How to Lose Weight With Juice Plus

Juice Plus is a supplement made with concentrated dried fruits and vegetables meant to provide you with some of the same nutrients as fresh versions of these foods. While proponents claim that this supplement may have some health benefits, the manufacturer doesn't claim that Juice Plus is a weight-loss supplement. You're better off eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, whether or not you choose to use Juice Plus as a supplement.

Fruits and vegetables are better for your health than supplements. (Image: Medioimages/Photodisc/Photodisc/Getty Images)

Fruits and Vegetables and Weight Loss

Getting the recommended five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables each day can help you get sufficient amounts of vitamins and minerals, get enough fiber and fill up of low-calorie foods so you end up eating a diet lower in fat and calories. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that fruits and vegetables are helpful for losing weight because they are low in energy density, or calories per gram. What helps fill you up is the volume of food you eat, not the amount of calories, so eating more of these foods can help you eat less of the foods that are higher in calories while still feeling full.

Juice Plus and Weight Loss

Juice Plus isn't likely to help with weight loss. Whole fruits and vegetables contain lots of water and fiber, which is what makes them filling and low in energy density. This is why they're helpful for people trying to lose weight. Juice Plus is mainly a vitamin and mineral supplement with little or no fiber, although it does contain food enzymes. These enzymes, however, will be destroyed during the digestive process and aren't likely to provide any real benefits.

Other Potential Benefits

Although Juice Plus isn't likely to improve weight loss, preliminary studies indicate it may have some health benefits. A study published in Skin Pharmacology and Physiology in 2012 found that this supplement helped improve skin density, thickness and hydration.

Juice Plus may help improve immunity and reduce the number of days people are ill as well, notes a study published in The Journal of Nutrition in 2007.

Taking Juice Plus supplements may slightly limit the adverse effects on heart health of eating a high-fat meal, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology in 2003.

Juice Plus supplements may also help improve dental health, even in people who get the recommended amounts of micronutrients in their diet, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology in 2012.

Considerations

Juice Plus supplements are relatively safe since they are made with concentrated grains, fruits and vegetables, but they may cause a rash or gastrointestinal side effects in some people. Those undergoing chemotherapy shouldn't take Juice Plus, as the antioxidant content may interfere with some chemotherapy medications, notes the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.