Like most of us, I used to run on coffee and sugar. A couple of lattes to wake me up in the morning and a chocolate bar to keep me going until lunch, which was a calorie-counted sandwich.
Then another “healthy” oat bar (full of sugar) which would provide me with just enough energy to totter home and collapse in front of the TV and call for a pizza delivery.
The trouble is that this lifestyle leads inevitably to physical and mental burnout. I’ve been there, done that. And I’m not the only one. Am I?
What most of us need is a simple way out the dilemma and the easiest, most effective method I've found is to eat less and drink more. And the one most effective means of doing both those things is juicing.
Our digestion is the most “expensive” system in the human body; it uses a huge amount of energy just to process the junk that we stuff into it.
Juicing allows us to consume an optimal amount of vegetables in an efficient manner. (And we all know that we should be eating at least five portions of those a day, right?)
Consequently, we're able to provide ourselves with lots of healthy, healing nutrition without overloading our hard-working digestive system. All the energy that we save can then be used for physical and mental rejuvenation.
Hurrah!
I’ve been drinking one pint of home-made juice every day for three years now and can report that the results have been all that I could have possibly wished for. I wake up energized; my brain is sharper, I am happier, more optimistic and have come to understand what it feels like to be ALIVE again. Like it was when I was a kid.
OK, now here are the five things you need to know so that you, too, can begin to experience the dramatic benefits of juicing for yourself:
1. Aim for a pint a day.
Most people find that eating large quantities of vegetables is, at best, a bit of a chore and, at worst, screamingly boring, but the full, health-giving, benefits can easily be accomplished by a quick glass of vegetable juice. My experience has taught me that about a pint of juice a day will achieve the wonderful results we are looking for.
2. Juice is not a smoothie!
A juice is a drink made using a juice extractor which provides all the liquid without any of the fiber. A smoothie is made by mixing whole ingredients into a pulp in a blender. For a pint of juice, you'll use three time more vegetables than you would for a smoothie, which means you're receiving three times more of the good stuff – the life-giving vitamins and minerals.
3. Juice your vegetables.
Eat and/or blend your fruit. Fruit is sweet and if you remove the fiber, it becomes even more highly glycemic. Not good! (You may find yourself suffering from mood-swings and increased cravings for sweet food like sugar and carbohydrates – those chocolate bars again!) Also it’s already easy to eat 3-4 fruit a day – and delicious as well. So why bother? Its the juice of green vegetables from which you will benefit most.
4. Why Greens?
Chlorophyll is the magic ingredient. It’s the pigment responsible for the green color in plants. It enables them to “trap” energy from sunlight. Chlorophyll assists in red blood cell regeneration, enhancing the oxygenation process. It cleanses the digestive system, assists in purifying the blood, eliminates bacteria, disinfecting and detoxifying as it goes about it’s work. Oh, and it balances the body’s acid-alkali levels. Chlorophyll is rich in zinc, selenium, vitamins E, C and A, biotin, pantothenic and folic acids, calcium, chromium, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium. Not to mention iron.
5. What about protein?
Yes, indeed! Your juice will provide some of the protein complex, but take a few nuts or seeds with your juice. They'll help you absorb it better, as well as making it a more complete food.
Juice recipe:
- Juice kale, spinach, parsley, lime, ginger, cucumber and apples.
While you're cleaning the juicer, soak the chia seeds for 5 to 15 minutes in the juice, allowing them to expand. Chia is high in protein and omegas and assists in the absorption of nutrients.
Smoothie recipe:
- Blend pear, cinnamon, spinach and ginger.
Published January 28, 2013 at 10:21 AM
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