You are what you eat!” This has become one of the most harped about phenomenon from the world of nutrition. Indeed your health is highly dependent on what you consume – as food or as beverage. Healthy eating is not as easy as it sounds. For this reason, the juicing diet has emerged as a vital tool to keep your health in check!
What is the Juicing Diet?
It is a form of diet plan that incorporates healthy fruit and vegetable juices in your daily consumption. Often, it is not easy to eat large amounts of fruits and vegetables in one go. With juicing, you are able to receive the same nutritional benefit in a single glass. It is not only an easy way to boost your nutrition intake but also an effective way to do so. More often, people on the juicing diet are able to consume significantly higher quantities of fruits and vegetables as compared with those who simply try to eat more of these. Hence the former is more likely to sustain better health and fitness levels.
What Are the Benefits of Juicing?
The singularly most important benefit is the fact that this medium offers significantly higher quantities of essential nutrients as compared with any other mode of consumption. Once juiced, the combination of a handful of spinach, two bananas, one apple, one mango, half melon and a cup of strawberries would resemble a glass of flavorful fluid that you can gulp down in one sip! But when you are trying to eat the same, you might come across quite a few challenges.
Another important benefit of this diet is that it helps you detoxify your body. The natural ingredients used in the making of these juices helps in cleansing your body. They do not only have the essential nutrients to keep you healthy and fit but also contain an equivalent amount of detoxifying agents. Juicing can uplift your immune system, protect you against a wide range of health problems, cleanse your digestive tract and ensure an overall improvement in health.
How Does Juicing Diet Work?
The juicing is considerably different from other forms of diets. It doesn’t require you to go through any tough regimes or exercise restraints of any sorts. It simply compels you to find time in your busy schedule to consume a glass of fresh juice on a daily basis. The best part is you can select any number of ingredients and build your own healthy juice recipes. It is not necessary for you to consume a single type of juice day in and day out – let everyday be a surprise!
If you can make other healthy improvements in your life – like indulge in some physical activity or try to eat healthy foods and snacks – it will add to the benefits offered by the juicing diet. It is easy and pretty much doable. It all depends on you – are you willing to make a positive change to your life and your health?!
Juicing for Weight Loss
Many people have been wondering if you can get a healthier body using juicing recipes for weight loss, “Does it really work?” “Is it even a healthy way to drop weight?” If you have these same questions, then read on to find out the answers and the benefits of finding healthy juicing recipes for weight loss.
By itself, juicing is not an effective solution for weight loss. One reason is fruits and veggies still do contain calories. And as any weight watcher would know, calories could be your worst enemies if you don’t keep a count.
Also, a pure juice diet is not as satisfying as your regular (healthy) meals; because fruit or vegetable juices don’t contain a lot of fiber. (In fairness, there are some high-powered or slow juicers that keep more pulp.)
So what’s the point of making healthy juices for weight loss anyway?
The good news is that juicing can be effective if partnered with your existing nutrition plan. If you don’t have one, get in touch with your dietician, doctor, and health coach.
Now, let’s get to the “juicy” part of this article. Shall we?
Major Benefits of Juicing
1. They give your body a chance to remove harmful toxins.
Juicing doesn’t replace your body’s cleansing organs, but it provides support during the detoxification process by supplying the right vitamins and minerals from a wide range of fruits and vegetables.
Also, do you know the reason why some people—perhaps including you—have a hard time losing weight is because of the toxins stored in their fatty tissues. The stubborn immune system refuses to let them go, especially if it feels this move can harm them.
What’s more, if you check the blood of those who’ve experienced weight loss, you’ll discover that it’s filled with potentially toxic substances.
2. They keep your appetite under control.
It does this by, first, correcting faulty eating habits. If you stick to this regimen, it trains your mind and body to always choose the healthiest alternative instead of junk foods. Second, the fermented pulp that’s retained in your intestines produces a waste product called as acetate, which alerts the brain to stop munching all those foods.
3. They flood your body with a ton of nutrients in just one sitting.
The sad truth is not everyone meets the ideal daily intake of fruits and veggies. When juicing, however, you can include as many nutrient-dense ingredients as you like, as long as they don’t interfere with your fitness goal.
