Comparing Apples to Apple Juice

The talk of the town lately has been all about sugar! If you follow me on IG you know that last Tuesday I gave up ALL refined sugar. And I mean ALL. The first three days were absolutely missssserable (pronounced mizzzzerable). I felt like a monster to be around and seriously put my relationships to the test! haha But, by some grace of god I survived! And I am feeling better than ever!

Before I kicked sugar to the curb, I physically, emotionally and chemically craved it. After every meal I wanted that little sweet treat and it became more and more difficult to say no! Has anyone else felt this way?

But, after just one week I feel freed from my addiction. I can easily say no to processed sweets, where as before I would do just about anything to get my hands on a Reese's cup! I feel more energized in the morning when I wake up and I am not immediately looking for my cup of coffee! My skin is clearer and the whites of my eyes are brighter! (I was really struggling with redness and dry eyes and had to put drop in them 3-4 times per day!). My taste buds actually crave the taste of good, nutritious food, and I LOVE it!

One of my focuses on social media lately has been fresh pressed juice! I recently bought a new juicer and I'm ob-sessed! I was super into juicing after watching "Fat, Sick and nearly Dead" about 2 years ago, but since I have fallen off the wagon. I re-watched the documentary (which I HIGHLY suggest watching, its a huge eye opener) after suggesting it to my boyfriend and it re-sparked my interest! I introduced him to juicing and now we try to make it a part of our daily routine! That being said, people had some questions and challenged me about how I "gave up sugar" but was drinking fresh pressed carrot and apple juice. So here is the scoop on why I am able to drink fresh pressed fruit juices when I gave up refined sugars! :)

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It's like comparing Apples to Apple Juice!

It is totally understandable to not fully understand why it is okay to eat an apple but you can't drink apple juice (store bought, of course). Everyone always says sugar is sugar! Well, I'm hear to tell you, it's not! Let me break it down. (yes, I just said that like I was about to drop a beat ;) )

First of all, sugar is in most everything that contains carbohydrates. However, the sugar found in fruit, vegetables, beans, and honey is natural sugar.

So what exactly are considered natural sugars? Simply, natural sugars are sugars that are found, well, naturally. In foods that come from the ground and produced by nature, not found in a package in the 'middle isles' of the grocery store!

Natural Sugars

Without getting too technical, Glucose refers to “simple” sugars, found in all foods that have carbohydrates. Glucose can be found in mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, spinach, etc. Glucose is vital to life and is in every single living molecule. It is also produced by your body and easily broken down by every cell in your body.

Fructose is another “simple” sugar and is also referred to as fruit sugar, because its main source is fruits (and also honey). Fructose is a bit harder to break down, as only your liver breaks down significant portions of it.

Unnatural Sugars

Processed sugars are natural sugars that are modified, combined and processed by humans to make something with regular flavor and texture, such as white sugar.

But don't worry its a quick, simple, and natural process... (please note my sarcasm) If you are interested, i've listed the steps below.

First the cane is shredded, mixed with water and crushed between rollers to extract the juice.The extracted juice is filtered and evaporated, then further purified by filtering and boiling to remove molasses and color.The crystals are spun in a centrifuge and evaporated to produce raw sugar (also referred to as turbinado or unprocessed sugar). These crystals are large and have a slight brownish color.At this point raw sugar is finished production. It is packaged and sent to the store for you to purchase. Granulated white sugar continues to a refinery where it is combined with naturally occurring minerals to strip away impurities. It is washed, filtered through carbon and any non-sugar ingredients are removed. The refined sugar is then further processed into granulated form, dried and packaged.

Sucrose combines half glucose and half fructose to become a “complex” sugar. Typically it’s extracted from sugar-beet plants or sugar cane to make your typical “table sugar”. The glucose and fructose units are joined by an acetal oxygen bridge in the alpha-1 on the glucose and beta-2 on the fructose orientation... okay, so are we talking about food still or did we just teleport to a college level chemistry class..? I'll let you be the judge...

Other types of processed sugars include High fructose corn syrup (the literal devil), agave syrup, molasses etc.

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So now you're probably wondering.. What the heck is the difference Briana, get to the point!

Well, unfortunately, you can’t really put the two groups against each other as it would be (sometimes literally) comparing apples to apple juice. The main difference between natural and processed sugars is how each one delivers glucose and fructose. For example, fruits are not just fructose in different shapes. They also contain a pile of nutrients, vitamins, antioxidants and fiber. Whereas your typical table sugar doesn’t!

Having this full package allows to your body to slow down the absorption of fructose. It also allows your body to break down a substance that it recognizes as food! The "sugar" in processes snacks such as granola bars, chips, crackers, granola, breads, candy, etc. are man-made substances that your body does not know what to do with. They cause systemic inflammation, GI distress, give you a cloudy mind and can even negatively effect your vision (I know because I have experienced it all) But the worst part is, they also target receptors in your brain that are in control of the feelings of pleasure and can leave you wanting more. These "fo-sugars" are actually making people addicted to them! How do I know? Because I am a victim of it!

So, moral of the story is choosing natural sugars over processed sugars is always the way to go! Don't overthink it! Put good, natural foods into your body and you'll feel the difference. Avoid taking your food out of packages and consume foods that are derived from nature! (Eat Food, mostly Plants!)

The scoop on Fresh Pressed Juice!

In my opinion, fresh pressed juices are the creative equivalent of taking a multivitamin! You can choose a laundry list of delicious vegetables and the occasional fruit and press it into a nutrient dense, antioxidant rich bevi!

The main question people usually have is, why don't you just eat the vegetables? and my response usually is, well, when was the last time you ate 4 carrots, 3 cups of spinach, 4 stalks of celery, a cucumber, a lemon, and mint all in one sitting? OR, when was the last time you tried to incorporate turmeric, ginger, or beets into your daily diet!? The answer is simply, never. My solution. JUICE!

With juicing I find I can consume so many amazingly diverse vegetables in one sitting. I can reap the benefits and literally feel the nutrients course through my veins and into my cells within seconds! It's amazing and it becomes addicting!

People often ask me too, why would you get rid of all the fiber??? That is the most important part of fruit and vegetables! And they are not wrong! Fiber is an imperative part of your daily intake, however, if you are juicing just for health, it doesn't really matter. You have plenty of time throughout the day to eat your fiber! The whole point of a juice is to give your digestive tract a quick break and let the nutrients be absorbed with little to no work!

(That being said, juice cleanses are a totally different animal, and I will most likely write a post about that soon too!)

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I hope this cleared up some questions! If anyone needs more information on the different types of sugar or are interested in learning more about juicing, please do not hesitate to reach out to me!

You can private message me on Instagram @EatFoodMostlyPlants

OR e-mail me at brianavittoriniRDN@gmail.com!