Healthy Juicing for Losing Weight, Increasing Energy, & Improving Health

Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead…

Thanks to the award-winning, breakout documentary film “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead” (2010) starring Australian Joe Cross, the idea of juicing has come to the forefront as a superior dieting and wellness alternative for people looking to lose weight and lead a healthier lifestyle.

Simply stated, juicing is the extraction of juice (liquid) from an assortment of fruits and vegetables.  It can be done manually (e.g. with an inverted cone) or with sophisticated, specialized equipment most often powered by electric motors.

Mr. Cross himself has parlayed use of a Breville juicer in “Fat, Sick” into a lucrative cross-promotional marketing deal with the aforementioned appliance company.

Even people who do not practice juicing regularly laud it as an admirable “bridging” activity for those who normally shun fruits and vegetables in their diet.  Let’s face it; many Americans have a hard time getting the 8-10 servings of fruits and vegetables recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Harvard School of Public Health, and other prominent nutrition advocates.

Some juicers claim to retain up to 95% of food nutrients from the original source.  In this case, it would appear logical and reasonable to make juicing part of everyday life.  However, what are the practical reasons for justifying the purchase of a two, five or even eight-hundred dollar juicer, every two to three years?

Here are some positive aspects to consider:

• Increased energy and accelerated weight loss.  For example, Joe Cross’ sixty-day (60) juicing diet helped him lose one-hundred pounds!
• Eliminate the need for expensive dietary pills and other supplements that actually worsen your long-term health.
• Reduces your environmental footprint, especially when you adopt “Green” juicing methods.
• Retains leftover pulp to ensure that you do not lose all the benefits of healthy fiber intake.
• Detoxifies the liver and improves overall cellular health.

Juicing is regarded by some, including health experts Dr. Dean Ornish and Dr. Joel Fuhrman, as an excellent tactic in the battle for improved cellular health.  It is one way of ensuring that we quickly receive the necessary micronutrients (vitamins, minerals) and enzymes so critical for fighting off diseases and maintaining a healthy body mass.

In particular, cruciferous vegetables (e.g. broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, kale, Brussel sprouts, watercress, etc.) should be consumed on a daily basis to help fight off the onset of various diseases.  Juicing these vegetables offers several benefits, including a ready source of chlorophyll, believed to possess many anti-cancerous and skin health properties.

Juicing versus Blending

Juicing offers people a number of potential benefits: concentrated nutrition, a convenient system for absorbing nutrients, weight loss and healing.  However, some critics invoke over-nutrition, too much sugar, and a loss of fiber as reasons for limiting or avoid the practice altogether.  If juicing does not suit your food consumption habits, blending may be a suitable alternative.

Blending is known to keep whole foods whole, which helps you absorb the right amount of nutrients and eat their fiber content.  Recall that fiber has numerous health benefits, including:

• Lowering the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and high cholesterol.
• Maintaining a healthy colon; preventing colon cancer
• Helping to avoid overeating, constipation.
• Helping to maintain sugar levels, especially critical for people with diabetes.

Both juicing and blending are great options for people who lead active, fast-paced lifestyles.  We encourage you to try out both methods to see what works best.

3 Healthy Juicing Recipes

The Internet is full of juicing recipes that cry to be tried out.  Here we present three that seem well-tailored to beginners and long-time juicing advocates alike:

1. Spinach-Blueberry-Apple-Lemon

• One to two ounces of spinach.
• One pint of blueberries.
• One apple.
• One lemon.

Wash spinach, blueberries, and apple. Core the apple and cut it into quarters. Cut the peel away from the lemon. Put the ingredients through the juicer. Run any wet pulp back through the juicer. Scrape off the foam and serve.

 2. Dr. Oz’s Green Drink

On the January 7, 2013 airing of NBC’s Dateline, Dr. Mehmet Oz reveals his formula for the ultimate green drink:

• Two hands full of Spinach
• Half head of Parsley
• Two Sprigs of Mint
• Orange
• ½ Lime
• ½ Lemon
• Carrots
• Cucumber
• Apple with skins
• Pineapple (upgrade from ginger in Dr. Oz’s previous recipe!)

3. Kale Green Juice.

• Three Carrots
• One Apple
• Three or four Celery Stalks
• Three cups of Kale (note: kale is considered to be the most nutrient dense of the green, leafy vegetables).

Juicing Is Fun, Easy, and Delicious

You do not need a certificate or specialized training to begin juicing. All it takes is reasonable juicing equipment and the motivation to make two (2) glasses of healthy, nutritious juice every day. You can combine juicing with your current good eating habits, or if you’re like Joe Cross, adopt a thirty or sixty-day juicing diet to get immediate weight loss results.

Mind you, even if you’re not like Joe, you can still derive meaningful benefits from regular or semi-regular juicing.  Introduce yourself to it today to discover how tasty and nutritious fruits and vegetables can be in liquid form!

Sources:

http://www.omegajuicers.com (Recipes for juicing | Omega Juicers)