I love green juice so much that I would marry it if I wasn’t already married. When I see families, especially children, drinking green juice, my heart melts on the floor, but when I see people drinking juice in a less than stellar way and making common mistakes, I get crazy concerned and want to help. That’s why I want to go over common juicing mistakes I have personally witnessed, so hopefully I can put my crazy concerned look to rest. It’s important to remember – we are all learning in this big bad world of processed foods, and juicing is better than not juicing at all, even if you make these mistakes.
TOP COMMON JUICING MISTAKES
Not Drinking Green Juice On An Empty Stomach – Recently a blogger friend of mine tried juicing for the first time, and when she finished her first juice she proclaimed to me that it gave her heart burn. Immediately, I asked her if she drank her juice on an empty stomach, and she said “No, I had it after breakfast.” Fresh juice should only be consumed on an empty stomach. The whole point of drinking juice is diminished if you don’t, and can end up giving you digestive issues like my friend experienced. Drinking juice on an empty stomach allows the vitamins and minerals in the juice to go straight to your bloodstream. Having fiber or a meal already in your stomach prevents your body from quickly absorbing the nutrients from the juice. A good general rule of thumb to follow is to wait at least 2 hours after a meal to drink a green juice and wait 20 mins after drinking a green juice to consume a meal.
Waiting Too Long To Drink Your Green Juice – As soon as your freshly made green juice gets exposed to air, its live enzymes begin to degrade, therefore decreasing the nutritional content. I can immediately tell the difference in how I feel after drinking fresh juice vs. an older juice. The live enzymes of a fresh juice give me immediate energy – where as older juice just doesn’t give me the same boost. For this reason, unless you have a slow masticating juicer, twin gear or Norwalk press juicer, I recommend always consuming the juice fresh and within 15 mins of making it. This is especially important if you make your juice without a juicer using a blender and strainer. For slow or twin-gear juicers, I recommend storing juice in an airtight container (filled to the top with no air gap) for up to 24-36 hours, and for a press juicer up to 72 hours. If you decide to store your juice, remember to keep it refrigerated at all times before consuming. This is also important to keep in mind when you buy pre-made, raw unpasteurized juice because as soon as the juice becomes warm, bacteria can begin to grow that could be harmful. Always keep your juice in the fridge or a cooler if traveling if you don’t drink it right away. If you notice your favorite juice bar keeping juices longer than 72 hours, make sure they are using high pressure pasteurization technology (like Suja Juice and Blueprint Cleanse) – otherwise, they are getting away with selling you lower quality and nutritionally degraded juice.
Using Too Many Sweet Fruits and Vegetables In Your Green Juice – Sweet fruits and vegetables like watermelon, apples, pears, and carrots are very nutritious when consumed whole, but if you consume too many of them juiced, the amount of sugar and fructose you are adding to your diet could be over the top. If a juice has too much natural sugar it can affect insulin levels pretty dramatically, causing cravings and other not so pretty things to happen, like gaining weight. This is why I recommend keeping the sugary fruits and vegetables in your green juice to a maximum of 1 per serving. For example, in the juice recipe below you can add one green apple for a bit of sweetness. It’s important to keep sugar in check to be able to sustain steady and consistent energy levels. I personally do not add any fruit to my daily green juice any longer, but I still love the occasional carrot (for their eye lash enhancing properties) and beet (for their detoxing capabilities). Exceptions to this rule are lemons and limes that are naturally very low in sugar and do not spike blood insulin levels like other fruits. (One caveat – if you are trying to get your children switched over to green juice, you can start by adding 2 fruits per serving, but then slowly decrease this over time as they become accustomed to the taste.)
Treating Green Juice Like A Meal (unless on a fast or having it as a snack) – Juice isn’t a meal replacement, rather it is a meal enhancer or snack. Juicing is nature’s vitamin pill and should be consumed like a supplement within 20 mins before a complete meal. It’s really hard to eat the amount of vegetables recommended by most experts (6-8 servings) in a typical day. It’s rare to see Americans eating vegetables for breakfast, and at lunch a typical vegetable serving could be as small as a piece of lettuce or tomato on a sandwich, making it probable that your target amount of vegetable servings for the day will not be met. It takes a few pounds of vegetables to get a 12-ounce glass of juice – which gives you an entire day’s serving in one glass. Juicing should be like taking a vitamin but of course it’s a billion times better. Additionally, drinking juice before a meal (like I recommend in the Meal Plans for Health Program) reduces carb and sweet cravings and completely changes your taste buds to want something plant-based versus something heavy or processed. Juicing allows you to absorb many more vitamins and minerals than you would otherwise by consuming smoothies or eating fruits and vegetables with the fiber. The only time I wouldn’t consume a meal after juicing would be during a juice fast.
