WHY JUICE? IS IT ANOTHER FAD DIET?

It’s been two years since I bought a juicer and started drinking one juice daily, I used to mix fruit and veggies and didn't have a clear idea what it did for me, but I’ve heard that it was great for detoxing and for increasing the intake of fruits and veggies  in a short amount of time. Little by little, as I started to investigate, reading and watching documentaries I realized how vital it is to add veggie juices to your daily diet. But why?

It all started when my best friend gave me the book “The Power of Juicing” by Jay Kordich. With this, I managed to understand how to introduce the juices to my diet in a balanced way, how to properly combine fruits and veggies to get the best possible results, and also the incredible benefits that are hidden in these little gems. After that, I read “The Gerson Therapy”, which is a natural treatment for cancer and other degenerative diseases, and it's based on drinking 13 glasses of juice a day, taking coffee enemas, eliminating sodium and following a very specific diet. I thought, if drinking juice can help cure cancer, imagine what other wonderful things it could do for me! It was love at first sight.

Nowadays, drinking Green juice it's an essential part of my daily routine and it's the first thing that goes into my body (after my glass of water with lemon) in the morning, and what my snack in the afternoon consists of (everyone at work looks at me with a ewww! face when my green mason jar appears).

Now the big question, why juice?

-       Slows down and reverts the aging process

-       Balances your pH if it's acidic

-       Decreases inflammation in organs and tissues

-       Detoxes on a cellular level

-       Regulates the elimination process and helps with constipation

-       Provides you with a rapid surge of energy

-       Uplifts your mood

-       Promotes beautiful glowing skin

-       Provides mental clarity

-       Gives you great immunity

-       Improves sleep quality

-       Helps your loose weight and ease water retention

When the fiber within the veggies is removed by the juicer, you give your cells a shot of vitamins, enzymes, proteins, carbohidrates and minerals in the purest form posible, improving digestion and rebuilding your immune system. The alkaline nature of juices maintains all cells, organs and glands free of toxins that are created under an acidic condition.

Why do I speak mainly about vegetable juices and not about delicious fruit juices? because of the high glycemic content of juices (or of sweet vegetables like carrots and beets), will spike your blood sugar rapidly, since there is no fiber to hold it back. In case of green juices the blood sugar spike will be minimal and it doesn't generate a negative impact. With this, I don't mean that they are bad, just try to drink them in the morning.

The juices that you find in supermarkets, as “natural” as they seem, have little to no benefits, because in the pasteurization process (they were cooked to 62 C or more) their nutrients and enzymes are lost. Plus they usually have extra sugar, artificial coloring, flavoring and preservatives. YUCK!

Several people asked me for a green juice recipe this week. To be honest, I usually prepare it with whatever is on my fridge at the moment. Use cucumber and celery as a base because they have high water content and are low in calories, add the greens that you enjoy such as spinach, broccoli stems, dandelion greens, romaine lettuce, parsley (only 1/4 of your glass can be dark green because the juice is potent), and if you would like to add something sweet go for half to one granny smith apple, or two carrots, also ginger is amazing for a good kick. From then on start experimenting with your personal taste and do not be afraid.

This morning when I woke up I had a smoothie (made in the Vitamix...insert love*) made of 1 banana, a handful of cranberries, a slice and a half of pineapple, acai berry and chlorella powder, mixed with water and ice. I went to crossfit unloaded (my first time and I feel destroyed haha but enjoying it). When I came back I made this green juice:

Green Juice. Today's Recipe (Makes 1)
You can alter the quantities depending on the amount of juice you are getting or would like to drink.

1 Cucumber (I had to peel it because I didn't found any organic cucumbers at the market)

1/2 apple

1 handful of spinach

1 handful of romaine

1/2 handful dandelion greens

Some fennel sticks that I had in the fridge (I use half a fennel when I have it, I'm addicted to it)

1 red radish

1/2 broccoli stem

Stevia if needed (if you don't love the taste), in this particular juice I didn't felt the need because the apple sweetened it enough.

And last but never least, I said a prayer before drinking giving thanks to God for my health, and may that juice regenerates my cells to their perfect and optimum state, providing nutrients to every tissue and organ of my body.

I don't mix fruits and veggies in my juices because it makes digestion slower, and it could end in a bit of tummy trouble or bloating. The only fruit and veggie that can be mixed in both types of juice are carrots and apples. In a few days I will post a detailed explanation of important tips that you should know before adding a juicing regime to your diet.

Remember, take it step by step... In my experience I know you will probably get excited and would like to do everything really quick and simultaneously, but remember that every positive change after having a life full of toxicity its going to generate detox symptoms, so my advice is to add one juice a day (when you wake up), wait two weeks and add a second one (it could be a juice and a smoothie) and go from there. If you start feeling like you have the flu or a headache, it's completely normal, your body is releasing old toxins from your tissues to your blood, so drink tons of water and continue with your juice (and add green salads and raw veggies to all your meals). I don't recommend juice fasting, when you are introducing for the first time green juice to your diet, because the detox symptoms could be very severe (trust me, I know) and it's not pretty. Let's take it slow but constant. Have a great day!

With Love,

Romina