Is Your Green Juice...Bad for You?!

Let’s face it: the average diet typically lacks any substantial nutrients and minerals, and while most people have no issue meeting their caloric needs, those calories often do very little for fueling the body and helping with cellular repair. Drinking green juice is a fast and effective way to give your body a much-needed source of . With green juice bars popping up on every corner and bottled versions lining grocery aisles, it’s become easier than ever to get green juice. 

This massive commercialization of a once obscure product is a positive indicator that we’re getting smarter about our health and more intuitive about what our bodies truly need. There’s a catch, of course. That not-so-cheap bottle of green juice might not be quite as healthy as you might think, and there are hidden hazards that can be counterproductive to your wellness goals. Let’s talk about what they are, and also some alternative solutions so you can make the most informed decision on how you invest in your wellbeing.

Hidden Hazards of Store-Bought Green Juice:

1. Heat treatments denature proteins + oxidize enzymes: green juice is produced through either cold pressed method, which means the juice is produced through mastication and no heat, or by using a centrifugal juicer. Plant proteins are far superior to animal protein in regards to how easily your body can convert the protein, but plant protein is also much more delicate. Centrifugal juicers generate heat during the juicing process, which destroys heat-sensitive vitamins and enzymes and causes increased oxidation of enzymes. Unless your juice is made with a cold press juicer, chances are, most of the health benefits have been nullified by the juicing process.

In addition, regardless of whether your bottled juice is cold pressed or centrifugal, it probably was pasteurized. Again, any heat treatments destroy all live enzymes and nutrients in fresh juices quite rapidly. What remains gets oxidized, meaning the molecules degrade quickly leading to free radical damage in your body. 

1. Shelf-life: shelf life refers to how long a product remains usable or fit for consumption. As mentioned already, centrifugal juicers instantaneously destroy much of the beneficial nutrients in green juice. The remaining nutrients and enzymes also have a very short shelf life. On the other hand, cold pressed juice has a longer shelf life, but it’s far less than the duration of time it takes from production to reach your refrigerator. Cold pressed juice has a shelf life of 3-5 days. What you think is freshly pressed could already be devoid of nutrients, and you may be drinking empty calories.

1. Zero fiber + potentially high glycemic index: one of the significant disadvantages of green juice is that it lacks fiber. On average, we need about 25-30 grams of fiber, although most people only eat around 15 grams. Fiber is essential for maintaining healthy gut microbes, balancing the stress hormone cortisol, feeling satiated, and cleaning out the body. Even healthy foods like fruit can spike glycemic index, but fiber helps prevent or decrease blood sugar spikes and stabilize insulin levels. 

1. Your juice has less greens than you think: In reality, green juice is not always very  “green”. Leafy veggies don’t produce a high quantity of juice, so most companies use a vast quantity of “carrier” juices, which can range from celery to apples, and you might be getting more iceberg lettuce than kale. The carrier juice may actually involve ingredients that drastically spike your blood sugar levels due to the glycemic index. 

Understanding and working with glycemic index is imperative for maintaining weight goals, vibrant energy levels, and healthy BMI. The glycemic index (GI) is a ranking system for carbohydrate-containing foods that shows how much and how rapidly they impact your blood sugar levels. Foods are scored from 0 to 100 based on comparisons to pure glucose, which has a GI value of 100. High GI foods like white bread, sugary soda, cookies, and potatoes cause faster and more dramatic spikes in blood glucose because they break down quickly. This forces the pancreas to secrete large amounts of insulin to lower blood sugar. The rapid rise and fall is extremely taxing on the body long-term. When you consume foods that have a high glycemic index, the sugars in those foods cause your body to produce a hormone called insulin. If you aren't using up the energy, insulin tells your body to store that sugar (often as belly fat).

1. High levels of pesticides: unless your go-to store is using organic products, your juice may contain an incredibly high quantity of pesticides. Green juice is made from produce that is on the Dirty Dozen list of foods that are heavily sprayed with pesticides. The very thing that makes green juice so beneficial—getting in a large amount of greens in one bottle—also means a huge increase in the levels of pesticides you may be consuming.

1. Expensive: Let’s face it, green juice is incredibly expensive. I’m always for investing in your health, because preventative wellness is far more cost efficient than treatment. But for the average person, it can be extremely challenging to add a week’s worth of green juice to their budget.

1. Added preservatives: preservatives and thickeners get commonly added to bottled green juices to extend shelf life. These extra chemical additives can be inflammatory and toxic over time. If your green juice is bottled in plastic, as most are, you may be ingesting nanoplastics from the bottle with every sip.

1. Questionable quality: The ingredient quality itself in store versions is also questionable. Most companies use lower-grade produce or leftovers unfit for whole sale plus farms utilize pesticides. Juice blends hide these defects well. You’ll often find cheaper, less nutritious leafy greens like iceberg lettuce over kale or spinach too.

All these facts aren’t intended to stoke feelings of doom and gloom. I believe in making informed decisions about our health, and using it to feel empowered instead of anxious. Fortunately, there are alternatives to 

ALTERNATIVES:

Make your own cold pressed juice: 

This is the most ideal scenario, because you get the most from the beneficial effects of green juice. You also know exactly what ingredients are in your juice, and that knowledge is certainly power when it comes to wellness. It’s also much more cost effective than purchasing ready-made green juice. 

I do want to be transparent about some of the drawbacks of making your own juice: Purchasing a cold pressed (masticating) machine is a bit of an investment, and the cost ranges from $50 to several hundred dollars for a commercial grade juicer. Masticating juicers also produce juice at a slower pace, so it can be a bit time consuming to make your own juice. I do consider it a huge investment in health, so it can be well worth budgeting your time and energy to make your own green juice. 

Make a green smoothie instead: I actually recommend green smoothies over green juice for numerous reasons. It’s faster, more convenient, and less expensive. And most importantly, you get all the same nutrients and enzymes, but also the massive benefit of fiber.