Not Chewing Your Green Juice – Juice (and smoothies) are food and should be chewed. It’s important to swish around the juice in your mouth or move your jaw up and down for a couple of seconds before swallowing it to release saliva that contains important digestive enzymes. The digestive enzymes are crucial in delivering key nutrients to your cells. When I visited with Dr. Mercola for lunch, it was fun witnessing him doing this when he drank his green juice – he swished it back and forth quite energetically! I personally like to use less of an obvious gesture and keep the juice in my mouth a few seconds before swallowing it.
Leaving Your Juicer Dirty – I know juicing can take time and life can get busy, things like cleaning your juicer right away can get pushed to the side, but let me tell you, cleaning your juicer (at least rinsing it off) will save you and your knuckles a lot of scrubbing later. If I know time is going to be tight, I’ll often throw all the parts of the juicer in a sink and let them soak with water and a little soap – that way, when I get back to cleaning the juicer, it will be much easier. Also, to save time when I juice in the morning, I’ll pre-wash the vegetables the night before, eliminating this step the next day, and allowing me more time to clean the juicer right away. I’ve gotten my juicing routine down to 20 mins using a 2 step press juicer, which is pretty darn good if you ask me! When I use a centrifuge or another type of juicer, my timing is usually around 15 mins from start to cleanup.
Juicing Spinach or Kale Over and Over Again – Variety is the spice of life, and it’s key for juicing correctly and safely and to avoid hormonal issues. Remember to rotate the greens (kale, chard, spinach, mustard greens, collards, dandelion, arugula, etc.) in your juice each week to prevent build up of oxalic acid (which can affect the thyroid gland) and provide a balanced amount of different vitamins and minerals for your body.
You Stopped Green Juicing Because You Heard That Drinking Smoothies Is Better (or maybe you never started) – For the record, I consume both smoothies and juices, but I also know there is no other way to get the extraordinarily amount of powerful nutrients trapped inside green vegetables than to juice them. Drinking juice has the power to make you feel like you have never before – it’s quite magical and something I wouldn’t give up for every smoothie in the world. Our soil is nutritionally depleted due to the use of pesticides, genetically modified seeds, and conventional farming practices, drastically reducing the amount of many vitamins and minerals once abundantly available to us. Eating a piece of broccoli now vs. 20 years ago does not yield the same amount of nutrition. It’s crucial that we try to compensate for this fact by juicing. Juicing allows you to get the extra boost you need much more efficiently than trying to chew an unachievable amount of vegetables all day. When I started drinking carrot juice, my eye lashes immediately started to grow longer within just a couple of weeks. Feeling the extra energy boost is one thing, but seeing the results in the mirror can be quite dramatic and make you a firm believer of the powers of drinking juice. Drinking juice reduces the amount of energy your body uses for digestion, giving your cells a chance to repair and rebuild. It’s the ultimate preventative medicine when it comes to avoiding disease. Don’t wait until you are already sick or trying to get better to consume juice, it’s about creating a healthy body from within now so you never get sick in the first place.
With all this juicing talk… I have to share my most recent concoction which includes both lemon and lime. This juice is so tart and delicious and perfect for a hot Summer evening!
- 1 bunch of any green of your choice (collards, chard, spinach, kale, dandelion)
- 2 cucumbers
- ½ bunch herbs like parsley, cilantro or mint
- 1 lemon with peel removed
- 1 lime with peel removed
- 1 green apple (optional for added sweetness)
- Wash all vegetables thoroughly and place into a large bowl
- Juice each vegetable in this order – greens, herbs, lemon, lime, cucumber
- Stir mixture before serving
- Rinse and clean juicer immediately
Do you know someone who might be making these common juicing mistakes? Then please share this post with them. I want everyone to feel the ALL of the magic of the juice they are drinking!
Cheers,
Food Babe
P.S. Ready for a 3-day juice cleanse? It’s the ultimate way to break the cycle of consuming processed foods! Check it out here.
Umm I’m sorry but to say that drinking that fruit will make you gain weight is a bit ridiculous.
I’ve also heard that eating a lot of fruit will make you gain weight. It makes sense if you watch what animals eat before winter or hibernating.
I can eat all the fruit in the world and not gain weight but I definitely can feel the effects of the sugar overload after an apple too many. The point of juicing is to help you feel revitalized and energetic but too much sugar will do the opposite. Actually, my body starts to tremble slightly and I end up getting strange anxiety. So while fruit is great for you (if you have to chew on something, better an apple than a bag of chips, of course!), it is important to limit just how much you take in.
