Juicing as a Supplement: Does It Work?

Trying to eat more fruits and vegetables can be harder than it seems. Busy schedules, convenience foods, and old habits often make it difficult. That’s why many people look for other ways to support their immune system.

In recent years, juicing has been introduced as an alternative to increase vegetable and fruit consumption. In this article, we will examine whether juicing is beneficial for your diet as a supplement.

What is juicing?

Juicing is a process that removes most of the solid matter, such as seeds and pulp, from vegetables and fruits to produce juice.

There are two generally used purposes of juicing:

1. Cleansing. It is when a person eliminates solid foods and drinks only juices for a few days. Sometimes, cleansing lasts for several weeks. Some people also believe that juice cleansing helps them eliminate toxins.
2. Supporting a regular diet. People use fresh juices as a supplement to increase their intake of nutrients from vegetables and fruits.

Nutrition comparison

The World Health Organisation recommends eating more than 400 g of fruit and vegetables daily. That’s about five portions of 80 grams each, like a medium apple or two plums.

To picture this as juice, let’s use a cup as our measure. For one cup of fresh juice, you will need 3–4 small to medium oranges or 8–12 medium celery stalks.

Now that we know what quantity of vegetables or fruits you would need to squeeze, let’s compare the nutrition of freshly squeezed juice with that of the raw vegetables and fruits. Use the following picture for comparison:

Positive impact of juicing

For some people, 400 g of fruits and vegetables is a relatively high number to achieve, so juicing can come in handy. Squeezing some vegetables and fruits in the morning may help with some vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

For example, juices contain bioactive compounds and vitamin C, which have antioxidant properties that may help improve heart health. In addition, a 2024 systematic review suggested that some freshly squeezed vegetables and fruits also contain folate (vitamin B9), which may lower homocysteine levels. This substance, at high levels, may lead to blood vessel damage. However, the amounts of these components vary depending on the type of juice.

Vitamin C intake

Vitamin C deficiency occurs when a person consumes less than 10 mg per day for many weeks. This may lead to fatigue, inflammation, a weak immune system, and easy bruising.

However, there is some good news for people who have decided to reach daily vitamin C goals by drinking juices in the morning. In a recent clinical trial, researchers compared which of three vitamin C sources people absorbed best: tablets, raw natural sources (chopped tomatoes, peppers, and mandarin oranges), or their juices.

Results showed that your body may absorb higher levels of vitamin C by drinking 100% fruit and vegetable juice compared to other methods.

Juicing without fiber

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans included 100% juices as part of a healthy diet, but recommended that at least half of fruit and vegetable intake come from whole fruit.

This recommendation was backed by a 2025 study that suggested juicing strips away dietary fiber, which is essential for our bodies. Scientists studied three groups of people: one group consumed only juices, another consumed juices with whole foods, and the last group ate only whole-plant-based foods.

It was found that the group that drank only juice had the biggest increase in gut bacteria linked to inflammation. The juice-plus-food group showed smaller changes, and the whole-food group showed the least change in their gut bacteria.

Based on these results, it can be suggested that losing dietary fiber may change the balance of bacteria in your body. Bacteria that feed on sugar may grow, while the ones that feed on fiber may decrease. This may lead to more inflammation, especially in the mouth.

Smoothies as an alternative

If eating whole fruits and vegetables isn’t appealing, and juice alone doesn’t give you enough nutrition, smoothies might be a better choice. Blending keeps the skin, pulp, and seeds, which means you get more fiber.

Additionally, you can add extra protein or healthy fats by incorporating milk, yogurt, oats, or kefir into your smoothie.

Bottom line

While fresh juices may serve as a beneficial supplement to a regular diet, they should not replace whole fruits and vegetables. For maximum nutritional benefit, juices should be consumed alongside other fiber-rich foods.

However, if you have no other option, juicing may be a convenient way to boost your vitamin, especially vitamin C, and mineral intake.