We learn a little here, a little there; we've grown to love whole-fat foods, begun weaning out processed materials from our diets, integrating flax, curbing grains, and now we're turning raw food into 100% nutritious JUICE.
I tell you, we're only on day 3, and I feel amazing. Better than all other food choices, combined.
Day 1 I saw no difference; day 2 was a full-blown die off experience (I was miserable); and day 3 is leaving me full of energy! I am seriously bouncing off the walls. As a woman prone to fatigue and anemia, this is seriously impressive.
Why I Gain Weight
I personally gain weight as a result of sugar consumption. I am a fatigued person (thanks to low iron content in my blood), and a lack of sleep caused by a frequent-night-waking baby doesn't help the situation. In a pinch for 2 PM energy, I snack. And then 5 PM energy. And then 8 PM energy. I snack, snack, snack. And not on whole, healthy foods. On sugar.
In my body, consumption of processed sugar creates swift weight gain and an overall energy crash.
So here's my juicing sales pitch for you to consider:
How often would you sit down to eat...
- 2 raw apples
- 1 raw carrot
- 1 raw slice of lemon
- 1/4 raw bell pepper
- 1 raw slice cucumber
- 1/4 piece raw celery
- 1 inch raw broccoli stem
- 1 inch slice raw beet
For me? NEVER. The benefits of raw foods are pretty widely known: more enzymes than cooked fruits/veggies, more protein absorption, and overall better digestion.
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| Yeah - or I could drink this. Recipe found here. |
But I didn't realize that raw foods were a pure energy provider!
The above recipe, thrown into a juicer, creates a tasty juice in the afternoon.
Or for breakfast, combining a chunk of lemon with 2 apples and 3 carrots has become equivalent to drinking PIE. Pie that boosts everything.
How to Get Started
First, get started by doing your research. Juicing isn't cheap - fresh fruits and veggies are costly, especially if you're buying organic. Doing a thorough amount of research will be the only way to be sure that you are making the right choice with your grocery bill.
Decide whether you're going to do a strict juice diet (example, a 3 day cleanse), or just incorporate juicing into your daily meal plan. Because I'm nursing, I've decided to keep our meals as usual and add juicing while excluding snacking.
Second, choose some recipes that sound delicious to you. I love the free recipes available at JuiceMaster.com. So far my favourites are the Sweet Cherry Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup, Juice Master's Detox Special, and Sweet Carrot 'N' Apple Pie.
Third, pick a juicer. There are a wide range of juicers and prices to choose from - we found Jack LaLanne's Harmony Juicer a good deal as introductory juicers, and it works well with little problems (on sale for $78 at WalMart). Some people say the motor isn't great, but since we're less than a week in, time will tell.
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| Amazon's got it. |
Just juice & enjoy! No peeling, seeding, or coring required (although we find it good to quarter the apples).
I've been wanting to get a juicer and go for it the past year or so, but I just haven't been able to bring myself to spend the money on one -- especially when I know the fruits + veggies aren't cheap either. I'm sure the amount we wouldn't be spending on snacks would probably do a decent job at evening things out!
ReplyDeleteI hear you! This juicer was $78 on sale - there are less expensive (and MUCH more expensive) options, but I am happy with the one we have!
DeleteWe do snack less & I find myself less hungry here on day 5!
Hmm... I'm going to sound quite skeptical in this comment but please hear me out.
ReplyDeleteI recognize the goodness in the variety of fruits and veggies that you say are going in this juice, but how is this any different than just eating some raw carrot sticks and an apple as a snack?
I also remember reading an article once (sorry, it was a while ago so I don't have the link) about how the "softness" of our food directly relates to our digesting capabilities. So a harder food (raw carrot) is much harder to digest (aka, takes longer, thus giving energy over a longer period of time) than softer foods (slice of bread, or even a cooked carrot), and the article recommended for healthier lifestyle and overall benefits to choose harder foods more often.
That being said, if you are just DRINKING your veggies then that's the ultimate soft food - wouldn't you just digest that very quickly and be hungry almost immediately? What's your experience so far?
And finally, since you've only experienced one day of awesome energy I'm hesitant to attribute that to your juicing (that's the scientist in me), although I'm curious to hear about how this juicing fares over the long run so please do keep us updated on your progress :)
Joanna
Thank you for your comment Joanna! I like what you had to say :)
DeleteWe're not exclusively juicing, so the hard vs. soft food issue and how that relates to digestion would definitely be a consideration for those on a juice-only diet (which don't seem appropriate for us right now), but seeing as our juicing is pairing with meals or substituting for snacks, I think we're in the clear in terms of hunger. Our full meals provide longer term energy as they should, because they have the slow-release carbs our bodies need.
Also... when I chew a carrot vs. drink a carrot, I think the same result ends up in my stomach. The issue is more that I wouldn't sit and eat a raw carrot!
I find myself less hungry & therefore less snacky on juicing, and I've heard this is a pretty common result of juicing.
We're now on day 5 and I have a steady stream of good energy - yesterday I went to Aquafit, and snow tubing, and stayed out late, and had lots of energy for my baby... no nap required! This is pretty unique for me. (And this is with no coffee, haha!)
Everyone is different, but raw foods seem to have the same benefits for everyone regardless of who they are. My friend Jaimie over at HealthNuttyProfessor does a great series on raw foods every Friday - and as long as it's raw and it's in my body, I'm happy!
Jaimie's Rawsome Fridays series can be found here: http://www.thehealthnuttyprofessor.blogspot.ca/p/recipes_9.html
Thanks for commenting and reading!
Hey gals!
DeleteLove the post on juicing. We feel so much better when we juice too.
Right now I'm reading 2 books: Gerson Therapy, and Hungry for Change. Both books discuss the importance of detox in the form of juicing.
There are differences in the way your body absorbs a whole food versus a juiced food. In Gerson Therapy (to treat illness), the Doctor who invented the program, Max Gerson, talks about how juicing is a better option in general because it is much easier heal and prevent degenerative diseases because they are in a more broken down form for the gastrointestinal tract. It's overall better for digestion. Drinking juice also lets you get a huge amount of nutrients in a short time, an instant boost of energy, and right to the blood stream! It's amazing actually!
To be totally honest, we can't afford to juice pounds and pounds of fruits and veggies each day because it can get so costly. We like to go back and forth between smoothies and juicing. Smoothies are great as well, but sit heavier in the stomach. They will contain lots of fibre though.
Happy Juicing! I'll be doing a more detailed blog when I'm finished my books! Keep an eye out!