I googled “is my smoothie making me gain weight?” and I came to this site. I like to eat ice cream late at night and started replacing the ice cream with fruit smoothies which felt very satisfying. But Iam making the smoothies with almond milk, frozen fruits like peaches, strawberries, blueberries, sometimes I add kefir and sometimes I add honey and to my surprise I have gained about 2 lbs per week. I even have been eating less foods but more veggies and stilll gaining weight so this confirms my suspicions. I also started replacing honey instead of stevia and although I use a limited amount I think it also has added to this problem. So yes ingesting too much sugar even as fructose can make you gain weight.
Fruit contains fructose, which is SUGAR. Eating or juicing fruit in excess can indeed make a person gain weight. This is common sense, Brittany. Just because you don’t know some fact doesn’t mean it’s not true or ‘ridiculous’. Open your mind.
Have you heard of Dr Graham’s 80/10/10 lifestyle? I’ve read his book and been following it. I have lost weight and feel great. Also, FreeLee the banana girl on Youtube has shown me how she blends and eats fruits all day and keeps slim. It opened my mind.
Thank you Kelly.
I use more fruit in mine too. I go running and to the gym afterward and it gives me the energy I need for my workouts since I don’t like to eat beforehand.
U would be wrong. Sure, real fruit juice is better than the sugar junk at the store but fact is it can make you gain weight from caloric intake and from an insolin leve standpoint. Any time you spike your insolin level u do a level of harm and send the body into a carb cycle where u crave junk… So the information is spot on.
I am type 1 diabetic and I find that juicing whole fruits raises my blood sugar only slightly. Typically when I eat a meal I require between 9 and 12 units of insulin to regulate my blood sugar. When I juice I require less than 5 units, even if the majority of the juice is from fruit.
Juicing fruit will not hurt you, yes fruit has an abundance of sugar but it’s completely different than refined sugar. The Gerson therapy has been curing people for approx. 70 years. They only have 3 different main juices; carrot, carrot-apple, and a green juice. If you care to enlighten yourselves I suggest reading the books and/or the DVD’s.
Is using a vitamix blender ok? You consume all parts not just the juice. Wondering if it would be better for you??
I also would like to know this. I do not have a juicer but have used my Ninja to blend fruits & veggies with water and a little ice to make a smoothie/juice. Is this as nutritional and beneficial? Thanks!
I am wondering the same thing. I have a Vitamix and make Green Lemonade every morning. Does it have the same nutritional value as juicing?
@Rowena and Christine,
If you use the full vegetable or fruit you will get more nutrition out of it. The only thing you have to be careful is that sometimes it will not taste the same or have the same texture. So you have to use common sense when it comes to things like pineapple. Hope that helps.
She addresses that in the article in the next to last paragraph titled You Stopped Green Juicing Because You Heard That Drinking Smoothies Is Better.
Yes I would completely disagree that she even addressed this point adequately or accurately. You throw out so much of the vegetable/fruit by juicing it. So much ends up in your trash. That is all parts that are important for you as well. Especially if you are juicing a lot of fruits then you just have sugar water with vitamins in it. I work hard for the produce that I purchase, why would I throw it in the trash? I use my Vitamix all the time and I don’t waste my veggies or fruits and I don’t throw away all those bits that are left over in a juicer. There is a HUGE amount of nutirition still in there. I feel that the Green Lemonade has much more value to your body. I used to have a juicer also and I am so glad that I replaced it with my Vitamix.
I wish you the best though, take care.
