Get Your Juice On! The Epic Health Benefits From Juicing!
Get Your Juice On! The Epic Health Benefits From Juicing!
As I am writing this blog post I am currently on day 2 of a 3 to 5 day juice cleanse…and I am feeling super Epic! I can feel my body detoxing and healing itself…There is truly magic in this process…:)…
Let’s find out why!..
Juicing helps to protect you from disease. By increasing your intake of vitamins and minerals your protection from diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, digestive system issues, and a weak immune system are greatly increased.
Green juice (celery, cucumber, kale, etc) to be more specific helps to detox your body. The Phytochemical's in the juice help to dissolve the free radicals floating around your body. These free radicals are what put many people at a higher risk of disease. Add in a sedentary lifestyle and poor nutrition choices and its bad news bears…time to get your juice on!
Juicing is a reset for your body, and can also reduce inflammation. If you suffer from inflammation or pain juicing will be a welcome natural relief to you because of its anti-inflammatory properties.
Consuming leafy green vegetables ( the darker the better ) and fruits with a high yield in vitamin C will help to heal your body with antioxidants. Just remember the general rule of thumb with juicing, its called the 80/20 rule. 80% vegetable, 20% fruit.
By practicing this rule you won’t spike your blood sugar with too much sugar filled fruit. Fruit is healthy and good for you, but it is also packed full of sugar. Follow the 80/20 rule and consume it in moderation.
If your body needs a reset, juicing is the answer you have been looking for. Freshly juiced organic vegetables are a great way to flood your body with vitamins and minerals and start over.
Juicing can increase your energy levels, naturally. Some fruits and vegetables are full of B vitamins.They include ginger, beets, select citrus fruits, and leafy greens. By juicing these certain vegetables and fruits and getting the nutrients right into your system, your energy levels are naturally increased.
If your nutrition is not good you are lacking vitamins and minerals. If you are lacking vitamins and minerals you are not firing on all cylinders. This is why you may get super tired at the drop of a hat, or experience brain fog all of the time. Your body is trying to run like a race car, only on super cheap gas, it may run…just not very well. Juicing is a great source of getting the vitamins and minerals your body requires. Especially if you are not a huge fruit and vegetable fan.
Juicing is a great tool for weight loss. Juicing will help you start your journey in weight loss, but it is a tool, not a “magic pill”. By juicing your food you are giving your body and your digestive system a huge break, letting it catch up from years of working.
This also let’s your body use the energy it would normally use for digestion to detox and repair the rest of your body, clean out old cells, etc.
You will lose weight when you do a juice cleanse, but the health benefits are much greater than weight loss. Being able to restart your body and give it a break is huge.
You have to detox all of the icky out to make room for all of the healthy goodness from your healthy choices you are making. Remember two things cannot occupy the same space.
Once you start eating again you will put on a few pounds of the weight you lost, but remember your body is brand new and running efficiently. So if you feed it healthy yummy food you will stay on your journey of weight loss, health, and to your best self.
Nutrition…exercise…mindset…attitude…environment…It’s all part of it…:)
Which juicer is best for me?
There are four main types of juicers:
Centrifugal force juicer
Masticating juicer (slow juicer)
Twin gear juicer
A juice press
The two most popular and affordable for everyday home use are the centrifugal force juicer and the masticating (slow juicer).
We will discuss how each one works and list the pros and cons below. Also give a link to a good juicer for each type.
The centrifugal force juicer:
This juicer is also referred to as a fast juicer. This is the most popular of all off the juicers for home use. These juicers are fast, and inexpensive making them a great buy.
To use the centrifugal juicer you feed your fruits and vegetables through a feed tube which leads them to a shredding blade that is operating from 6,000 to 14,000 RPM. The juice is then thrown by the force of the spinning basket to the edge of the basket to be pushed through a sharp screen, and ending up in into a glass. The juice that is produced from this type of juicer can contain up to 30% more solids (stems, seeds, and skins) because the separation is so fast.
The Pros:
They are the cheapest juicer to buy.
Their construction is vertical (up and down) so a lot of counter space is not required.
They are the fastest juicer if time is an issue.
The Cons:
Seeds and nuts are not ideal to be used in this type of juicer (you can use them in some) so if making nut milk at home is a priority, you may want to reconsider this juicer.
The juicer is fast, but in being fast it gives you lot more pulp (solids) in your juices.
The juices don’t stay fresh very long (as with masticating juicers). You can still get couple days out of juice when refrigerated though.
These juicers are noisy.
These juicers allow for more oxidation to occur , making a foam on the top of your juice, and causing it to separate quickly.
A result from the rotation speed is heat, which can degrade the quality of juice.
