convenience. But potential downsides like blood sugar spikes, nutrient imbalances, tooth decay, and unsustainability also need consideration.
The healthiest approach is likely to include juicing as part of a balanced diet, not a full replacement for meals. Pay attention to your body’s signals and adjust your juicing frequency and ingredients as needed. Overall, juicing one or two times per day can be included as part of an overall healthy lifestyle for most people.