Drinks · Fruit & vegetables
Juicing Benefits: What Juice Can (and Can’t) Do
Juicing can provide nutrients from produce, convenience and variety. In the UK, 150ml of unsweetened juice can count as one of your 5 A Day.
Vitamins and other nutrients from produce
Juice carries many of the water-soluble nutrients in fruit and vegetables, such as vitamin C and potassium, depending on the produce used.
Counts towards 5 A Day (once)
In the UK, unsweetened 100% fruit or vegetable juice and smoothies count as a maximum of one of your 5 A Day.
Convenient
A small glass with breakfast is quick, and can suit people who find it hard to eat fruit or vegetables at a meal.
Variety and enjoyment
Juicing makes it easy to try vegetables or fruit combinations you might not otherwise eat.
Juicing removes much of the fibre and releases sugars. The NHS advises no more than 150ml of juice and smoothies combined per day, with meals. What juicing does not do: there is no good evidence it “detoxes” or “cleanses” the body—your liver and kidneys already do that work—and a juice-only diet is not a balanced diet.
What juicing keeps—and what it removes
A juicer separates liquid from the pulp, skins and seeds. Much of the water and many dissolved nutrients go into the glass; much of the fibre stays behind in the pulp. Whole fruit and vegetables keep their fibre, which the NHS says many people need more of. That is the main reason juice is not a straight swap for whole produce.
Whole fruit
- Fibre and cell walls intact
- Sugars stay inside cells
- Usually more chewing, slower to finish
Smoothie
- Edible pulp blended in
- Sugars released by blending
- Keeps more fibre than juice
Juice
- Much of the pulp removed
- Sugars released
- Easy to drink quickly
How much of any nutrient ends up in your glass varies with the produce, its ripeness, the machine and how much pulp you keep. That is why we do not offer a “juice nutrition calculator”: values for whole ingredients (for example from USDA FoodData Central, which powers our Food Calorie Calculator) are not valid estimates of extracted juice, and extraction yield is too variable to calculate reliably at home. For packaged juice, the nutrition label is the best guide.
Sugar and teeth
When fruit is juiced or blended, the sugars inside its cells are released. The NHS counts these as free sugars, the type most of us should cut down on, and says they increase the risk of tooth decay. Its advice is to drink juice and smoothies at mealtimes, not as between-meal snacks. Even unsweetened 100% juice is sugary.
Watch for “juice drink” on packs: the NHS says these are unlikely to count towards your 5 A Day and can be high in sugar. Vegetable-based juices tend to contain less sugar than fruit juices, but check labels. The Carbohydrates lesson explains free vs naturally present sugars.
How much juice? The NHS 150ml guide
According to NHS portion guidance, your combined total of fruit juice, vegetable juice and smoothies shouldn’t be more than 150ml a day, which is a small glass. It only ever counts as one portion of your 5 A Day, however much you drink. This is UK guidance; other countries may phrase it differently.
150ml portion helper
Add up today’s juice and smoothies against the NHS combined 150ml guide. This checks volume only—it does not estimate nutrients.
Enter amounts to see your combined total.
Glass sizes vary: measure one of your glasses once if you are unsure. 150ml is about a small glass.
Juicing vs blending
Blending keeps the edible pulp, so smoothies usually keep more fibre than juice, and can feel more filling. Both release sugars, and the NHS groups them together in the 150ml limit. If fibre is your priority, eating the whole fruit or vegetable is the most reliable option.
Practical tips if you enjoy juice
- Keep it to a small glass with a meal, and count smoothies in the same 150ml.
- Lean towards vegetables (cucumber, leafy greens, carrot) with some fruit for flavour.
- Keep some pulp, or blend instead, if you want more fibre.
- Drink fresh juice soon after making it and keep it chilled; wash produce first.
- Use juice alongside—not instead of—whole fruit and vegetables for the rest of your 5 A Day.
- If you take medicines, some juices (such as grapefruit) can interact with them; check the leaflet or ask a pharmacist.
Frequently asked questions
Is juicing good for you?
A small glass can be part of a balanced diet and provides nutrients from produce. It is less useful than whole fruit and vegetables because of lost fibre and released sugars.
Does juicing help you lose weight?
Not on its own. Juice contains calories and is easy to drink quickly. Weight depends on your overall diet and activity; this page does not give weight-loss advice.
Does juicing detox your body?
No. There is no good evidence juice “detoxes” you. Your body’s own organs handle waste products.
Is it OK to drink juice every day?
In the UK, the NHS guide is up to 150ml a day of juice and smoothies combined, ideally with a meal.
Juice or smoothie—which is better?
Smoothies usually keep more fibre. Both count towards the same 150ml and release sugars.