Alyssa. Juicing and smoothies are different in which the way your body absorbs the nutrience. Both are great and you should do a balance of juice and smoothies. Juices are faster nutrient absorbing smoothies take longer cause your digestive enzymes have more fiber to break down. So it’s not a waste 🙂 check out the book juice fasting and detoxification it’ll educate you a little more
I have both a vitamix and a omega vsj843qs masticating juicer. If you do not have the time for the masticating juicer or like a quick thick drink the vitamix is easy to use/clean (at least you are doing something positive and be off to a great start without such a shock changing from regular food or buying junk from an infomercial.) The vitamix is a fantastic machine for it’s designed use. The omega juicer is for the concentrated juice full of vitamins/nutrients in a concentrated form that is easier to digest and absorb nutrients without having to drink/eat a grocery bag full of produce to get all the good stuff you don’t have the capacity to fully break down. Saying you are wasting food with a masticating juicer is false unless you recycle your toilet. (Sorry gross) The vitamix is great for smoothies which I love and thicker drinks, but you will drink more and absorb less. Every in moderation…including moderation. Just as there isn’t a single vehicle that will do everything neither will juicers. Buy what makes the most sense for you. Consider your goal, & dedication, and go from there. Both are about same price on med/higher quality end around $500 each. I started with a vitamix for same pulp logic. You still get “fiber” with a “masticating” juicer just not the amount of raw pulp as it is chewed/ masticated instead. The amount of vegetables you’d have to eat raw for the nutrients you get from the masticating juicer is impossible unless you plan on grazing all day and have two stomachs. The vitamix was a great start but I hit a wall & the omega juicer improved my weight loss results, has helped me with my other goals which include improved labs and a getting off ALL prescriptions. Please be honest with yourself and what you can commit to doing consistently. I know my limitations so chose (after 6 months) the additional expense of owning both, using both, and not quitting. There is no either-or /right answer from me or anyone just opinions to help you. (You can always go to a juice bar to start:) I don’t have kids anymore, they influenced my decision to start with the vitamix. My juicer is my espresso shot and my vitamix is my 24 oz latte. I sure hope my rant helps you realize what you will succeed at using instead of storing in closet. “I” needed both, or I would have quit and gone back to restaurants since I got sick of all smoothies. I’m single and even though I used to cook for a family… cooking for one didn’t work. I got lazy, fat and very ill. Hopefully you start doing one or the other sooner than later…and enjoy yourself:) good luck.! I apologize for my long story but I hope your decision is easier than mine was.
That would be a smoothie, not juicing. The big difference is that with juicing you’re not getting an fiber and it’s very easily and quickly digested so that the nutrients go directly to the cells and where they’re needed. Both are good but they’re different.
A littl late, but thought I’d throw my 2 cents in. Blending is great and I do so in the morning as I want something more filling, so the fiber is welcomed. Juicing of course tosses out the fiber. People will argue that you’re throwing away nutrients etc and to some extent you are, but not as much as the blending companies would like you to think. The biggest difference between juicing and blending is the amount of nutrients/healthy goodies you’re getting into your system vs volume of stuff consumed. Put it this way- a pound of produce blended will yield just that, a pound of smoothie. A pound of produce juiced will yield just ounces…I don’t know the exact ratio but it’s not much. So with juicing you’re able to consume WAY more produce by volume than blending as you’re not filling your gut up with so much pulp. That’s why I like to juice.
No, a juicer is better. The whole point of a juicer is to extract all of the nutrients from the fibres of the plant rendering the fibre useless. Also, smoothies are harder for your body to digest because of the fibre. With a juicer you’re basically pre-digesting the food for your body allowing your body to get the maximum nutritional benefit possible. Some juicers are better at achieving this than others. Centrifugal juicers are the worst of all because of the heat they create in the juicing process which kills the enzymes/nutrients in the juice. The best juicer out there and also the most expensive ($2500) is the Norwalk juicer.
Hi thank you for all this awesome information. What do you suggest if unfortunately I don’t have organic fruits and vegetables within 10 miles from my home, I do however have organic berries that are frozen and maybe sometimes the local grocer receives 1 or 2 organic fruit, but never organic greens or vegetables.
I desperately need a juicing routine, please help, Thank you Vanessa from NY
Look up the clean 15 online, not all fruits &. Veggies have to be organic. An example would be cabbage and asparagus. Good luck!
Vanessa, I was right where you are a year ago! We live in an area where it is extremely difficult to get any decent fresh produce, let alone organic! Someone on a support group (rebootwithjoe.com – couldn’t have done it without that!) said to see if we had Bountiful Baskets (a fresh produce food coop) here. Google that. You might be surprised! They started coming here about that time and now we can get beautiful produce for half the cost, organic or not, your choice! I also use produce that is not organic just so I can get more variety. I figure it is way better than none! I hope you are getting there! It has made all the difference in my life!
FOOD BABE!! WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1257471230/operation-juice-drinkbar-juicery
What are your favorite veggies to juice?
Your lemon lime juice recipe looks great. The only thing I am wondering about is what would be a good recipe for nursing moms. I know parsley, sage and mint will take a hit on a mom’s milk supply and cucumber will make a baby ultra fussy (gassy). Any suggestions. I also add coconut water because I know it has a good source of lauric acid.
Hi,
Wondering why you get super thirsty after drinking juices in the morning. Also is the amount of sugar drank in a juice something to be worried about.
I have kale, lemon, carrot, ginger, beets and 1 apple for juice almost every morning.
Also, if you are diabetic you need to be careful of the sugar content of the vegetables and fruit that you choose to juice.
