This topic came due to interest from one of my clients, he wanted to take a look at juicing and smoothies. In the past he tried the juice cleanses and the fasts with some success and wanted to integrate it to his meal plan to optimize his health. I am a believer in liver and hormone detoxes done under the supervision of a nutritionist with medical foods. So I am not a fan of fasting and living on juices alone, but there is merit in juicing your food and having smoothies. Juicing is the process of extracting the juice from the fresh fruits and vegetables. Juicers extract the juice from the fruits and vegetables they range in price from $50-$500.00. On the market today they have three kinds of juicers fast juicers which grinds the fruits or vegetables the puts the juice through a strainer near the back of the juicer. It produces pulp free juice quickly, but you get less juice. They also tend to heat up, this can have a deleterious affect on the nutrients in the fruits and vegetables. Slow juicers produce juice in two steps, using one or two gears. First it crushes the produce, then it presses out the juice. These types of juicers take longer to produce the juice and can be more expensive. The juice you get will tend to be thicker with more pulp. Whole food juicers will remind your of a blender, they use sharp blades at high speeds. These juicers can pulverize produce into liquid without a separate compartment for the pulp.
Some things to remember are that juicing will not give you a complete food, it has little or no fat so you will not retain as many of the vitamins as you would say in a smoothy with some fat. Whole foods have more nutrients, and fiber because of the pulp, but the trade off is that juice has less calories. Believe it or not whole fruits are lower in carbs then juices, the carbs come from the natural sugars contained in the produce. They have been called smart carbs as they are nutrient dense and rich in fiber which will slow down the blood sugar response. So when juicing or drinking smoothies it is important to monitor the amount of sugar you are taking in. What is a smoothy? Smoothies are blended drinks that usually contain crushed ice, frozen fruit, honey or syrup, protein powder, milk, ice cream and sometimes raw eggs. Often times they will have the consistency of a milkshake. Sorry but the smoothies we will be taking about today will not contain ice cream or raw eggs.
Onto the reason we are here, optimization of your health with juicing and smoothies.
- Increased energy and focus the produce in juices and smoothies are loaded with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. They protect the vasculature of the brain from free radical damage.
- Reduction in toxins and inflammation many food help reduce toxins and fight inflammation. Some you may remember as super-foods like broccoli, spinach, pineapple, papaya, blueberries, cherries, ginger, turmeric and garlic.
- Juicing allows you to consume an optimal amount vegetables in an efficient manner. The CDC reports that almost 75% of people are not eating an adequate amount of vegetables on a daily basis.
- You can expand your variety of vegetables in your meal plan. When you do this you decrease your chance of developing a food allergy.
- Smoothies that are made with the proper combination will allow for the absorption of more nutrients. While juicing allows for the uptake of more nutrients than eating the produce. If you put in the mix a small amount of fat like coconut milk or coconut oil this allows for uptake of the most nutrients
- Drinking fruit and vegetable smoothies can help you reach the recommended intake of fiber. The recommended daily amount of fiber is 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men. The soluble fiber found in produce helps slow digestion and may help control blood sugar and lower cholesterol.
The key to optimizing your health is to have a complete meal plan that is based in whole foods (not the store), balanced and tailored for you. Someone who is very active and on the go will not need the same caloric needs as a person who is more sedentary. The suggestion is to speak with a physician or a nutritionist prior to changing your meal plan. I have put up a links at the bottom that may be of interest to you. The recipes posted are from Health Magazine. Please read and share this blog. Sunday we will be looking at one of the most overlooked facets of a healthy lifestyle, Recovery.
Juice mixes
Power Gulp
Kale , green grapes, cucumber and a granny smith apple
Health Booster
Apple, pears, and cherries
Antioxidant El Jefe
Blueberries, strawberries and mango
Immune Boost
Grapefruit, oranges and kiwis
Detox
Ginger, beets, carrots and apples
Joe Rogans Hulk Smash Kale Shake
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