Juicing and Healthy Smoothies Part 2

I also have been wanting to talk about juicing because I started juice fasting on occasion about a year ago.  It all started when I watched a movie called "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead "(http://fatsickandnearlydead.com/).  The movie documents Joe Cross, an obese and chronically sick man, discovering the healing power of juice fasting.  He spent 60 days drinking only fresh fruit and vegetable juices, and ended up not only losing all his excess weight, but curing his chronic disease.  This movie was deeply inspirational because it showed just how influential a good diet is to your whole lifestyle.  I was so excited to share this with everyone that my mother-in-law graciously bought me a juicer so that I could try it for myself.  

I will admit right now that I'm not that great at juice fasting.  Fasting is hard.  Especially when you love to cook as much as I do.  Plus, when I have low blood sugar, and haven't eaten, I become a little grumpy mess.  However, I still fast because despite feeling grumpy, or hungry, or uncomfortable for a day or two, ultimately, juice fasting makes me feel amazing.  I have more energy, I feel clear-headed, and my whole body feels cleaner.  It is a great way to restart your metabolism, shrink your stomach back to normal size, and get a major punch of nutrients.  Although you could also eat a bunch of fruit and veggies, juicing allows for your body to absorb even more nutrients because juice is easier to digest.  It is much easier to ingest a grapefruit, several apples, a whole bunch of kale, and a large knob of ginger in a juice than eating them all whole.  Plus, if you aren't used to eating so many fruits and vegetables at once, juicing is an easy way to get into that habit.  I find that I crave more fresh, raw foods, like salads, after a juice fast.

The only downside to juicing is that it can be expensive.  For one, I like to buy organic produce for juicing so I can skip the chemicals used in standard farming, but buying a lot of it to juice is pricey.  Secondly, you have to buy a juicer.  Although you can find inexpensive juicers, it is best to research one that won't break down on you...and that might cost a little more.  However, I think if you're interested in juicing, and think you might use it year round, it is a great addition to your kitchen.  Also, to save money, I like to fast for 24-48 hours...enough time to get the benefits, but not long enough to break the bank.  

A word of caution: although I recommend juice fasting, you should never start something like this without researching it first.  If you have any conditions which might be adversely affected by fasting, then it would be good to be cautious.  Also, fasting requires the time to really take care of yourself.  It is great to do over the weekend when you have time to relax.  Although I have more energy when I fast, I have also had the experience of being much more tired while my body deals with the lack of food.  You could treat juice fasting like a "spa day" of sorts: drinking lots of water and pampering yourself a little bit.  Fasting does take a bit of getting used to, but the more you do it, the better it feels!  

There are lots of resources about juicing. I highly recommend learning more about it for yourself.  I am no expert, but I do think it is a great way to strengthen you body.  "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" is a great introduction to juicing, and I also own a book by Leslie Kenton (http://lesliekenton.com/detox-now/2012/04/23/juice-blitz/) that has more information about fasting as well as some great recipes!

Although you can juice almost anything, here are some of the combinations that I came up with:

NOTE: make sure to wash your produce very well.  It should be clean enough to eat raw.

Green Juice:
This is my classic go-to juice!

2-3 stalks celery

2 green apples, cored and quartered

1 large bunch kale (you can juice the stems as well as the leaves)

1 knob of ginger (about 1/4 cup or less)

1 lemon, peel removed
optional: one cucumber

Orange Juice:

1 yam

1 grapefruit, peeled (the pith on grapefruit can be very bitter, so I would remove as much of it as possible)

1-2 cups grapes

1 lemon, peeled

1 knob of ginger

My juicer recommends juicing the soft things first (citrus, kale, grapes), and follow them with the hard veggies/fruit (apples, carrots, yam), but each juicer might be different.
Also, the juice will separate easily, so make sure to stir or shake it well before drinking.

Whether you fast or not, these juices are delicious and fun to make.  They are good at any time of the day, but are especially wonderful for breakfast.  They are a great way to naturally energize you for your day!  So get juicing and enjoy! :)