By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern
You’ve probably noticed these little, tiny vials of red, green, or yellow colored liquid in the juice section of the grocery store, or at trendy juice bars. These little bottles of liquid are wellness shots, which are essentially concentrated shots of fruit and vegetable juice. They are touted to have multiple health benefits, whether it be to detox your system, reduce inflammation, or boost your immunity, among others, so they carry a hefty price tag. But do these little bottles of juice really do all that much for you to make them worth the money?
Grocery cart filled with nutritious fruits and vegetables. Ultimately, it’s important to stick to fresh fruits and vegetables and incorporate more into your diet.
According to registered dietician nutritionist Monica Auslander Moreno, these wellness shots aren’t necessarily bad for you, but they also aren’t doing your health any major favors either. She says that consuming these tiny amounts of the fruits and vegetables that go into these shots doesn’t automatically make you healthy, nor does it cure any ailment. Instead, she says that regularly eating a healthy diet that contains a variety of fruits and vegetables is much more effective.
So, if you’re considering whether or not to start taking daily wellness shots, take a look at your current diet. If you’re lacking in fruit and vegetable intake, you might get some benefits out of taking a small concentrated shot of juice. But if you’re already eating a variety of fruits and vegetables, then you probably won’t benefit much from a wellness shot.
For more health-related articles, check out the Fill Your Plate blog!