If you follow any health gurus on social media, you would have come across cold-pressed juice.
Usually in emerald shades of green (because it’s not trendy if it doesn’t contain kale), these juices are purported to have amazing health benefits. Clear skin, bright eyes, clean livers… you name it.
But is cold-pressed juice actually healthy? And what even is the difference between cold-pressed juice and the regular stuff?
Cold-pressed may be healthier than regular juice.
Most commercial juice (basically anything that doesn’t have a cold-pressed label) is heated during processing to eliminate any bacteria and give it a longer shelf life. But the problem with heat processing, cold-pressed juice fans say, is that it also kills the nutrients in the juice.
Cold-pressed juice, as you may have guessed, is unheated. Instead it’s placed under immense pressure to remove any pathogens or impurities, leaving the nutrients in tact.
At least, that’s the story touted to justify the expensive price tag! In actual fact, there is minimal research to prove that cold-pressed juice contains any more nutrients than regular juice, at least significantly.
BUT that doesn’t mean you should drink cold-pressed juice.
Whether you’re drinking the fanciest cold-pressed juice out there or just OJ from a squeezie box, juice is NOT necessarily good for you.
While fruit contains plenty of fibre to fill us up and stop us from eating too much, juicing fruit strips the fibre out, leaving the sugar and the water. Think about how many pieces of fruit go into making a glass of juice – would you actually eat that much in one sitting!?
And consuming that much sugar all at once can freak the body out. That’s because fructose (the sugar we’re trying to cut down on) is almost exclusively metabolised by the liver.
Multiple studies link sugary drinks to fatty liver disease, type 2 diabetes, heart problems and stroke. Yes, most of the studies focus on soft drinks, but juice and soda have one thing in common – sugar! Indeed, one massive study found that sugary drinks (juice included) more than doubled the risk of some cancers.
Thirsty? Here’s the sweetest solution yet.
The best way to eat fruit is whole (with something fatty like cheese or nut butter to slow the sugar release). But if you just want something thirst-quenching, opt for a smoothie instead.
We love smoothies because they keep all the fibre in and you don’t need to use as much fruit. They are also much more versatile – you can add vegetables, protein powder, milk, yoghurt, nuts, coconut or even chocolate!
And if you make them yourself, they are much cheaper than a cold-pressed juice, too. Win, win!
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