Juicing

Not this kind
My wife and I watched this documentary called Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead (it's streaming on Netflix) about a month ago. It's a very well-made and inspiring movie about a couple of morbidly obese men who use a juice cleanse to change, and save their lives. Since watching it, I have been obsessed with juicing.

Our family eats healthy. We rarely eat anything that comes out of a box, we are nearly gluten-free, and we usually have a salad and some lean meat for lunch and dinner. This is more my wife's doing than mine. I'm sure if I did the grocery shopping we would have many more boxes of Peppermint Jo-Jos and many more cartons of Ben and Jerry's than we do, and of course she is satisfied with one bite or one spoonful, while I'm not satiated until the box is sparkly clean. I don't feel like I need to do a juice cleanse (although I told my dad I would do one with him if he would commit...still waiting to hear back on that one). However, I love drinking vegetable juice and I really wanted to start making my own (uncanned and preservative-free) V8.

I was pretty sure that my wife was getting tired of the flowers, clothing, or jewelry that I usually buy for our anniversary, so this year, for our twelfth anniversary, I bought a bright and shiny silver Breville Ikon Multi-Speed Juicer. I'm not really the king of romance, but I am now the king of juiced vegetables, so I have that going for me.

I'm not ready to try the juice cleanse that they advocate in the movie, and it is pretty obvious that extreme diets don't work for long. However, I have found juicing a way to get a ton more nutrients every day, and in a country where my dog eats more fruits and vegetables than the average person, I figure it can't hurt if more people saw the movie and gave juicing a try.


Looks like swamp water, tastes like delicious swamp water
I have been experimenting with different recipes, and while I still want to try a couple of variations, this is my favorite so far:

4-5 tomatoes
Two handfulls of spinach or kale
1/2 bunch of parsley
3 carrots
3 sticks of celery
1 bell pepper
1/2 onion
a chunk of fresh ginger
Trader Joe's Smoked Sea Salt (this stuff is the best)

This yields about 30 ounces and I usually drink it after a long run, or have a glass for breakfast. The taste isn't for everyone, but for me and my...no, just me, it is delicious.

A good article on juicing from Sanoviv
Juicing FAQ

8 comments:

  1. Welcome to juicing Dax. I love my vitamix. I would like to suggest green smoothies as well. They are similar to juicing however, you get fiber as well. I think you made a great choice for your wife's gift.
    Parsley and beets are great blood purifiers as well!
    Christina B.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Christina, the vitamix is another big expense...maybe for our 13th wedding anniversary.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I keep forgetting to add that documentary to our queue. Great reminder, thanks!

    I hope to one day procure a juicer as well (I may need to drop that hint to Geof as a possible 1st wedding anniversary gift...) :)

    I read a blog (Happy Healthy Long Life) that talks about juicing every so often, and she mentions each time that it's better to eat your greens (kale, spinach, mustard, etc.) whole. Apparently, the juicing process breaks apart the cell walls of those particular greens and you lose a lot of the nutrients as a result. So she says to just eat them in a salad or raw as a means of getting their full goodness. Otherwise, keep juicing them, but keep in mind you don't get the full benefit from those particular foodstuffs.

    Great post, D!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Paige, thanks for the tip on the greens. Fortunately my wife uses a lot of spinach in her salads, but I don't think I could stomach too much kale without juicing it. I also learned yesterday that it's not a good idea to add a half head of cabbage to my juice. The more you know...

    ReplyDelete
  5. A half head of cabbage?! I'm guessing your run was...gas-powered...after that one!! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great movie. We watched it a few months ago and want to start juicing too. I love how they talk about the micro-nutrients that it provides your body. Hmmm, reminds me of something else I'm involved with. The healing power of the human body is amazing when you give it the proper fuel. How do you like the Breville?

    ReplyDelete
  7. A great read.

    I started juicing at the start of 2010. I was very overweight, sick and could not run for 5 mins.

    Since juicing I have lost 70 pounds, run 2 half marathons and run hundreds of miles in training.

    I had to take the extreme route but no more than 10 days fasts and usually 7.

    You can see before and after photos as well as a video on runningonjuice.com

    I always advise readers that one freshly extracted juicer for breakfast really sets up your day. You get some great nutrients and enzymes into your system and you naturally choose healthier options during the day.

    Great blog, I will add you to my reader.

    Shane
    http://www.runningonjuice.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Shane,

    Thanks for the link and more info on juicing. I'm a novice at this, so any info is appreciated.

    ReplyDelete

Ratings and Recommendations