Does anyone juice? I'd like to ADD it to my diet...

puggleperson
puggleperson Posts: 740 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So like my subject line says, I'd like to add it into my diet... I don't want to go on a fast juice diet or anything like that but would it be okay to substitute a meal with juice? Or should I drink my juice as a snack?

For those of you who juice, how do you incorporate it into your diet?

And for those who say just eat your vegetables, I want to juice because I don't like the taste of raw veggies and I only like to eat a few veggies but I want more nutrition and juicing helps mask the tastes I dislike... I still plan on EATING the veggies that I like...
Thanks!

Replies

  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    I don't think that I would substitute a full meal for it, but I'd definitely add it in as a snack or part of a snack.
  • misskate1987
    misskate1987 Posts: 54
    If you want to replace your meal, I'd suggest making smoothies instead of juicing - just put your veggies in and load it up with fruit that you love (berries, apples, bananas, whatever), blend and drink.

    But, if you're keen on juicing, not making smoothies, then definitely not as a meal replacement (I wouldn't anyway) - sufficient as a snack I think!
  • conniemaxwell5
    conniemaxwell5 Posts: 943 Member
    I juice about 3x a week. I usually have it with a light lunch of mostly protein (some chicken breast or scrambled egg whites). I eat veggies but don't feel like I get enough variety unless I juice. I get enough fiber in my normal diet so I don't worry about losing the fiber from the veggies. I enjoy the taste of the juice, I feel better when I get my 3x a week in and I'm more regular when I juice.
  • Kattamer81
    Kattamer81 Posts: 90
    I love juicing. I don't use it as a meal replacement...I usually use it as a snack between breakfast and lunch. Make sure you include lots of veggies...cucumbers, celery, and peppers all juice well. If you use all or mostly fruit you're getting way more sugar than you probably mean to.

    An average juice for me: 1 cucumber, 2 carrots, 2 stalks of celery, half an apple, half a lime.

    Beets and pink grapefruit are two of my favorite juice ingredients....berries are yummy. Spinach, kale, and swiss chard all juice well.

    Good luck!
  • kway610
    kway610 Posts: 162
    I would almost always have my juice for breakfast, with some sort of protein. Recently, I have been doing more smoothies than juice because I noticed with juice, I needed more fruit to make it palatable. With smoothies, I can add way more veggies without gagging at the taste. I use spinach, frozen broccoli, cucumbers, etc. Throw in a banana and kiwi and you can't taste it at all.
  • DragonflyF15
    DragonflyF15 Posts: 437 Member
    I make smoothies for either breakfast or lunch, sometimes I add in protein powders, other times I'll make some scrambled or hard boiled eggs to eat with it. I've even taken the blended stuff and pour it over my Kashi cereal. I usually use two fruits of something and a big handful of kale, spinach, carrots, cabbage basically something veggie with a scoop of flax seed and mix it with either coconut water, almond milk or ice cubes. When I add it up, usually comes out about 300 calories without protein and 450 calories with it. It's a great way to get your fruits and veggies in without all that chewing and bulk!
  • caramelgyrlk
    caramelgyrlk Posts: 1,112 Member
    I juice several times a week. With me, the green juices (kale/collard/fennel) keep you full so much longer than fruit ones.
    Do your research about storage, recipes, etc.

    Wish you all the best.
  • yayjay
    yayjay Posts: 84 Member
    i LOVE juicing - lets be honest though, having a full juice of cabbage, kale and spinach is only going to appeal to a very small amount of people, stick with the 80 20 rule. 80 %veg 20%fruit - use fruits like pineapple or apples, they really sweeten a good vegie juice. i will substitute a meal for juice, particularly breaky and lunch if im on the run. google reboot with joe hes the guy that did a juice diet, while it's not a permanent fix for weightloss, alot of his recipes are good because they include a wide range of vegies.
  • puggleperson
    puggleperson Posts: 740 Member
    Thanks everyone, I made a juice tonight with Kale (which I would never eat by itself) some apple and carrots.. I put it over ice and drank with a straw... Not the best but it was good enough... I agree about the fruit..it has wayy too many sugars..

    I guess I won't replace a meal with it but I was thinking of drinking my juice with added protein for breakfast ..plus dont the greens have protein?
  • caramelgyrlk
    caramelgyrlk Posts: 1,112 Member
    Thanks everyone, I made a juice tonight with Kale (which I would never eat by itself) some apple and carrots.. I put it over ice and drank with a straw... Not the best but it was good enough... I agree about the fruit..it has wayy too many sugars..

    I guess I won't replace a meal with it but I was thinking of drinking my juice with added protein for breakfast ..plus dont the greens have protein?

    With kale, I use apples, a 1/2 lemon, ginger with a piece of jalpeno and celery. You barely taste the greens.
  • joan23_us
    joan23_us Posts: 263 Member
    If you track your macros thru MFP I think its possible to juice and treat it as a meal provided you hit the protein and fats required for that meal, It is liberating if you already knovv hovv much macros you should be consuming per day ( protein, fats & carbs ). If you dont like the idea of eating something else vvith your juice in the morning thats fine as vvell provided as I suggested you hit your macros at the end of the day, this is actually the most effective dieting ( flexible dieting ). Knovving your food and their nutrition profile is the best vvay. Here is a link as vvell for those vvho vvould be interested to knovv hovv to count macros. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUh3tmfM35w
  • Hertford86
    Hertford86 Posts: 55 Member
    For months ( not right now, but I should get back to it, because it was fantastic) I had Mean Green juice for breakfast and lunch. About a pint each time. Felt ready to jump tall buildings. It's plenty of nutrition - about 300 calories a pint, gives you all the energy you need, and leaves you plenty for a nice dinner. Strongly recommend it. If you do the kale juice, you MUST put lemon juice in, Makes all the difference between undrinkable and irresistible.

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