Juices can add important vitamins and minerals to a diet but they shouldn’t replace whole foods or balanced meals. When compared to the whole fruit or vegetable, juices are generally lower in nutrients and contain near-zero fiber.

And by removing the fiber, they can cause blood sugar spikes and leave you feeling hungry. Plus, nixing fiber can deprive your digestive system of essential gut health benefits, says the JuiceGuru.

1. It’s Not Healthy

Juicing involves squeezing or grinding fruits and vegetables to extract the liquid. This process removes the fiber from the food and leaves you with a drink that contains vitamins, minerals, and plant chemicals called phytonutrients. However, most juices are high in sugar and calories, which can contribute to weight gain and a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension.

While some advocates of juicing argue that it provides the body with vital nutrients like vitamin C and beta-carotene, most people are already consuming enough fruits and vegetables each day without a juice diet. Moreover, studies have found that blending foods or whole fruits and vegetables in a smoothie rather than juicing them results in better absorption of nutrients.

Many fruits and vegetables contain immune-boosting nutrients, including vitamin C and the antioxidants folate and lycopene. They also contain the minerals iron, zinc, potassium, and calcium. However, a juice diet that consists mostly of fruit may overdose on these substances and can be harmful to some individuals with chronic diseases or taking certain medications.

In addition, the excess oxalate found in leafy greens can be hard on the kidneys. And more extreme juice cleanses can cause side effects, such as diarrhea, nausea, and fatigue, especially if you drink too much at once or consume non-organic produce, which often comes with pesticides. In general, a balanced meal that includes whole fruits and vegetables is the best way to get these important nutrients.

2. It’s Expensive

Juicing has gained a trendy cache in recent years, becoming the go-to accessory for lithe models and even some celebrities (Gwyneth Paltrow, for example, loves her green juices). But it’s also an expensive habit to get into. A bottle of green juice at a juice bar can cost $10 or more, and to make the same amount at home requires an investment in a high-quality juicer that’s usually on the pricey side.

Then, there’s the produce itself—an important part of a healthy diet. It’s important to remember that juicing removes the pulp, which contains many of the fiber-rich nutrients in fruits and vegetables. This can lead to a deficiency in dietary fiber, a nutrient that helps us feel full and supports digestive regularity, blood sugar control, and heart health.

In addition, juices can contain a lot of sugar—depending on the ingredients used. For instance, a cup of orange juice can contain 42 grams of sugar—more than double the amount recommended daily by the World Health Organization.

Another thing to consider is that when you consume a lot of fruit juice, it can quickly add up to a significant amount of calories. This is especially true if you’re doing a juice cleanse, which requires drinking large quantities of juice over the course of several days.

Overall, experts agree that a little bit of fresh-pressed juice can be a great way to get more fruits and veggies into your diet. But relying on juice as a replacement for whole foods and balanced meals on a daily basis can actually do more harm than good. That’s why a juice cleanse is not a good idea, and experts like Shira Sussi and Helen Mullen from NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital advise against using juice as a weight loss tool or to detox the body.

3. It’s Not Easy

Juicing has gained popularity in recent years as people seek an easy and efficient way to get their vegetables. But is it really as healthy as it’s made out to be?

When you juice, you are losing the fibre from the fruits and vegetables that makes them filling. This leaves behind the sugar, which can lead to a blood sugar spike and make you feel less full than whole fruit or a meal. This can be a problem for people who are watching their sugar intake, such as diabetics.

In addition, juices are a concentrated source of calories. Even low-sugar vegetable juices such as carrot or beet can contain a significant amount of calories in just 4 ounces (or 1/2 cup).

While some people claim that juicing helps them lose weight, it’s likely that they are simply losing water weight. Juice cleanses can also be dangerous, as they tend to deprive the body of essential nutrients that are found in whole foods.

If you’re interested in juicing, try mixing up your recipes to get a variety of different vitamins and minerals. For example, you can add a little bit of kale to a strawberry and orange juice to get a boost of vitamin C or a few tablespoons of chia seeds to help you feel fuller. Also consider adding a small amount of protein to your juices, which will help keep you feeling satiated and give you the energy that you need. This is particularly important if you are replacing meals with juice or if you’re active. Protein comes from meats, quinoa, lentils and other plant sources. You can find powdered amino acids that provide the essential amino acids that your body cannot produce on its own.

4. It’s Not Sustainable

While juicing can provide a significant boost of vitamins and minerals, it’s not the whole-food dietary staple some make it out to be. Juice is essentially liquid, and the fiber that bulks up fruits and vegetables is stripped out. This leaves you with a drink that can be high in sugar and low in important nutrients, including soluble and insoluble fiber which is essential to digestive regularity and blood sugar stability.

Smoothies, on the other hand, keep all of the food’s nutrients intact and can help you balance your diet if you add in ingredients like protein and healthy fats. Juicing can also leave you with a lot of oxalate (which is associated with kidney problems) and can increase the amount of sodium you consume, especially if you juice using non-organic veggies that are higher in pesticides and other toxins.

Another issue is that juicing deprives your body of the important nutrients found in the skin and pulp of fruits and vegetables. These nutrients include vitamin C, potassium, folate, and other micronutrients that can be hard to get enough of on a daily basis. Juicing diets are particularly depriving when they replace a well-rounded, nutrient-dense meal, such as breakfast or lunch.

Juicing can be a great way to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet if you typically struggle to fit them in, but don’t use it as an excuse to skip real meals or to go on juice cleanses. Instead, try to incorporate juice as a snack or beverage alongside your meals to provide a nutritional boost. And if you have a juicer, remember that it’s best to fill it up with a variety of fruits and vegetables to reap the most benefits.

5. It’s Not Effective

Juicing involves using a machine to extract the juice from whole fruits and vegetables. This liquid contains many of the vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals that are found in the food itself. Proponents of juicing say that it’s healthier than eating the food because it gives your digestive system a break from processing fiber and can help boost your immune system, improve heart health and aid in weight loss.

Unfortunately, these claims are based on a lot of misinformation and too-good-to-be-true ideas. For instance, a glass of orange juice has about three to four times as many calories as the same amount of whole fruit, so excessive juicing can contribute to weight gain. Also, juicing removes the fiber from the fruits and vegetables, which is important for healthy digestion.

Moreover, if you drink juice for every meal, it’s likely that you will consume too many carbohydrates and not enough protein and healthy fats, which are essential to maintaining proper blood sugar levels and keeping you full. This can also cause you to gain weight and have a more difficult time losing weight.

Juicing can be a great way to add a variety of fruits and vegetables to your diet, especially if you don’t eat a lot of them or struggle with digestive issues. However, it should be a supplement to your regular meals, rather than the main source of your nutrition. It’s important to be aware of the drawbacks of juicing so that you can make informed decisions about your healthy eating habits. By following these tips, you can reap the benefits of juicing without falling into any of the traps that some people fall into.