These juicers don’t handle wheat grass, or leafy greens as well as the masticating juicer.
If you are just beginning your juicing journey this juicer is a great route for you go. The juicers can fit any budget, are fast, and get you juicing!
I will post a link below for the tried and true most bang for the buck centrifugal juicer. We have this juicer, and I can say it is fast and a power house and produces great juices.
BREVILLE JE98XL CENTRIFUFAL JUICER
The masticating juicer:
The masticating juicer is also referred to as the slow juicer. They utilize an auger (a gear) to crush the vegetables and fruits as they force them through a sharp screen at 80-100RPM.
Some companies market these juicers as a cold press, this not true as the vegetables are not pressed, they are crushed through the screen with the auger.
The Pros:
They can be used to make nut milk
They can make nut butters and baby food
The juices last longer verses other juicers.
Less oxidation than the centrifugal
You can juice leafy greens such as wheatgrass, kale and spinach
These juicers have a higher juice yield (you get more juice) than the centrifugal juicer.
The Cons:
They are slower than the centrifugal juicer because they take more time to extract the juice.
These juicers have a horizontal (side to side) design and take up more counter space.
They are more expensive than centrifugal juicers.
The chutes are generally smaller than the centrifugal, so more prep work is needed.
This style of juicer is perfect for the person who can spend a little more time (versus the centrifugal juicer) and looking to get the full nutrient value out of their juices.
We also have a masticating juicer, I will post the link below of the one we use. This is also a great juicer if you have the time to use it, also for juicing all at once for a 3 to 5 day juice cleanse. This juicer also produces yummy healthy juices.
OMEGA 8006 MASTICATING JUICER LINK
How do I start my juice fast?
Congratulations on wanting to start your first juice fast! I am excited for you to feel better and achieve your fresh start…:)
You can do your first juice cleanse for one day, two days, three days, etc ( I wouldn’t exceed 7days). Set your goals and listen to your body, if you make it through one day on your first one…that is Awesome! Strive for two on your next juice fast. Remember there are no hurries or worries, and to listen to your body.
Here is what you need to accomplish before your juice cleanse:
About a week before start eating a little less than normal, smaller portions . If you are currently not eating a lot of fruits and vegetables incorporate more of these into your daily nutrition. By the end go the week if you can have a balance of 80% of your nutrition raw vegetables to 20% everything else you will be better set up for your juice fast.
It will also help your juice fast success while in this week to taper down alcohol, meat, wheat, and refined sugars. You will feel a lot better by doing this and get so much more out of your juice cleanse.
During your juice cleanse:
Drink clean water (spring water, reverse osmosis, etc) in abundance: This will help you get the full detoxing effect of your juice cleanse by helping wash out the icky. It will also keep your body hydrated.
Avoid sugar and other stimulants: Let your body work. By taking excessive stimulants like soft drinks, alcohol, tobacco, and sweetened coffee you are using energy that is meant to be detoxing and refreshing your body. Organic black coffee, organic green tea, and organic herbal teas ( Chaga, etc) can help get you through your cleanse, but use all with no added sweetness or cream and in moderation.
After the cleanse:
Sweet! You made it! Nice job…:)
You will want to ease back into eating whole foods the say you eased into the fast.
Take a few days for this and don’t be in a rush. Remember to keep the 80% to 20% ratio up during this time. 80% being raw live food (fruits, vegetables, live coconut yogurt, etc) and 20% everything else. Don’t be running out and wolfing down a big mac or icky processed food. Remember you have just reset your body so this is a great time to focus on making healthy nutrition choices that will add to your longevity and quality of life.
Here are a few juice recipes that I use to get you started:
Detoxing green juice:
1 bunch of organic celery
1 organic cucumber (peeled if using a centrifugal juicer)
1 organic lemon
1 inch piece of organic ginger root
A few organic basil leaves
1 organic green apple (take out the core)
Be sure to wash everything…
Chop it…juice it…and enjoy!
This will make about 10-12 ounces of juice.
AM energy juice:
1organic Fennel bulb
1 organic cucumber
2 organic green apples
1 inch piece of organic ginger root
Be sure to wash everything…
Chop it…juice it…and enjoy!
This will make about 10-12 ounces of juice.
Just can’t BEET it…:)
1 organic beet
1 bunch of organic celery
1 inch organic turmeric root
1 organic cucumber
Be sure to wash everything…
Chop it…juice it…and enjoy!
This will make about 10-12 ounces of juice.
I hope you enjoy juicing as much as we do and it becomes a part of your toolbox of wellness…
Have fun with it…mix a bunch of different organic vegetables together and see how it tastes to you…there are no limits to your juicing fun…:)
Here to your health…
Cheers!
