Juicing... Your thoughts!

If you are reasonably health, juice fasting won't hurt you. If human beings were that vulnerable to death and destruction by not getting the perfect macros for a few days, we wouldn't have survived. The alarmism on this site takes the cake!

As to whether it will be helpful to you in anyway--maybe. I've done various kinds of detoxes as a way of changing my health habits. I think of them as lifestyle detoxes. Eating very simply for a few days, avoiding animal food and added fat. These have been very helpful to my state of mind: building awareness, breaking bad habits, and changing my palate. These regimens can be very powerful ways of changing your state of mind.

But if you think of them as changing your body in some magical way--probably not. They can change your body, but not in a magical way--just in an ordinary way. In the way that improved nutrition does. Or reduced calories can. Which, as many people have already attested to, can be done in ways that allow you to eat. I have tried literally juicing--I didn't care for it. I have also tried blended fruit/veggie drinks in a blender--which is what many people mean when they say "juicing" these days. That--I absolutely adore! Lots of fruit and veg and all the fiber. (and quite a bit easier, to boot)

For myself, I don't juice fast, blended or otherwise. I add them to my regular diet. Because when I get hungry, I like to chew. Even with added fat and protein, I don't prefer to drink my meals.

I think patience and moderation is key in all things. Try it for one day. Or try it just for 2 meals and then eat a normal dinner. Take a page from the religious ascetics who fast regularly--they don't start out all at once. They build up to it.

I tried it and felt so bad, I could not get through one day. I do juice as part of a healthy diet, but not *as* the diet itself.

If you are serious about it, try going to http://www.rebootwithjoe.com/ and get info on recipes, etc. It's the guy who did the Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead DVD. Good luck to you whatever you decide to do! :drinker:

I think you should just do what you want to do.

Its only seven days and if you can handle it I say go for it.

At a macro level, this kind of advice is ridiculously dangerous.

Here's my thoughts...

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1067770-juicing-is-working-for-me?page=2#posts-18106238

How are you planning on getting enough protein, fats and fiber?

This would be my question as well.

To the person above who mentioned that vegans do it-- yes, vegans can get enough of these nutrients. However, they don't do it with juice only.

All juicing does is remove the fiber. The nutrients remain. The protein in the plants doesn't get left behind. There are plants with fat, too. Nuts, seeds, avocados, coconut, olives, etc. are full of fat. Though eating a low fat, low fiber diet for one week would have little effect on anyone. Eating nothing for one week would have little effect on anyone. When you're sick, the body often loses its appetite, to use that energy for recovery instead. We're adapted to store nutrients so we don't have to eat constantly. The body can also synthesize most nutrients within itself, from other amino acids.

This place is incredibly alarmist.

I was asking the OP how *they* intend to get it. No alarmism. Just asking questions and not making assumptions.

How are you planning on getting enough protein, fats and fiber?

This would be my question as well.

To the person above who mentioned that vegans do it-- yes, vegans can get enough of these nutrients. However, they don't do it with juice only.

All juicing does is remove the fiber. The nutrients remain. The protein in the plants doesn't get left behind. There are plants with fat, too. Nuts, seeds, avocados, coconut, olives, etc. are full of fat. Though eating a low fat, low fiber diet for one week would have little effect on anyone. Eating nothing for one week would have little effect on anyone. When you're sick, the body often loses its appetite, to use that energy for recovery instead. We're adapted to store nutrients so we don't have to eat constantly. The body can also synthesize most nutrients within itself, from other amino acids.

This place is incredibly alarmist.

Right but it takes careful planning to make sure you're getting your body's requirements. Asking what the OP's plan is isn't being alarmist.

I just got a NutriBullet and I love it! One tip in the book it comes with is to add some sort of nuts or seeds to help with hunger control... hope that helps some!

