With cold and flu season approaching, you’ve probably seen juice shots popping up in grocery stores and shops. Juice shots are intended to boost your immune system and promote wellness. Are they worth it? Here are some things to consider.
What are juice shots?
Juice shots are also called “wellness shots.” They’re small, concentrated drinks (on average 60-70 mL), usually made with ingredients such as wheat grass, ginger, lemon, turmeric, cayenne pepper and beets.
The pros
Juice shots can be a convenient way to get an extra burst of vitamins, especially if you’re not getting enough fruits or vegetables every day. Some of the common ingredients used in juice shots do have health benefits.
The cons
Juice shots don’t contain fibre which is important for gut health and overall wellness. One dose of a juice shot probably isn’t going to make a big difference to your health. For long term benefits, you likely need to take juice shots regularly, and at over $4 for a 60 mL shot, the cost can really add up over time.
The bottom line
Juice shots likely won’t do much harm, but because the amounts are so small, you’d need to consume them on a regular basis to see an effect. Think of how you could incorporate some of these unique ingredients into your everyday meals. Try adding wheat grass powder to a shake or smoothie. Add sliced fresh ginger to stir-fry dishes or fried rice (my personal favourite!). And mix turmeric and cayenne to a spice rub for meat / poultry. Could you even make your own wellness shot at home with juiced fruits or veggies, ginger and lemon juice? What other ideas do you have? Let me know in the comments.
Do you have a food / nutrition questions? Ask me in the comments below and I’ll answer it in a future post.
It’s not always easy to find a nutrition book that’s easy to read and backed by credible research. But Sygo does just that. In Unmasking Superfoods, Sygo separates the truth from the hype behind some of today’s superfoods such as acai, noni, quinoa and the increasingly popular coconut oil. She also gives a shout out to kiwi, pistachios and mussels, calling them underappreciated superfoods. In another chapter of the book, Sygo offers a sound perspective on beef, eggs, potatoes and other foods which she feels have been given a bad rap. 