Benefits of Juice

 

Because juice can be a convenient and affordable way to consume beneficial nutrients, it makes this a good beverage to combat the major bodily changes and potential health challenges you encounter as you age.

According to Blanca Garcia, RDN Nutrition Specialist with Health Canal, "the best juice for people over 50 is a mix of fresh fruits and vegetables, with no preservatives or added sugars."

Garcia talks to us about how the fiber present in vegetable juice is beneficial for people over 50, and we look at the best vegetable juices to drink that contain specific nutrients that optimize the juice's benefits as you age. And while fruit juice can be beneficial to your health because of its minerals, antioxidants, etc., it usually contains little to no fiber at all. Read on, and for more on how to eat healthy, don't miss The #1 Best Juice to Drive Every Day, Says Science.

Most popular juices are made with fruit and either contain very little vegetables or no vegetables at all. On one hand, juice made from real fruits and vegetables with zero added sugar can deliver plenty of helpful nutrients to your body in an easy, quick way.

On the other hand, some juices are marketed as "healthy" but are made with tons of added sugar and very little nutrients.

With this in mind, we wanted to find out more about healthy juice options for those who are in their 50s. One cup (240 mL) contains (1Trusted Source):

Calories: 96

Protein: 2 grams

Fat: less than 1 gram

Carbs: 22 grams

Sugars: 9 grams

Fiber: 2 grams

Vitamin A (as provitamin A): 255% of the Daily Value (DV)

Vitamin C: 23% of the DV

Vitamin K: 31% of the DV

Potassium: 15% of the DV

Carrot juice also provides the carotenoid pigments lutein and zeaxanthin, which act as antioxidants in your body. RW Knudsen's Organic Veggie Juice comes with 3 grams of fiber and 8 grams of sugar. Your body converts it into the antioxidant vitamin A.

. Without fiber that naturally slows the digestion process, your blood sugar may spike after drinking juice.

To lessen the severity of blood sugar spikes, people over 50 may want to consider opting for vegetable juice, as it contains more fiber and less sugar than fruit juices.

"Consuming fiber from vegetables can allow the natural sugar found in fruit to be used slowly and not be completely absorbed by the body," says Garcia, "so by minimizing the absorption of sugar into the body from the fruit, any excess sugar not used will not be stored as fat."

It can be difficult finding a fruit and vegetable juice that still contains fiber, as the process of juicing naturally removes most of the vegetable's fiber content, but there are some store-bought vegetable juices you can buy that preserve some fiber and are low in sugar.

For example, juices like Lakewood Organic Veggie Blend contains 3 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of added sugar. For comparison, some juice drinks may contain upwards of 60 grams of sugar per serving, of which nearly 90% comes from added sugars.

According to the Mayo Clinic, drinking juice can give you the vitamins and minerals found in fresh produce, but you're better off eating whole fruits and veggies when you're looking to increase your fiber intake.

Drinking vegetable juice can be an easy way to increase your fiber intake, but you should not replace eating whole vegetables with drinking juice.

Drinking kale juice has been known to help with heart health, which can be helpful for those over 50 since their heart undergoes many changes with age.

A study from Biomedical and Environmental Sciences found that men who consumed kale juice over 3 months experienced a decrease in bad cholesterol levels (LDL cholesterol) and an increase in HDL cholesterol, which is the type that is healthy for your heart.

There's a reason wheatgrass is so popular to drink in juice form, despite its overpowering flavor. Antioxidants fight unstable molecules called free radicals (1Trusted Source, 2Trusted Source).

The main carotenoid in carrot juice is beta carotene, which is responsible for carrots’ orange color. Juice can be a big hit or a big miss, depending on the type you choose. For one, its high levels of chlorophyll are known to help fight inflammation, which is crucial for healthy aging.

Wheatgrass powder was also found to help lower cholesterol levels and improve heart health in women over a 10-week period.

Broccoli is another helpful veggie to include in your juice because of an antioxidant it contains called kaempferol (which is also found in spinach and kale).

Carrot juice is low in calories and carbs while packing numerous nutrients. Not only is vitamin B6 necessary for an optimal immune response, but deficiency in it is also linked to weakened immunity (1Trusted Source, 7Trusted Source).

In fact, one rodent study found that inadequate dietary intake of vitamin B6 prohibited the growth of immune cells called lymphocytes (7Trusted Source). Carrot juice may give your immune system a boost.

Both vitamins A and C found in carrot juice act as antioxidants and protect immune cells from free radical damage (5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source).

Additionally, this juice is a rich source of vitamin B6, providing over 30% of the DV in 1 cup (240 mL).