I, for one, received a beautiful juicer from my hubby for Xmas and plan to make good use of it in January. I have no intentions of juicing exclusively- I like to chew my food as well. And as a previous poster stated, I think it's a good tool to cause a shift in thinking and that is precisely what I feel I can benefit from at this point. I, like many others, am starting 2014 with a new commitment to health and weightloss/maintenance. I view the juicer as yet another addition to my arsenal (lord knows we can use all the help we can get...lol), to help kickstart my efforts for the new year. Keep it interesting...transfer some of the leavings to soups and muffins. I enjoy the juice of some veggies and fruits that I normally don't even eat! Op....juice away! Let your body decide what works for you. I see no harm in a fast of sorts (perhaps not quite a week as suggested earlier) including an array of juiced fruits and veg. If it doesn't do what you hoped, you risk having ingested an array of fruits and veg in liquid form...is that a risk you're willing to take? :drinker:

How are you planning on getting enough protein, fats and fiber?

This would be my question as well.

To the person above who mentioned that vegans do it-- yes, vegans can get enough of these nutrients. However, they don't do it with juice only.

All juicing does is remove the fiber. The nutrients remain. The protein in the plants doesn't get left behind. There are plants with fat, too. Nuts, seeds, avocados, coconut, olives, etc. are full of fat. Though eating a low fat, low fiber diet for one week would have little effect on anyone. Eating nothing for one week would have little effect on anyone. When you're sick, the body often loses its appetite, to use that energy for recovery instead. We're adapted to store nutrients so we don't have to eat constantly. The body can also synthesize most nutrients within itself, from other amino acids.

This place is incredibly alarmist.

Right but it takes careful planning to make sure you're getting your body's requirements. Asking what the OP's plan is isn't being alarmist.

I was referring more to the claims that juicing for a week was dangerous. Though I do wonder how people who micromanage their macros and calorie levels think the species survived this long without that supposedly necessary careful planning, or how the animal kingdom does it. A very tiny fraction of beings track and yet the only malnutrition we see is in populations without easy access to a variety of foods.

Survival =/= optimal or beneficial.

Why not eat the whole fruit or veggie and get the fiber as well as all the nutrients?

I agree with this. The fiber is really good for you!

I started juicing in September of 2013 for dietary reasons. I have a very bad issue with textures in certain foods (yes, I am weird) so juicing has helped. It is really up to the person whether they want to juice fast or not. I do not think is is the greatest thing to do all the time, but it really can help if your looking to consume more yummy green stuff.

On a funny note my partner gets excited when I drag out the "beast" (juicer). He begs for a glass of the yummy green stuff all the time. Hey, I would rather him drink a nice full glass of weird green juice than sugary drinks or soda.

I also use the left over pulp to make vege burgers so nothing goes to waste.

Lol i thought this post was about roids.

My thoughts:

-you don't need to "detox" (I'm assuming you're not talking about detoxing from drugs or alcohol). Your liver, kidneys, lungs and skin do a great job of that already. It's east to be tempted by the idea, especially after a period of excess, like Christmas is for a lot of people. It really is just a gimmick though. Want to start eating better? Start eating better. Start adding more of the foods you want to add, and reducing the foods you want to reduce. It doesn't have to be so extreme.
-you get a lot of nutrients in juice, concentrated into a small volume - it's definitely easier to drink a few glasses of juice than to eat all the fruit that goes into it. However, you're cutting out a lot of the fibre, which is also good for you. If you have issues with blood sugar, you could have problems with only consuming sugary juice (even just the "natural" sugars from fruit) without the fibre that goes along with it.
-on a juice only diet, you're missing out on a lot of other essential nutrients (protein, fat, fibre). People seem to focus on all the micronutrients you get from juicing, and disregard the marconutrients your body needs.
-it's hard to stick with a diet that's a) so restrictive and b) is only liquids. For some people, that could cause problems with binge eating afterwards.
-thinking of eating as "cheating" is never a good idea.

So, basically, I think eating more fruit and vegetables is good. Supplementing your diet with fresh fruit juices is fine (assuming no issues with consuming a lot of sugar). Consuming only juice for a period of time is not only unnecessary, but could do more harm than good.

This.