As a whole, juicing to lose weight is a good habit to cultivate. However, it does require your commitment and discipline in order to produce your desired results. And please, don’t go on a juice fasting without proper medical supervision. Remember use juicing only as a complement to your weight loss plan.
Perfect juicing recipes for weight loss would include vegetables that contain protein, such as kale, spinach, broccoli, beet greens, and asparagus. You can also add some fruits to your recipes just to make the flavor sweeter.
Juicing Can Give You a Complete Body Detox
Think about it- in the midst of handling your ever-increasing workload and home issues, you hardly get the time to think about yourself. A lot of us just randomly grab take-away food to keep ourselves going throughout the day, and we don’t even need to stress how damaging it could be to your health.
Your body is equipped with a process called detoxification by which it expels out possibly harmful substances, and keeps it healthy and energetic. However, there are some instances where the body tend to get pressurized under the burden of handling too much in one go, and you may need to intervene and aid the natural detoxification process yourself.
Getting a complete body detox with juicing has many benefits- and here we’ve put down the top 10 reasons why you should get one!
Weight Loss
One of the best reasons to finally get a complete body detox is the fact that you’ll actually be losing weight in the process. You’ll be replacing fattening foods with a healthier meal, which is bound to trim your waistline.
Energy Boost
While following a detox diet, you’ll be practically stripping yourself of all the damaging and toxic foods you’ve been consuming for long, and turning towards a healthier, more nutritious diet, which is bound to boost your energy levels.
Improved Skin Tone
If acne and pigmentation have been bothering you for long, here’s yet another reason to try a complete body detox. Your body will be cleansed internally, which means reduced dark spots, pigmentation and acne breakouts, and improvements in your skin tone.
Better Mental Function
A healthy mind equals a healthy body. Believe it or not, detox rituals also include meditation, which in turn, improve mental function and help you maintain a positive attitude, which is one of the best ways to keep your body healthy.
Stronger Immunity
This one’s a no-brainer. Build-up of toxins in the body tends to hamper the functioning of the immune system. Getting a detox will not just remove toxin accumulations but will also enhance the functioning of the immune system.
Anti-Aging Benefits
A full body detox is also thought to have fantastic anti-aging benefits. Getting a detox will help protect your body against free radical damage which is known to speed up ageing and cause fine lines, wrinkles and age related spots.
Improved Sense of Wellbeing
It is believed that a detox ritual gets you in touch with your soul- it purifies you physically and mentally. This is why, you’ll be more calm, practical and positive in your approach towards life, and will have an improved sense of wellbeing.
Better Organ Function
Detoxification helps strengthen the internal organs and stimulates them to function better. The liver, digestive tract and the stomach are thought to have improved function following a detox diet.
Beautiful Tresses
Hair is among the most abused parts of your body, and your internal health is largely determined by the texture and state of your hair. Now that you’ve had a detox and your body is cleansed from within, your hair is more likely to have that lustrous shine you’ve always wanted.
The ‘Light’ Feeling
Trying a detox ritual, particularly a colon detox, will actually leave you feeling light and energetic. You’ll be free of all the toxic accumulations in your body, which is bound to leave you feeling more active than ever before
Other Health Benefits of Juicing
1. Juicing gives you plenty of essential nutrients in one sitting.
Hate eating veggies or fruits? Try juicing. In that way, you don’t have to spend hours chewing whole fruits and veggies. Just 6 minutes or less, you can gulp all your recommended daily nutrients.
2. Juicing keeps you hydrated.
Generally, humans lose 2.5 to 3 liters of body fluids per day. If drinking 2.5 liters of water makes you puke, why not get your fluid requirements from healthy juice? Just make sure to add a few servings of filtered fiber back to your juice to make yourself feel fuller.
3. Juicing helps to reduce food wasting.
Got any organic vegetables or fruits that are about to spoil? Yes? Then use them for your favorite juicing recipes. Just be sure to make only enough juice that you can drink at one time to prevent bacterial formation.
4. Juicing diet keeps your body protected against certain diseases.
According to a study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, seven or more servings of fruits and vegetables (more preferable) could prolong your life by 42% by reducing your risk for cancer and cardiovascular problems.
