- With Mayo Clinic nutritionist
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
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Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
As a specialty editor for the Food & Nutrition Center, Katherine Zeratsky helps you sort through the facts and figures, the fads and the hype to learn more about nutrition and diet.
A Marinette, Wis., native, she is certified in dietetics by the state of Minnesota and the American Dietetic Association. She has been with Mayo Clinic since 1999.
She is active in nutrition-related curriculum and course development in pediatrics at Mayo Clinic Rochester and nutrition education related to the physiology and recommended intakes for premature infants.
Other areas of interest include breast milk and formula safety, neonatal feeding, and nutrition for breast-feeding mothers.
She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, served a dietetic internship at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and worked as a registered dietitian and health risk counselor at ThedaCare of Appleton, Wis., before joining the Mayo Clinic staff.
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Question
Vegetable juice: As good as whole vegetables?
Aside from missing out on fiber, is vegetable juice just as good as the actual vegetable in terms of daily recommended vegetable servings?
Answer
from Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
At least 2 to 3 cups (16 to 24 ounces) of vegetables a day are recommended for most adults, depending on age, sex and level of physical activity. Any type of vegetable counts, including raw, cooked, fresh, frozen, canned and dried vegetables. One-hundred percent vegetable juice counts, too. You're right about the missing fiber, though. Vegetable juice has plenty of vitamins and minerals, but it's lower in fiber than is a serving of most whole vegetables. Without enough fiber in your diet, you may risk constipation, high cholesterol, high blood sugar and weight gain. Some types of vegetable juice are high in sodium, too.
The bottom line: Low-sodium vegetable juice can be an easy way to increase the amount of vegetables in your diet, but don't routinely replace it for other types of vegetables.
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