I would like to educate myself on the pros and cons of cold pressed juice for a diabetic. I haven’t opened my store yet but want to be knowledgeable in this area. I’m looking for trusted resources so I can educate myself. The internet is a little overwhelming and not very concise. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
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Hi Tracey –
About a year ago, I started a blog “befitagain.com” to look into juicing claims. Last September, I posted a blog about juicing and Type 2 Diabetes you may want to check out.
In short, I discovered that there are a LOT of claims made about specific juices (and extracts/powders), but on average I was able to substantiate only about 30-40% of the claims. This year, I will be updating the blogs with additional information about each juice, along with additional research that I’ve discovered.
However, this year I’m specifically asking every reader to list any additional claims they’ve come across (and identify its source) AND to identify any sourced research and sourced information backing up these and any other health claims.
Before getting into specifics, I’m not a doctor or a nutritionists. I am a guy who was just a few years ago badly out of shape and suffering from all sorts of ailments, and within a few months of starting a daily fresh juice AM/PM routine experienced nearly miraculous health benefits. So, take my advice as that of an informed amateur, who’s still on the path to learning more . . .
With respect to Type 2D: my initial research indicated that any sugar would likely be bad for a diabetic. However, much to my joy (because my mom is T2D), since then I have located additional research indicating that fructose (fruit/vegetable juice) does not cause insulin level issues in most T2D patients. My present thinking is that each patient is different, and should monitor their own insulin levels after drinking juice to determine their own sensitivities/tolerances. However, the good news appears to be that most T2D sufferers can obtain the powerful nutritional benefits of juicing as part of a healthy diet.
I hope you’ll be in touch.
All the best, Steve
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Great info @Steven_Thrasher 
Could you post those sources for us regarding fructose not cause insulin level issues?
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Be careful about calling the sugar from fruit fructose and concluding that it is okay for diabetics because fructose doesn’t cause insulin levels to spike. First of all, my disclaimer is that I am not a doctor or nutritionist. I am someone who has independently studied nutrition for 30 years. So please do your own research. I just want to share something that I learned recently. Since everyone likes facts, the following bracketed information is from Wikipedia [ Unlike glucose , which is directly metabolized widely in the body, fructose is almost entirely metabolized in the liver in humans, where it is directed toward replenishment of liver glycogen and triglyceride synthesis.] Sooooo… It is true that that fructose does not cause sugar spikes in the blood. That’s because fructose must first be routed to the liver to be metabolized into sugar or fat as just stated in the Wikipedia reference. But here is the caution: Fruit is made of many sugars and NOT all sugar is metabolized the same way in our bodies. Remember that when a diabetic has low blood sugar, one of the first things they grab is orange juice. Here is a definition of the sugar in oranges from Livestrong website: “Oranges are made of the following: Sucrose accounts for half of the total sugar. Another 23 percent of the total comes from glucose , while fructose represents 27 percent of the sugar in an orange.” Sucrose is made of glucose and fructose. When the body breaks the sucrose chain, glucose and fructose are then free to be processed by the body and that glucose is going to the bloodstream while that fructose is headed to the liver to be metabolized. I hope I have given enough information for everyone to continue research on their own. Like I said, I’m not a specialist…just someone learning and sharing. Most doctors tell diabetic patients to eat the fruit and don’t drink the juice. My humble opinion is everything in moderation. I tend to steer my diabetic customers towards the veggie, lemon, ginger, turmeric options and when selling them fruit juice I always remind them that fruit juice contains sugar even though the sugar is from a healthy source. Be sure to exercise care in controlling how much is ingested at once.
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