5. Use the juicing diet to shift to healthier habits.
Instead of consuming junk food every break time, go ahead and fix yourself a glass of juice using ingredients that meet your goals (like losing weight). Do this until it becomes natural for you to choose healthy foods rather than processed and junk-filled alternatives.
6. Juicing diet is a good option for people with impaired digestion.
Well, not all people can tolerate a high fiber diet. Take people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) as examples. Although soluble fibers are good for them, insoluble fibers worsen their condition. In order to still take advantage of the nutrients contained in these foods with insoluble fibers, IBS sufferers could use juicing to filter these undesirable fibers.
Note: The Juicing Diet is Not a Replacement for a Well-Balanced Diet
Juicing is a healthy habit. No doubt about that. But it’s not to say that you should totally skip eating the usual kind of meal preparation.
To be in the best health condition, you need to eat a balanced and healthy diet. It would be weird to eat liquefied lean pork or chicken, wouldn’t it?
How to Start Juicing
Nature offers health solutions in all shapes, sizes and colors. You guessed right – we are talking about fruits and vegetables. Juicing allows you to extract the best from all vegetables and fruits that you choose. It turns solids into fine granulated liquids that are easy to consume and are more effectively absorbed by your digestive system.
It is not a difficult task – you don’t need to purchase hefty gym memberships or operate heavy machinery in order to juice your way to weight loss. It is simple, achievable and workable. Here is what you need to do in order to start juicing and lose weight too.
Step 1: Invest in a Good Piece of Equipment
Juicing works, so the chances are high you will want to follow it for a long time. It will therefore be a good idea if you choose to invest in a good piece of equipment from the beginning. You can opt for one of the high end juicing machines or, alternatively, use a blender for the same purpose.
There is a slight difference between the juicing machine and the blender. For instance, the blender will blend together everything that you put in. You therefore need to be careful about removing the seeds and skin. On the other hand, the juicing machine is fully capable of extracting fluids from all components of the fruit/vegetable. It expels all of the seeds, skin and other roughage from the fruit/vegetable into another compartment, leaving behind a clear liquid.
With juicing, you don’t need to worry about any solids or semi-solids in the juice. However, with blending, you are able to make use of the fibers present in the fruit/vegetable. It largely depends on your personal preferences about the kind of equipment you want to invest in. The bottom line is that both techniques help you absorb all essential nutrients from the fruit/vegetable. This is what makes juicing fruitful for weight loss.
Step 2: Build a Plan
You need to have a schedule to consume your juices. Drinking juices a little while before your meals helps you keep your appetite low. This further enhances the benefit of juicing for weight loss. Make sure your plan is workable so that you are able to consume juice regularly. Reserve at least 20 minutes of your day to prepare juices that you can consume throughout the day. It is best not to store the juices for long to prevent spoilage.
Step 3: Personalize
Personalization helps you to maintain your juicing schedule. Add in a few flavors of your own and build your own juice recipes. Adding a few spices can help improve the medicinal benefit of your juices. Make sure you maximize your benefits in every possible way to improve your results.
Step 4: Have Fun!
If you consider it as a burden on your shoulders, you might not be able to carry on with the plan for long. Instead, build activities around this task and join juicing groups to keep you motivated. When you finally start seeing results, it will act as a motivation too! Who knows, you might end up incorporating it as a part of your lifestyle!
Lose Weight with Vegetable Juices
Obesity is a growing problem in all parts of the world. In the U.S. alone, 35.1% of adult Americans were considered obese. A concerning statistic that should concern us all. That’s why we should do everything we can to live an active lifestyle and adopt healthier eating habits. A great lifestyle change would start with healthy vegetable juice recipes.
Do Vegetable Juice Recipes Really Help with Weight Loss?
The short answer is ‘yes.’ I’m sure you’re wondering if there’s proof for the weight loss capability with juice recipes, when done right.
In one study published in BioMed Central, participants who followed a DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet plus drank 8-16 ounces of high-potassium, low-sodium vegetable juice every day for 3 months were able to lose—ready?—4 pounds. Those who followed the same diet, but didn’t drink the low-sodium veggie juice lost only a pound.