I have a wonderful clinical nutritionist who explained to me that even organic vegetables and fruits have mold and fungus …she has me fill a big spaghetti pot of good clean water and add 8 drops of grapefruit seed extract and one teaspoon of vit C powder or open a capsule and use that of C…soak at least 15 minute, then empty and fill with rinse water for a few minutes. Then discard…….if not organic..the extract removes all the oily pesticides and fungus and molds..the produce looks so clean and fresh and when I drink the juice I feel it is totally clean and healthy..it is a labor of extra love before juicing but well worth it…fungus leads to CANCER down the road….I have been juicing for 30 years this way and at 65 my skin is lovely, my health is good and my energy level that of a 20 year old…….juice and bliss on
assumimg you are trying to say you use that water to wash your vegetables??
Read it as many times as u need to till u understand the post
Read it as many times as u need to till you understand the post..ok
Love your website! When it comes to juicing, can I add spices as well?
Michelle – definitely! Turmeric, cinnamon, ground ginger, and cayenne pepper are my top four. 🙂
I have seen a few juicer infomercials that encourage people to add the entire fruits and vegetables including seeds,stems and the stem scar.I cringe when I see this suggestion because there could be high levels of cyanide and arsenic in them.
You are being unnecessarily alarmist. You just need to say that pits from stone fruits such as apricots, nectarines, and peaches should be juiced.
I would think it would be redundant to suggest to people not to attempt to throw in apricot, nectarine, and peach pits in their juicers as I think common sense would prevail for them not to attempt it. But as I mentioned ,I have seen the practice of throwing in a whole tomato and apple with seeds ,stem and the stem scar., tomato leaves and stems contain solanine that is toxic if ingested, causing digestive upset and nervous excitement. I am stating a fact and hope that if someone is doing this from seeing it on TV they know not to do it. There are many plants that have a poisonous part to them and many people are not aware. Why do you see me as an “alarmist” for passing on information ? Why are you a minimalist?
Apple seeds are highly toxic. On the other hand, the most beneficial part of an abaca do is the seed.
Avacado is what I meant to say!!! Sorry:-)
Can you please check the recipes here? http://Www.nutriliving.com/recipes. A lot of the recipes there are ones I follow and most if not all contain 2 or more servings of fruit in each recipe.
Im doing a low carb diet full of protein. Im in need of vitamins and nutrients. I recently had a weightloss surgery and have a hard time getting my vitamins since I cant eat much. Im not able at this time to do dark green veggies with vit K due to some blood thinners Im on…so do u have a rwally good receipe that mayb i can add protein powder to? I dont do much fruit cause its loaded with CARBS
You have to be careful of the sugar content of your juices.
http://www.teatopia.com.au
Hi food babe! I have a ninja professional blender and I was wondering if that is OK to us for juicing? It’s what I have been using but this really keeps the fiber in the juice. It does break it way down though. Should I get an actual juicer?
I have both the Ninja system and a Jack LaLane juicer. If you want fiber in your drink, use the blender; if you want straight fiberless juice, use the juicer. I look for sales on veges and fruits, then go on a juicing spree. Last week at Aldi’s they had large full size carrots on sale so I bought 12 bags. Juice 4 carrots and one apple (Granny Smith) for a great tasting drink.
I guess the one question I have is the whether to drink a green superfood smoothie on an empty stomach or not. I currently take Green Vibrance as my chosen green superfood powder (for a few years now). I take it straight with some juice or almond milk and have always taken it on an empty stomach with no problems whatsoever. However, I just read on article from them where they advise: “Simply mixing them into water or a smoothie or a favorite juice is sufficient. In the case of Green Vibrance, more probiotics will survive the digestive process if the product is taken 30 to 45 minutes AFTER a meal. At that stage of digestion, food from the preceding meal has diluted stomach acid, raising pH to a level that will not degrade the probiotics in Green Vibrance.” So what do you think about this? Is this true? Do less probiotics survive the digestive process when taken BEFORE a meal as opposed to AFTER a meal? This stuff can get so confusing! Green Vibrance currently supplies “25 billion friendly probiotics from 12 strains”. (Is that like a crazy amount??) Thanks for any clarification you can provide. And keep up the great work! You’re a wealth of information!!
25 billion is actually a normal, recommended amount Not crazy at all.
Also, I would not replace a smoothie that has fresh fruits and veggies for Green Vibrance powder that doesn’t have any live enzymes. I like to use Green Vibrance when I am traveling or don’t have access to a blender.
Cheers.
Thank you for all the hard work you do, would you please do an article on the dangers of all the additives in toothpaste? It is something we all need to use, but it is full of poisonous dangerous chemicals including aspartame. Thank you
I use Tom’s of Maine without fluoride. You can get it at Walmart’s.
