Juicing, baby.

cassy_runs

So I'm preparing for a juice detox in which I'll juice vegetables and fruits and that will be the only thing I consume besides plenty of water, of course. I am planning out each day's juices in a way that will insure I'm still getting enough nutrition, but I really love the idea of putting nothing but wholesome, natural, plant-based ingredients (and water) into my body and letting it do its thing to rid me of the stuff it doesn't want or need.

So here are my questions. Do you have a juicer? Do you love it? If so, what brand/model is it? I'm still shopping for one and would love suggestions.

Are you one of those people who can juice lots of dark green veggies and add some fruit to make it taste way better? If so, I'd love it if you could share your juice recipes with me. The more variety I can include, the more likely I will be able to stick to this thing for as long as I can.

Initially, my goal is 10 days. But if I kick *kitten*, I'm willing to push it longer. No longer than 30 days, though.

Thanks!

melsinct

What are you detoxing from?

cassy_runs

Artificial sweeteners and other processed stuff that the body doesn't need or benefit from.

Not drugs or anything. :P

jkwolly

Breville makes the best juicers, IMO.


As well, I would look into having a concrete plan into what juices you are making per meal per day, and what nutrients you are getting/not getting.

dshalbert

Adding an apple and/or carrots to green vegetables juices makes it taste great. Also, If you want to go for some thing more savory with your greens add some garlic cloves, arugula and Braggs amino acids.

Just my humble opinion, I think a 10-30 juice fast may be a bit much.

cassy_runs

Awesome, I've heard great things about Breville!

I definitely plan to do all my research and plan for my juices to give me all the nutrients I need as much as possible. I plan to start February 1, which is why I wanted to go ahead and get as much info as possible.

cassy_runs

Yeah, I'm nervous about how long I can make it last honestly, haha. I know it needs to be several days. How many would you recommend for a first-time juice faster?

auddii

Your kidneys, liver and intestines do a pretty good of removing toxins from your body. If you want to stop eating artificial sweeteners for a week or so, just try eating more natural foods. Fruit and vegetables have all sorts of great nutrients in them, but juicing removes some rather important things like fiber. One thing you might want to look at is Whole30, but it eliminates some odd things like legumes, which really isn't necessary. Just stick to buying things in the outside aisles of the grocery store. That should get you where you want with your non-processed foods, and you don't have to starve yourself to do it.

Skylark74

Near where I used to work there was a juicebar and I used to have what they called the ABC - apple, beetroot and carrot...the guys in the office all thought I was nuts but it was really tasty and filling.

mustgetmuscles1

There is not a need to do this at all. If you want to add juice to your diet then great but eliminating everything but juice is ridiculous.

What are these toxins you think are stored in your body?

If they exist how will fruit/veggie juice get rid of them?

Why must you eat nothing but juice to make it work?

What is it about running these foods through a machine that makes them more effective than just chewing and digesting the whole food?

Where are you going to get protein and fat (both are essential nutrients) from this diet?

Why do you think a longer time on this diet is better?

grammiemaggs

I haven't been juicing very long at all, and I don't do only juices. I have one a day and have for a couple of weeks now. I'm feeling very good these days and I think the juices have something to do with it. I'm thinking clearer and have more energy. I bought a Salton VitaPro Low Speed Juicer and find it works very well for me. I'm sure cutting out the processed foods and not hanging on the couch as much has helped too ... but the juices seem to make me function a bit better. Great way to get the greens in.

Mia_RagazzaTosta

Juicing in addition to regular meals is cool.

Juicing for it to BE your meals is not. Where is your protein and fat intake going to be coming from?

cassy_runs

Okay. In the first line of my original post, I worded that poorly. I said I want to juice fruits and vegetables and that will be the only thing I consume; I mean to say that fruits and vegetables and other plant-based foods will be the only things I consume; so there will be plenty of sources of both healthy fats and protein from places like lentils, soybeans (all beans, more or less), all kinds of nuts, legumes, etc. So between eating those things and juicing a lot, I will be getting plenty of nutrients.

As far as the detox thing goes, I've lived my whole life eating processed crap at basically every meal. My health and fitness journey is a young one, and I'm still in the process of making trade-outs of processed, less natural food items for those that are more wholesome and nutrient-rich. I've done lots of research on the effects of the chemicals found in things like artificial sweeteners, diet sodas (or regular sodas), milk, etc. and I'm aware that my body could be functioning at a much higher level both physically and cognitively if I were to rid it of the junk that has been put in it. Of course my body and my mind will feel better even after the juice cleanse as I continue to lose weight and build lean muscle. Juicing isn't something I plan to do exclusively for an extended period of time. Of course, I definitely appreciate everyone's concern and willingness to voice those!