Get this. Aside from losing more extra pounds, those who drank vegetable juice were also able to meet their daily recommended intake of vegetables (3 to 5 servings). You see, most American adults don’t get the daily nutrients they need from veggies. Thus, finding healthy vegetable juice recipes could help bridge this gap. This brings us to the next question:
How Does Vegetable Juice Help People Lose Weight?
There are several ways vegetable juice could help overweight or obese people burn off excess body fats, like by controlling blood sugar levels, improving your metabolism, increasing your satiety levels, and by suppressing appetite.
Based on the same study mentioned above, lead researcher Dr. Carl L. Keen believes that vegetable juice was an effective solution for losing weight because it has appetite suppression capability.
A report by Time Magazine has a fresh explanation. It said that fiber makes people full because it releases acetate, which is formed when bacteria in your gut ferments fiber. This waste product then signals your brain that eating time is over.
To help you out, here are few important reminders you should think about when juicing to lose weight:
1. Not all veggies help you lose weight. Be careful when choosing recipes, avoid starchy veggies, such as peas and pumpkins. They are bad for weight loss. Also, certain herbs, such as basil, can actually stimulate your appetite.
2. Take your time when shopping for juicers. Masticating juicers are the best. They do slow juicing and you wouldn’t lose any healthy enzymes during juicing. They are a little pricier than regular juicers but well worth it.
3. Fresh is always good, so make just enough veggie juice that you can consume in one sitting.
4. Store your vegetable juice in an airtight container to prevent spoilage.
5. As much as possible, buy organic veggies. If you’re not sure what kind of veggies you bought are organic, wash those thoroughly using 2% of salt water to remove pesticide residues.
6. Remember, juicing is not a complete meal replacement. A well-balanced and healthy diet is still the best. Although, it would be a great way to make it a habit and start your mornings with different vegetable juices to give you a healthy boost throughout the day.
7. And of course, be sure to consult your doctor first.
You can mix any type of mixed vegetables (not starchy ones) in the juicer to make a healthy juice. Carrots are a popular vegetable to add to the recipe. Carrots juice well and they give a little sweeter flavor to a juice.
How to Maintain Weight on a Juicing Diet?
Whether you are trying to get rid of acne, lose a few pounds, cleanse your digestive system or improve your energy levels, a juicing diet can do all this for you and even more. With celebrities endorsing the advantages of liquid detoxification, more and more people are adopting it. However, before you jump on the bandwagon, make sure you know all there is to know about juicing and how it may even make you gain weight, instead of losing it.
Liquid calories are hard to measure
Because you are consuming only liquid calories, it is very easy to go beyond your daily limit unless you are careful. You need to have a sound understanding about how many calories each glass or bottle of juice that you consume contains. You also need a well-designed diet plan. If you find all of this to be too complicated, you should consider registering with a professional weight loss program. It may be somewhat expensive, but you definitely do not want to weigh more after your diet than you did before it.
Watch your calorie intake
What goes into your juice determines the number of calories it has. If you add up to four fruits, the calories will add up. On the other hand, if you increase the number of vegetables in your juice, there will be quite fewer calories in it. As the larger number of calories in each glass may start adding to your weight, you need to find the right balance. A good idea may be to use more vegetables to juice and add a kiwi or apple for a better flavor.
The feeling of deprivation
You may start your diet very enthusiastically and pear-kale-celery juice may seem okay on your first day. However, your body may soon start craving foods it is used to. Even if your strong determination gets you through the whole program very honestly, once it is over, you may find it hard to resist fries, burgers, or a sundae the very next day. This will mean that you ended up consuming more calories at a time than you did in a usual complete day before the diet.
Your metabolism may get affected
Your usual juicing fast will last between three to seven days, maybe even longer. You will consume between 32 and 64 ounces of juices every day. Your body may react as it is not getting as many calories as it is accustomed to, and will get stressed out as it may believe that it is being starved. The usual response of the body is to slow down the metabolism and this may make it more difficult to lose weight in the future. Although, this type of diet is often an easy method of providing phytonutrients to your body, the high sugar content of fruit juices can also affect your insulin levels in a negative manner.