I use Tom’s of Maine w/o fluoride.
Go to http://www.wellnessmama.com for recipes for tooth powder, tooth paste, deodorant, shampoo, lotion, etc. It’s the only way to know for sure what you are putting in your body. She also has great articles and food/juice recipes.
I use neem toothpaste here:
http://www.auromere.com/Dental_Care-Toothpaste.html
I use Jason toothpaste because it has no SLS, no artificial sweeteners or colors (and others listed too) – some of the range has fluoride, so I used that whilst we lived in France (they do not add fluoride to their drinking water anymore), but in US, where fluoride IS (unfortunately for many) added to the water supply, I use the Jason Powersmile paste that is fluoride-free.
For great quality toiletries and cosmetics – and where all the hard work of screening, for health and the environment, is done for you – check out Follain.com – it is a privately-owned shop based in Boston that now has an online shop. Well worth the extra pennies for the peace of mind it gives!
I have a juicer and a blender, though I don’t really use the juicer as much. I use the blender every day due to my needs, I work out 5 days/week lifting heavy, building for fitness figure competitions. I need my whey, creatine and complex carbs and those are hard to consume by themselves or if not mixed properly. I always throw in there a whole beet, banana, a hand full of whatever berries I have and organic mixed baby greens along with hemp, chia, ground flax seeds and a teaspoon of coconut flour. For me it is a meal replacement and I sip on it for a couple of hours. I’ve shed quite a bit of body fat and increased muscle mass, currently at 9% body fat. I’m energized all day and recover v quick after each intense workout. I understand very well the insulin sensitivity especially in more active individuals like myself, but I absolutely stand behind my theory that depending on the type of sugars ingested and the amount, to little or too much can be just as bad. I also don’t eat any veggies, or use any veggie powder supplements 2 hours before and 2 hours after a workout due to the high ORAC values which, by producing such great amount of oxygen are in the detriment of building muscle mass. There’s a reason why during intense exercise lactic acid builds up in our muscles. Just my two cents in here, but appreciating your hard work, a lot of good info regardless. Keep up the good work!
How does lactic acid build up have anything to do with ORAC values. Lactic acid is a result of anaerobic respiration. I don’t understand how this all relates to each other?
Really? Ok, so maybe you should read that statement again, it makes all the sense in the world if you pay attention. Oxygen (aerobic) , no oxygen (anaerobic)….no veggies with high ORAC values prior or after a anaerobic workout (weightlifting).
“….after a workout due to the high ORAC values which, by producing such great amount of oxygen are in the detriment of building muscle mass. There’s a reason why during intense exercise lactic acid builds up in our muscles.”
Can you cite a source that shows anti-oxidants produce great amounts of oxygen?
Also very curious what type of creatine you mix into this drink?
Hi Food Babe, I have just started juicing and I love the idea of how healthy it is going to help me become 🙂 I basically love everything I have read thus far about green juices, and this post was very helpful, thank you. There’s just one thing: seeing the amount of pulp to throw away after making just one glass of juice makes me wonder how much nutrition I am actually getting… I mean, the amount of vegetables I see before juicing is A LOT and if I ate all that, I could easily say I’d gotten several servings, but when I just consume the juice and throw away all that pulp – how “many servings” are left in my glass? Wish you a wonderful day!
What juicer do you have? So many out there, I don’t know which one to buy.
Wow! I definitely learned a few things here, I for example usually make a large pot for the whole day when I juice fast. But if the juice is to be drank straight away, then maybe I should try and split those in to 3 sessions. I want as many enzymes as possible because that is the good bacteria and I’m trying to fix an issue I have with leaky gut.
Ye could try following a bone broth protocol for a few weeks/months. Apparently, it is a good ‘cure’ for leaky gut syndrome. I like to make Rattray’s ‘Curried Carrot Soup’ and then eat that with a couple of tablespoons of homemade bone broth, 1 tsp ground turmeric and a dollop of soured cream as a full meal. Cheers!
This juicing idea is great. I have just started today…the taste was awful though. Any recommended recipe for starters? I just juiced one apple and a bunch of spinach. how do i improve the taste?
The Lemon Lime Green Juice recipe on this page is my personal fave. Have you tried that one yet? The cucumber lightens it up a bit, and the lemon/lime make it delicious.
Would it work to freeze fresh vegetable in season to juice later and would this be better than juicing then freezing the juice so rather waiitng to juice the frozen produce when actually ready to drink it.
Also do you think it is better to lightly steam greens like kale before juicing to help protect the thyroid or is it good enough just to add a little kelp to balance the effect on the thyroid.
