Ummm no, I
am not doing only juice for every day for every meal. I am not ready to make that kind of life
change and don’t see the need for it currently in my life. However, I am a fan of juicing and will be a
fan, for life. And, I think it’s vital
to eat live food like fruits and veggies as they GIVE life to our body (a
double entendre for “juicing for life). I’ve
had plenty of conversations with people about juicing, read a lot of articles
about the pros and cons, and I am asked a lot of questions about it by my
patients, friends, and people that follow my wellness information on Facebook,
Twitter or the blog. So because of that
I am dedicating this article to the topic of juicing, and maybe next post too,
depending on how much info I come up with to share!
Why
juice? Have you gotten your 8-10
servings of fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet today? No?
When is the last time you did?
Never? If you’re like most
people, probably never is the correct answer.
While juicing isn’t a replacement for eating your fruits and veggies
daily, it helps to get you closer to the optimum levels. Let me reiterate that NOTHING takes the place
of eating the real deal, however with some forms of juicing (or types of
juicers) you still are getting the real deal.
Let me explain.
One type of
juicer extracts juice. The result is you
are left with the pulp or fiber NOT in the juice. The other type of juicer pulverizes the
veggie or fruit so that you get the entire food in the mixture. I’d prefer people do it that way, but
certainly the extractors (which are cheaper) aren’t totally bad for you. The challenge with the extractors is that by
removing the pulp or fiber, you remove a “control rod” if you will, that slows
down the rise in blood sugar that occurs naturally by eating even complex
carbhohydrates like a fruit or vegetable.
So there is a MAJOR caution here for those with blood sugar issues or
full blown diabetes. Consult your
dietician or doctor if you have those conditions and use caution when juicing.
So how do
you get started with juicing? First one
needs to figure out what they’d like to juice.
Then there’s the little matter of having a juicer! Let’s tend to the latter first. You can get entry level juicers for about
100.00. Some of these have good
reputations for reliability like the Jack Lalanne juicer. It is an extractor type and you can pick it
up in many different stores or online.
The price range goes up from there to the 500.00 range approximately for
the strongest of the “pulverizing” juicers.
It depends on what you want to do, and what you are willing to pay for
it.
Getting
started picking your items to juice can be interesting. I’d recommend a simple start if you’re not
sure about it by trying a combination of apples and carrots, and if you’re a
little adventurous, some ginger (a very small piece, it’s strong in
flavor). If you like that, don’t stop
there, as that is not the healthiest of juices around as it is very high in
sugar content, but a good way to break yourself in. As soon as possible start adding in greens
such as celery, kale, mustard greens, spinach etc. Now you’re getting to the good stuff that
makes it much healthier: GREENS! Experiment with a little at first then more
as you go along. There are unlimited
recipes and Facebook pages to find new recipes and new ideas on how to juice. Check out the documentary “Fat Sick And
Nearly Dead” online, you can view it for free on www.hulu.com.
Also, find my clinic name “Chiropractic Massage & Wellness Center”
on facebook or follow me on twitter with @docbruce65. You’ll get plenty of good wellness
information from me on those sites I promise, you won’t regret it!
That’s about
all I have space for now, tune in next time for more info on juicing
and several recipes for your juicing adventures!
Until next
time…Be Well!!
Dr. Bruce