Less energy to exercise
With less calorie consumption than usual, your body will have a lesser amount of energy. Most juicing diets advise people to conserve energy through easier, lesser and low-impact exercises. You may even feel inclined to not exercise at all. As you will burn fewer calories, additional weight may start adding on, particularly if you find it difficult to get back to your regular gym routine after your diet ends.
Now that you know all the elements that can cause you to gain weight during a juicing diet, you are better prepared to maintain your weight through the program and even after it!
Juicing May Help Prevent Some Diseases
Are you one of those who are always in a hurry and have practically no time to dedicate towards your health concerns? Are you looking for a short and guaranteed roadway to health and fitness? Here is the good news for you – healthy juices do not only possess amazing flavors but also can help you keep several diseases at bay.
Most of the health problems emerge from a single root cause – unhealthy eating habits. Since you do not have the time to sit and relax for a minute, you definitely have no time to go through the tiresome meal preparation routine. And to think you need to do that every day! The mere thought can send ripples across your spine! Healthy eating is not as easy as it sounds, so it is natural for people with no time for themselves to be forced to make time for health problems. It is one thing or the other!
However, the good part is now you can keep diseases at bay through minimal effort. Juicing can boost your immune system and your overall health so you are less prone to illnesses and hence can sustain a better lifestyle! Here is how this works.
Components of Healthy Juices
So what are healthy juices made up of? Simply put, they are made from natural ingredients mixed together in a liquid form. Add in a few fruits and vegetables and you have a healthy juice right in front of you. This is the key – juices help you to consume even those ingredients and nutrients that you would otherwise not be able to take in. This can greatly help you turn around your health and enjoy a disease-free, fulfilling life!
Another way to look at this concern is to ask yourself; when was the last time you consumed a cup full of green vegetables? This is how the juices work.
On the same note, the serving of mixed vegetables that comes with your steak doesn’t really qualify as the appropriate serving. A well-balanced meal includes almost twice as much vegetable as meat – something which is completely reversed for most restaurant meals. So why then do you wonder about obesity, cardiovascular diseases, discomfort and failing health?!
The Relationship between Healthy Juices and Disease Prevention
Most of the common diseases are caused by unhealthy eating habits. Take a close look at your meals; do they fit the description of a well balanced diet? You will find that, in most cases, the meals contain high amounts of certain nutrients while it stays deficient in some others. This imbalance paves the way for future problems.
On the other hand, juices combine the goodness of natural ingredients to bridge the nutritional gap. This, in turn, boosts health both internally as well as externally. It eventually helps in disease prevention. So are you willing to take the short and sure way to better health and lifestyle? The best part is; it doesn’t take much time from your busy schedule! You can be up and going it in no time! All the more reason to try out this magic pathway to success right away!
Juice Ingredients to Look Out For!
Juices are flavorful extracts of natural ingredients that make a classic addition to your diet.
By and large, you at a complete liberty to formulate your own signature juice recipes for weight loss. However, here are a few pointers that can enhance the health benefits of your secret concoctions. Keep these in mind so you can customize your recipes for greater overall benefits.
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that juicing is a work of art. You can use any amount of colors to paint your canvas the way you desire. In the end, the result depends solely on your choice of ingredients. How can you ensure your juice recipes are aligned with the underlying objective? Here are a few ingredients you should keep an eye on.
Added Sugars
Best juicing recipes are prepared without the use of added sugars. However, if your recipe demands some amount of sugar to improve the taste, use natural sweeteners instead. Stevia is one of the most popular natural sweeteners of today. It is extracted from the leaf of a special plant and has a chemical composition which makes it perfect for everyday use without aggravating any health risks. Alternatively, you can use honey or brown sugar for the same purpose. Avoid adding refined sugars as they can lead to bigger health problems.
Choice of Ingredients
There are two parts to a juice – the fruits and vegetables that are used to create a special flavor and other ingredients added to create consistency and texture. Make sure that the ingredients you are using are also aligned with your weight loss goals.