THANK YOU so much for you help on this.
Can you freeze green juices?
Hi do drinking juice just after workout makes you gain weight and look fat
To Robin
I just got the Cookworks P60 whole fruit juicer and find it excellent.
Its powerful and reasonably easy to clean (about 5 mins of rinsing and a small bit of scrubbing) and the pulp that is left in the supplied container is quite dry, which means most of the juice is extracted. I bought it in the UK for £39 although I’m sure its available elsewhere. Hope this helps.
Is it not better to leave the pulp in the juice for the fiber?
It depends on why you are juicing. If you have a leaky gut, fiber is a bad thing because it is hard to digest. If however you are trying to do a detoxifying cleanse or want to lose weight you need lots of fiber to help transport the released toxins out of your body. There is no general rule for all people.
What juicer do you have / recommend for green juicing ?
Kuvings B6000 is very recommended as it use all the fruits and veggies.
But pricey.
My husband just surprised me by ordering a Breville 800 JEXL. I’m not in a place to get an Omega but the masticating Breville is within reach if I need to trade. I like juicing and being able to store it mostly so I can take some to my mother who has cancer. Will that work for the Breville? How many days will it store? Also I’ve heard that each morning you should juice a lemon for ph health and drink it with 1 cup of warm water. How can I incorporate that with juicing in the morning? Wonderful article. Perfect timing.
Food babe! Is it okay to drink my juice cold?
Should I be steaming my spinach and kale before adding them to juices and smoothies? Just wondering about the oxalic acid issue.
how come you dont put the lemon and lime in whole…with peel…
hello Vani , I drink a tall glass of green juice and or carrot juice each morning first thing each morning then I follow it with about 2-3 cups of coffee …. Is coffee taking away any of the nutrients from the juices??
My comment was not specifically to randy….I just must of clicked the wrong thing..it was for all. Ty chtty
Please go back all and read my comment under Randy’s…very helpful..I put it in the wrong spot..sorry…chatty
I’m new here and trying to be healthier with my eating. I’m a new mom so I guess that’s what’s making me notice all my bad eating habits, especially since I’m breastfeeding. Do you have recipes you can share or direct me to recipes you like for juicing. I have a Nutibullet and would like to use it on a daily basis. I hope you get this, thanks!
Any opinions/comments on organic green supplements like TerraGreens from doTERRA or Green Miracle from Ultimate Living? I am a single mom always on the go and have always had trouble consuming veggies. This is how I get mine in now.
I have just read a comment about all the waste that is produced from masticating juicers, and while i fully appreciate, that the vegetables are very expensive, and i can see the logic in the train of thought, that you are throwing away pulp that still has goodness in it, well, as a juicer that has been doing this for some time now, i would like to convey what i have learned, the pulp that you throw away, may indeed look like veggies, but all of the vitamins and good stuff have been taken out with the masticating juicer, all you have left is a coloured pulp, with very little taste and no nutritional content.
Now i must confess i am no doctor or nutritionist, but if you take away the nutritional content of the fruit and veg, surely the only thing that remains is the fibre content, very important . i know.
but what is the point of eating pulp with no flavour, and no good stuff left.. we complain about the cost of the veggies and the waste, but i question this. do we complain about the price of a maccy ds or pizza hut offering, even though we know they are bad for us… what is the reason we take juice, for health. i am unaware of any offering from fast food restaurants that are healthy. Maybe someone could enlighten me.. happy juicing and healthy lives people
I have been using a juicer for 14 years. I am finishing the sixth day of a ten-day juice fast, and the effect on my body, appearance, and sense of well-being have been dramatic. I consume 10 drinks in all, all 16 ozs, except for the final drink of the day, which is a large cup of twig tea. With the juicer, a make 3/10 juices per day. A typical day might consist of the following:
1. Upon arising, pure water and 2 tsp lemon juice
2. organic apple juice + pure blueberry (both from Whole Foods)
3. Water or hot tea
4. Organic carrot juice made with juicer
5. Knudsen v8 low sodium (from Whole Foods)
6. Water
7. Organic red grape + organic pear juice using juicer. (From from Whole Foods)
8. Veggie juice made with juicer (celery, tomato, spinach, cucumber, green pepper)
9. organic apple juice + cranberry concentrate (both from Whole Foods)
10. hot twig tea before bed
I have just these 10 drinks, don’t exercise, and do light work around the house, walk the dog, study, etc… while waiting for bar exam results. Thus far, I have dropped 11 pounds, my eyes are clearer, my skin tone is even, my belly is shrinking to its normal size (the size of my fist), fat cells are being raided of their toxic contents, and the sense of clarity I feel is incredible. I may extend this to 21 days with variations in some of the drinks. I have know desire for food at this point, and look forward to the juices as if my body is content while it regenerates.
