No, I’m not talking about steroids. Not that kind of juice.
Juicing became really popular about five years ago and people have wanted on that bandwagon ever since. There are tons of different juicers, from super fancy to straight up crappy. I just use THIS basic juicer. It works for me and I recommend it.
Believe it or not, there’s a right and wrong way to juice. Don’t worry, the right way isn’t hard. It’s just likely that you may be doing it the wrong way.
Problem #1:
A high sugar juice.
For example, when I talk to people about juicing, I first ask what they’re using to juice. It usually goes something like this: “A cucumber, an apple, a pear, pineapple, spinach, and berries.” Holy fruit that’s a lot of sugar! You have to consider that you’re not getting any fiber when juicing, which normally helps slow the absorption of all that sugar. So when you juice a lot of fruit, you’re basically getting a sugar rush.
Solution:
Stick to veggies! Here is my go-to recipe that is full of antioxidants and the goodness of veggies but without all that sugar.
- 1 cucumber
- 1 head of romaine
- 4 kale leaves
- 1 beet
- 4 carrots
- 1 lemon
Feel free to mix it up. Natural sugars are provided from the beet and carrots which makes this juice pretty tasty. Just make sure to stick to veggies and you can throw in low sugar fruits, like a green apple.
Problem #2:
Not consuming a fat with the juice!
I know that a lot of people are still afraid of fat, especially those who have turned to juicing. But if you don’t consume a fat with your juice, you won’t absorb the fat-soluble vitamins: A, E, D and K. And they’ll be wasted. Which sucks, because A, E, D and K are necessary for health.
Solution:
Eat a tablespoon of coconut oil with your juice, or mix in a raw and pastured egg yolk.
Problem #3:
Drinking juice with a meal.
Many people don’t realize that they should drink juice on an empty stomach. This is because you need the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and detoxifying effects of the juice to be immediately absorbed. If there’s food in your belly, they won’t be. Your body will be working on digesting the food, whereas if you drink juice on an empty stomach, it can be readily absorbed into your bloodstream. It also makes the juice more detoxifying.
Solution:
Drink green juice first thing in the morning. You can follow it up with breakfast 30-45 minutes after.
Problem #4:
Juice fasts! I don’t know why this trend is still so popular. I actually think it’s fine to do this ONCE in a while and always with good fats like coconut oil and egg yolks, but most people don’t do this.
They go on juice fasts (usually with a lot of sugar) to lose weight. The purpose of a juice fast, if you’re going to do it at all, should be to detoxify. Not everyone needs to do this, but it can be helpful for some people who have severe toxin issues.
Solution:
Instead of going on a juice fast, drink a green juice every morning to maintain your non-toxic status in a healthy way. This will help you detox slowly and over time without any harmful side effects associated with juice fasts.
I’m totally down with juicing, just not the trend that has become juicing. Always use your common sense when it comes to juice. Don’t drink a ton of sugar, always drink it with a fat, drink it on an empty stomach before a meal. This will ensure that you safely and effectively detoxify.