For instance, you can add oatmeal to your juicing recipes to improve its consistency and also accentuate its medicinal benefit. Oatmeal adds fiber to your smoothie which helps in eliminating the digestive tract of numerous problems. Besides this, it is considered as a natural fat burner. This makes this ingredient correctly aligned with your weight loss goals.
Besides this, there are a few fruits and vegetables that are also known for their weight loss properties. Those fruits and vegetables rich in Vitamin C are particularly popular in this regard.
Intelligent choices of ingredients will automatically translate into greater achievements. Take the flavorful road to weight management – what more could you possibly ask for?!
Juicing for Breakfast
Want to start your day with healthy, energizing juice recipes that prepare you for the challenges up ahead? Interested to find out how you can incorporate juices with your early morning scurries? Here is what you need to know.
Juice Recipes
Healthy juice recipes are made from fresh fruits and vegetables that have complimentary characteristics. Whether you decide to prepare your drink using a juicer or a blender, this technique helps you break your fruit/vegetable into extremely small bits that are readily absorbed by your digestive tract. This translates into an instant burst of energy and nutrition that serves as a pick-me-up during the early morning hours. You feel refreshed and energized throughout the day so you are able to achieve greater goals!
Juice Recipes for Healthy Breakfast
Admittedly, you do not have a lot of time during the early morning hours to prepare elaborate delicacies or breakfast meals. If anything, this is that meal of the day that you are most likely to skip. If you wake up running late for work, whoever would think twice about grabbing something for breakfast?!
However, scientific research has proven that this is the most important meal of the day that you shouldn’t omit at any cost. After 6 to 8 hours of sleep, your energy reserves are more or less completely depleted and your digestive tract is craving for nutrition. When you deny your body of this basic right, it rebels in a number of ways. For instance, you feel lethargic, uninterested, and sleepy – the perfect recipe for disaster during the morning hours.
For this reason, you need easy-to-make recipes that take less than five minutes to prepare, less than a minute to consume and have all the important nutrients that you need for a perfect start to your day. Your selection of fruits, vegetables and other ingredients play an important role in determining how well-balanced your early morning drink is.
Preparing your fruits and vegetables in the morning can take a significant chunk of your time. For instance, you will first need to wash the vegetables and cut them into small pieces before these can be blended and consumed. You can cut down this time by preparing your vegetables and fruits beforehand. Dedicate some time to this chore a night before so you have access to fresh drinks in the morning.
You can also prepare your vegetables a week in advance though in this case you will need to take special care for storage. Use food-friendly zip lock plastic bags to store prepared vegetables. Keep them adequately refrigerated till use. If there is a power outage or you know your refrigerator has malfunctioned, look through the vegetables carefully to spot spoilage. Bacteria and fungus grow readily on fresh produce that is stored below par. These culprits can cause a number of problems ranging between stomach upsets to food poisoning!
Set your alarm for five minutes earlier than the regular time. Use this “extra” time to prepare your juice recipes. Kick start your day with a healthy breakfast! It is simple, easy and pretty much doable if only you have the will power to do so!
Here Are Some Easy Juicing Recipes You Can Try
Virgin Bloody Mary Juice
Prep time: - 4 Roma tomatoes
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 green apple
- 1 lime
- Juice the roma and cherry tomatoes.
- Follow with the celery and cilantro.
- In the end run the apple and the lime through your juicer.
- Serve in a cocktail glass and top with a few drops of hot sauce. Enjoy!
Antioxidant Berry Juice
Prep time: - 1 cup pomegranate seeds
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 1 cup strawberries
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 cup blackberries
- Start by juicing the pomegranate seeds. Don’t drop the whole cup of pomegranate flesh at the same because you’ll run the risk of overworking your juicer.
- Follow by juicing the spinach leaves.
- In the end, juice all your berries.
- Serve in a tall cocktail glass and enjoy!
Orange Delight Juice
Prep time: - 1 ripe mango, halved
- 2 oranges
- 1 blood orange
- 2 yellow apples
- 1 lemon
- Run the apples through your juicer.
- Wash the apple juice by running the blood orange and the lemon through your juicer.
- Follow with the mango and finish your drink by juicing the two oranges.
- Serve in a tall glass and enjoy!