i heard you need to wash all green vegtables and fruit with 5 spoonfulls of salt to 1 one litter water then rise with plain water to get the poison off and not to eat the peelings because the poison is waxed in and you cant wash it off i quit juiceing because i got sick i got a rash on my wrist and both elbows that iam haveing a hard time getting rid off plus bowel problems and ect the doctor send it was from
pestisides poisoning from juiceing just thought people should be carefull
only juice organics and peel those you would normally (citrus, etc) and yes wash all produce in vinegar or grapefruit seed extract as someone mentioned above
How about using all the leftover pulp from juicing to make soup stock? This could work for all veggie juices, as opposed to fruit juices. Althoug, come to think of it, I make a pretty mean Cold Cherry Soup in the Summertime and having a fruity soup stock from my fruit-based juicing could add more complex flavour and possiblya bit more nutrition if there’s anything left in the pulp.
Hi,
Thanks for this knowledge. I never thought about the sugars I was consuming when I juice. I did an apple and carrot juice for four days and felt hungry after wards. I’m glad I found your website. I hope you’ll add some recipes here.
I’LL DO IT TONIGHT, PLACE IT IN A MARTINI CUP AND DON’T LET MY GUESTS KNOW UNTIL THEY FINISH IT ALL!! 😉
Perhaps some would like to check-out Jay Kordich “Juiceman” , he was diagnosed with bladder cancer in the 1940’s, he turned “91” on 8-26-14 and also has been awarded at the AMA convention for his health practices.
Is it ok to put ice in my juice? It’s not cold enough for me and the riom temperatuee juixe makes me want to gag
Sorry for the spelling….i hate texting on this phone
Yes – that’s fine 🙂
Could you explain to me why juicing is any different than blending it? Every fast/cleanse I’ve seen you can blend. Thanks for the help. I love blending but if juicing is better, I’d love some support and evidence to purchase one!
People are unique. What works for some is not universal. It’s not black and white. Overly sweet juice can be difficult for someone with a sensitivity to sugar, or type 2 Diabetes. Others have no problem with it. Fruits and vegetables that have been juiced, maintain some soluble fiber , which helps modify a sugar/insulin spike. It’s not enough for everyone. The caution about fruit and sweet veggies is useful. It comes down to trying for your self and seeing what works for you.
Can I use white vinegar and water to soak my veggies/fruits? I have been doing this to get rid of any fungus. Just wondering if this is okay?
It really doesn’t matter whether you juice before or after eating.
Whatever goes through your stomach won’t be more or less absorbed, full or not, everything in it will be processed.
The benefits from juicing no matter the time of day will still be the same.
This is an excellent site, and article. I often use the peel of the lemon and lime in my juicing (smoothies too). Tastes great! Any health reason not to do this?
Hi I started juicing about 3 months ago. Every other day I juice the following items using a centrifugal juicer. Spinach, Beets and leaves, Asparagus, Carrots, Brussel sprouts, Celery, Celantro, Broccoli, Red Cabbage and Apples. The pulp I use in meat loaf or boil and strain the pulp for a delicious vegetable broth. I drink it on an empty stomach about 12 ozs. I’m also learning to grow my own vegetables. Do you see any way I can change or improve? Thanks, David, Sparks, NV.
Dr. Kirschner ,Norman Walker,Dr Pope,Gerson ,These are Good places to start,for juicing in my opinion.All published early 50s,Some research on the benefits of Live juice with the energy and life giving forces from the organic raw vegetable and fruit for cures for disease since 1936 even as far back as 1840.The base for us is carrots with a few apples,sometimes with kale,beets,celery ,spinach,parsley etc…We do not mix any other kinds of fruits with our vegetable juice except apple,which goes straight to the cellular level between 15 to 30 minutes, is my understanding.We prefer to eat our fruits (mostly on our salads with nuts and seeds).We use a champion juicer,vitamix for salsas,smoothies,soups.We also take spirulina and chlorella in distilled water which we make at home.We usually get serious when in crisis (naturally)..,juice juice juice and we see and feel very quick results.This is just part of our journey.We are not perfect/We do not promote any way,this just seems to work for us.Keep researching and become aware of what works and what doesnt work for you.There is alot to learn about,Thank you @foodbabe.com for sharing and getting down to business.
Great ideas!I think Juice made from green leafy vegetables is the latest health-food trend. Juicing is a great way to get the nutrients your body needs from vegetables.