Are you drinking cold-pressed juices because of their supposed weight loss benefit? Several manufacturers and reviewers have given testimonies about it. Science-wise, the weight loss effect of cold-pressed juice remains inconclusive.
However, one thing is sure. Cold-pressed juices can support your weight loss plan when used as a complement, not a replacement, for balanced meals.
They are healthier alternatives to processed or sugary snacks. Fruit and vegetable juices are also delicious yet low in calories.
Let’s learn more about this topic by describing how cold-press juicing can help you lose weight. More importantly, let’s find out how to align your fitness goals with your juicing habit.
How Cold-Pressed Juices Enhance Weight Loss
Cold-pressed juices can help you achieve a healthier and fitter you because of these innate qualities.
1. They are naturally nutrient-dense.
Cold-press juicing removes most of the solid components of fruits and vegetables. This extraction method makes the end product low in calories.
The juice also keeps its natural sugars, vitamins, and minerals. That means you get all the good nutrients without significantly affecting your caloric intake.
Successful weight loss happens with a sustainable calorie deficit through reduced food intake and regular physical activity.
Adding cold-pressed juices to your diet can then support these healthy weight-loss strategies.
2. They are rich in antioxidants.
Our bodies go through a natural oxidation process where oxygen metabolism occurs. This process, in turn, produces free radicals that are vital for normal body functioning.
However, too many free radicals can damage our cells and contribute to various ailments like heart disease and cancer.
To counter this, we need enough antioxidants to scavenge excess free radicals. Plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, and nuts are the best sources.
Aside from cell protection and disease prevention, recent studies also found a correlation between antioxidants and obesity risks.
For instance, Aminnejad and colleagues (2022) concluded that following an antioxidant-rich diet may effectively prevent obesity among adolescent boys.
Yang and team (2023) also found that a combination of 11 antioxidants was protective against obesity and abdominal obesity prevalence.
There are no studies yet identifying specific antioxidants that help you lose weight.
However, antioxidant-rich cold-pressed juices can support your weight loss plan and provide you with other health benefits.
3. They can control hunger or sudden cravings.
There are multiple explanations for how drinking cold-pressed juices can control your appetite and help you lose weight.
For instance, in a study by Vij and Joshi (2014), the researchers concluded that drinking plenty of water reduced the body weight, BMI, skinfold thickness, and appetite score of overweight women.
This finding suggests that staying hydrated through water or juices can increase feelings of fullness and reduce hunger.
Flood-Obaggy and Rolls (2009) had a similar conclusion. They compared the effects of fruit consumption (in solid and juice forms) on satiety and food intake.
Their findings suggest that solid fruit affects satiety more than juices. However, they added that having low-energy-dense fruit before a meal can reduce food intake.
This study also explains why dietitians recommend drinking cold-pressed juices with an empty stomach.
Aside from boosting nutrient absorption, drinking juices before a meal can make you feel full, resulting in better appetite control.
Should You Start Drinking Juices Exclusively for Faster Weight Loss?
Cold-pressed juices can indeed help you lose weight. Does that mean you should skip eating solid food to speed up your weight loss progress?
Some people resort to juice fasting or cleansing with zero solid food.
Considering their low-calorie content, juice diets naturally lead to significant and fast weight loss. A 2017 study also linked this effect of juice-based diets to an increase in healthy bacteria in the gut.
Still, this is not a healthy way to lose weight.
While juice fasting or detoxification diets may initially lead to fast weight loss, researchers Obert and team (2017) said these do not give sustainable results.
Once you return to eating solid food, you will regain lost weight just as quickly.
Extremely low-calorie diets can also affect your metabolism. Specifically, when you feel hungry while dieting, your body turns to survival mode.
So, instead of burning calories, the body preserves them (Muller et al. 2017).
Cava and colleagues (2017) also noted hypocaloric diets have limited protein content, reducing muscle mass. Fewer muscles mean lower calorie burn.
Overall, juice fasting is not ideal for healthy and sustainable weight loss. Its unhealthy effects on the body far outweigh the minimal benefits it can provide.
How Should You Add Cold-Pressed Juices to Your Weight Loss Plan?
Treat cold-pressed juices as a meal supplement, not a replacement.
These juices may have many nutrients but lack the calories for exercise and everyday activities.
So, when starting your juicing habit, remember to drink your juices with a balanced meal. If your juice is low in protein, fat, or fibre, pair it with foods rich in these nutrients.
Also, consider drinking cold-pressed juices 20 minutes before a meal or at least 2 hours after it.
Lastly, drink in moderation. Limit it to a glass of cold-pressed juice daily, then continue eating whole fruits and veggies.
What Cold-Pressed Juices Are Best for Weight Loss?
All fruit and vegetable juices are equally healthy and good for you. However, some have better nutritional content that can help you lose weight.
Here are a few examples:
- Celery juice. Celery is low in calories with high water content. It is also rich in antioxidants that protect against metabolic syndrome (Hedayati et al. 2019). Celery is a stringy vegetable, so process it using a cold-press juicer.
- Green juice. This one is rich in antioxidants and low in sugar. You can also choose your favourite green ingredients, like leafy greens, apples, or cucumber, to suit your taste. Go for blender juicing when making green juices for a higher fibre content.
- Beet juice. Beetroot is low in calories. It also contains dietary nitrates that promote muscle efficiency.
- Carrot juice. Carrots are excellent sources of vitamin A and carotenoids. In a 2020 study, the researchers concluded that carotenoid-rich diets contribute to abdominal fat reduction.
- Watermelon juice. Watermelon is rich in potassium and vitamins A and C. It’s also sweet and refreshing because of its high water content. Lum and colleagues (2019) also found that daily watermelon consumption led to reduced body weight, BMI, and blood pressure.
Final Thoughts
People choosing the juice fasting route for quicker weight loss is no surprise. However, quick-fix solutions like this can do more harm than good.
Consuming anything in excess is never ideal, even healthy fruit and vegetable juices.
Best weight loss strategy? Enjoy your healthy meals with cold-pressed juices. That way, you can control your calorie intake without missing essential nutrients.
Ready to lose weight while enjoying your homemade drink? Our top cold-press juicer reviews might have the model you need.
