The federal government''s new food pyramid recommends most adults eat anywhere from two to three cups of vegetables and one and a half to two cups of fruit every day.

But what if you prefer to drink your fruits and veggies? A viewer wants to know if it''s possible to get the same health benefits by juicing your daily requirement of fruits and vegetables instead of eating them.

Some people swear by it. They like to turn their fresh produce into juice, and to drink their daily requirements of this food group.

Amanda Clover, a nutritionist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, says juicing can play a very important role in a healthy diet. "However, there''s a few things you need to keep in mind if you''re drinking juice as opposed to eating the whole orange or the whole thing of broccoli."

First, Clover says any juice you make from fresh fruits and veggies will be higher in calories.

"You''re getting more calories less volume. Two, it''s not going to fill you up like eating the real thing is and three it''s not going to have the fiber and all of the phytochemicals you get from eating the real food in its natural state."

So for the maximum health benefit, Clover says it''s still best to eat these foods either raw or cooked in their natural state. But she says there can be a compromise for those who want to fit fresh juice into their diet.

"The recommendations are 5 to 9 servings per day. If you could maybe eat half of those in the whole thing, grab an apple on the go and eat a banana and the others if you want to juice go ahead and juice them and drink it."