J72FIT

In my experience, the only thing a detox reduces is the money in my wallet. It is very expensive and IMO not worth it. The human body does a great job detoxing all by itself... again just my opinion.

navyrigger46

Magic detoxes are so much fun, especially juice detoxes that deny your body many essential nutrients like Protein and fat. Congrats on your new "healthy" lifestyle.

Rigger

cassy_runs

Magic detoxes are so much fun, especially juice detoxes that deny your body many essential nutrients like Protein and fat. Congrats on your new "healthy" lifestyle.

Rigger

Did you have anything positive to add, or are you entirely satisfied with being sarcastic and condescending? I see that you've dropped 61 pounds, which is amazing. Wouldn't you rather give me a good idea based on your experience?

cassy_runs

Okay. In the first line of my original post, I worded that poorly. I said I want to juice fruits and vegetables and that will be the only thing I consume; I mean to say that fruits and vegetables and other plant-based foods will be the only things I consume; so there will be plenty of sources of both healthy fats and protein from places like lentils, soybeans (all beans, more or less), all kinds of nuts, legumes, etc. So between eating those things and juicing a lot, I will be getting plenty of nutrients.

Also, the protein and fat issue is addressed here. If I'm not mistaken, there's this thing some people do where they don't eat meat, yet they somehow manage to get protein and fat into their bodies.

navyrigger46

Magic detoxes are so much fun, especially juice detoxes that deny your body many essential nutrients like Protein and fat. Congrats on your new "healthy" lifestyle.

Rigger

Did you have anything positive to add, or are you entirely satisfied with being sarcastic and condescending? I see that you've dropped 61 pounds, which is amazing. Wouldn't you rather give me a good idea based on your experience?

I'm satisfied being sarcastic and condescending, however, I don't mind giving advise, so here goes. Forget the cleanses and detoxes, they're just smoke and mirrors. Start eating at a sensible calorie deficit, if you must, avoid so called junk food, I don't because food is food and the body doesn't care if your calories come from veggies or Twinkies. Set your macros and endeavor to hit them, don't deny yourself the foods you like, just learn to control your portions, give it time and you'll see success.

Rigger

MostlyWater

Nutribullet here. Gives you the entire fruit and vegetable.

beachlover317

Artificial sweeteners and other processed stuff that the body doesn't need or benefit from.

Not drugs or anything. :P

I'm curious. How will you know that you are detoxed? Can you feel it? Is there a test? I am genuinely interested in how you know it works.

cassy_runs

Magic detoxes are so much fun, especially juice detoxes that deny your body many essential nutrients like Protein and fat. Congrats on your new "healthy" lifestyle.

Rigger

Did you have anything positive to add, or are you entirely satisfied with being sarcastic and condescending? I see that you've dropped 61 pounds, which is amazing. Wouldn't you rather give me a good idea based on your experience?

I'm satisfied being sarcastic and condescending, however, I don't mind giving advise, so here goes. Forget the cleanses and detoxes, they're just smoke and mirrors. Start eating at a sensible calorie deficit, if you must, avoid so called junk food, I don't because food is food and the body doesn't care if your calories come from veggies or Twinkies. Set your macros and endeavor to hit them, don't deny yourself the foods you like, just learn to control your portions, give it time and you'll see success.

Rigger

Macros are definitely an area I need to perfect. I will read and work more on this for sure, thanks for recommending that. I've been eating at a good deficit for a bit now. I've lost a total of 25 pounds (7 since joining MFP) so it's clearly effective. I get what you're saying about the body not caring where the calories come from, but just for my own personal preference, I would like to cut out the foods I eat that don't benefit my health. Not because I have something against Twinkies (obviously you don't get 70 pounds too heavy by not liking Twinkies, lol) but because I feel sluggish and foggy when I include things like that in my day. I'm a firm believer in cheat days (once a week for me, typically) but my cheating usually involves carbohydrates because they're my favorite.

As far as juicing goes, it's not something I'm going to do forever and always. I just figured a reboot to my system would go a long way in giving my body time to take in some real nutrients and allow me time to get rid of what I don't need. And I know this probably wouldn't be as big of a deal to a man, but I've heard lots of folks who've tried juicing for a brief time remark that it made their hair, skin, and nails look and feel much healthier.

Thanks for the tips, and congratulations on all your success so far.

Cindyinpg

Just dropping this here.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
And this:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/821828-detoxes-and-cleanses

jonnythan

Juicing "detox" is a meaningless waste of time. And fiber.

Eat your food, don't juice it.

cassy_runs

Artificial sweeteners and other processed stuff that the body doesn't need or benefit from.

Not drugs or anything. :P

I'm curious. How will you know that you are detoxed? Can you feel it? Is there a test? I am genuinely interested in how you know it works.

I'm a bit of a nerd, so I do a lot of reading and digging to find out what people say about things like this. I've also heard several people in my life who have tried this share similar results. Among them are clearer skin and nails that aren't as brittle, and what appeals to me most- people have told me their "cognitive fog" had lifted. Large amounts of additives in foods from being processed and flavored and colored can make us feel a bit foggy (I definitely feel it!) and when we allow those to exit the body and replace them with things our body actually runs on, many times folks notice that they think more clearly and are more attentive and focused.

My idea of juicing is not to use it for weight-loss. Weight-loss is a byproduct of spending time juicing, but my primary method of weight loss is eating at a calorie deficit and incorporating cardio and strength training into my life. If I were to detox for a few days and then resume eating mostly plant-based, naturally occurring foods along with my physical activity, I can't imagine that I wouldn't feel better on the whole.

navyrigger46

Nothing really wrong with cutting certain foods out, so long as you can sustain that, but no food is really "bad" and you may find it difficult to stick with. My cousin is very strict with his diet, he also fails every few months. As for a "reboot" your body is not a dysfunctional lap top, and throwing a liquid diet at it for a week is not going to trigger some magic reset. You may think it does, but that's nothing more than the placebo effect. you'll be better off just eating the vegetables. Besides, you have been losing, so why do you need this supposed "reboot"?

Rigger

dumb_blondes_rock

My dad did TONS of research and he ended up buying us the omega 8600 masticator. You can get waaaay more juice from leafy greens, and juice lasts up to 72 hours. Make sure you get 1200 cals still through juice, which is about 4 12-oz glasses or so.

jackieatx

VITAMIX FTW!

i haven't read the comments on this thread, but I'm imagining all the disinformation flying around.. add me if you'd like a fellow juice head/ vegan friend

navyrigger46

Artificial sweeteners and other processed stuff that the body doesn't need or benefit from.

Not drugs or anything. :P

I'm curious. How will you know that you are detoxed? Can you feel it? Is there a test? I am genuinely interested in how you know it works.

I'm a bit of a nerd, so I do a lot of reading and digging to find out what people say about things like this. I've also heard several people in my life who have tried this share similar results. Among them are clearer skin and nails that aren't as brittle, and what appeals to me most- people have told me their "cognitive fog" had lifted. Large amounts of additives in foods from being processed and flavored and colored can make us feel a bit foggy (I definitely feel it!) and when we allow those to exit the body and replace them with things our body actually runs on, many times folks notice that they think more clearly and are more attentive and focused.

My idea of juicing is not to use it for weight-loss. Weight-loss is a byproduct of spending time juicing, but my primary method of weight loss is eating at a calorie deficit and incorporating cardio and strength training into my life. If I were to detox for a few days and then resume eating mostly plant-based, naturally occurring foods along with my physical activity, I can't imagine that I wouldn't feel better on the whole.

See, this right here is why so many of us on here just stick with our sarcastic and condescending remarks, because you have already made up your mind, and no matter how much solid advice we give, you folks continue on a path of nonsense.

Rigger

tomomatic

thank goodness you put that comma between those two words in the topic name.

dumb_blondes_rock

thank goodness you put that comma between those two words in the topic name.

LOL

beachlover317

Artificial sweeteners and other processed stuff that the body doesn't need or benefit from.

Not drugs or anything. :P

I'm curious. How will you know that you are detoxed? Can you feel it? Is there a test? I am genuinely interested in how you know it works.

I'm a bit of a nerd, so I do a lot of reading and digging to find out what people say about things like this. I've also heard several people in my life who have tried this share similar results. Among them are clearer skin and nails that aren't as brittle, and what appeals to me most- people have told me their "cognitive fog" had lifted. Large amounts of additives in foods from being processed and flavored and colored can make us feel a bit foggy (I definitely feel it!) and when we allow those to exit the body and replace them with things our body actually runs on, many times folks notice that they think more clearly and are more attentive and focused.

My idea of juicing is not to use it for weight-loss. Weight-loss is a byproduct of spending time juicing, but my primary method of weight loss is eating at a calorie deficit and incorporating cardio and strength training into my life. If I were to detox for a few days and then resume eating mostly plant-based, naturally occurring foods along with my physical activity, I can't imagine that I wouldn't feel better on the whole.

That's interesting. Why wouldn't you just start tomorrow and eat healthy? Why do you have to "detox" first? What happens to people that don't detox (like myself)? Am I destined to carry around tons of toxins? Why don't I feel bad? Why can I think clearly? This is just so curious to me.

ETA: I also have not been sick in years - I don't even have headaches. I am able to lift weights and recently I have taken up running. All with out a single detox.