Journey into Juicing
A few days ago I embarked upon my first attempt at juicing. Even though I spent a considerable amount of time looking into the concept, I still had no idea what to expect. I purchased, incredibly cheaply, a juicer at our church yard sale and decided that I no longer had any excuse to put off giving juicing a try. So, with my $5 juicer, I set off.
Sadly, the $5 juicer died on me the first time I tried to do any serious juicing, so I was stuck making a run to the store on a Sunday evening after church to obtain a new juicer. I decided on the Hamilton Beach Big Mouth juicer, since it was the best one available at the store I went to to obtain it. It's a decent juicer, at least it didn't die on me the first time I tried to use it, and it didn't break the bank either. And considering the cost of produce to go on a juice fast, I didn't have much in the bank to spend on a new juicer.
Now there are two types of juicers; the centrifugal and the masticating kinds. The dentrifugal use cutters to chop up the fruit quickly into juice (which is not the same as a blender, which is a bigger, chunkier chop). The masticating juicers bascially just squeeze the living daylights out of your fruits and veggies. Word on the street has it that the masticating are better for you because they do not generate heat, which allegedly break down the nutrients of the fruits and veggies. But, wouldn't you know it, the masticating kind are the ones that cost $300. So, if you're just happy to be able to get something in your price range, I think the Hamilton Beach Big Mouth juicer will work just fine. Click on the picture for a link to Amazon to purchase one. (I receive nothing for it, I'm just nice like that.)
So we've discussed the juicer, now to discuss the food. Keeping in mind that I've been doing this all of four days and, of course, that obviously makes me some kind of expert, but here is what I've learned so far: Forget recipes, they take too much time to look up and figure out anyway. You'll probably want to start with a recipe or two just to get the feel of things, but if your first day goes anything like mine did (juicing way too many grassy veggies and not enough mild veggies or fruits), you'll figure out really quickly how to make things taste good and be good for you. Some of my favorite ingredients are cabbage, bok choy, spinach, carrots, and pretty much any fruit. A couple of things I know to take it easy on are cucumbers and celery; they leave an earthy taste that I find unappealing. The one thing that I absolutely will not juice is tomatoes. I love tomatoes, but I do not like the tomato taste in my juice. I'm also not a fan of kale.
Now to my thoughts on how things have gone over these four days. When I started I fully expected to have serious withdrawals and hunger pangs the first few days. To my utter suprise, I had none of those! In fact, yesteday I didn't even drink as much juice as I had set out to eat every day and today I've barely been hungry all day and have not even desired food. This is a really strange thing for me! Never have I been on a diet where I wasn't hungry and desiring for the foods that I can't have. I mean, never. So this has me thinking, maybe the problem in our society really is that we don't eat enough fruits and vegetables. And maybe it's that the traditionally accepted, recommended amounts aren't even enough, and maybe that's why we're so doggone hungry all the time!
If there is a shred of truth to this statement, it's definitely got me thinking about what sort of changes I might need to make after this fast is over. Being the proud carnivore that I am, I'm loathe to admit that maybe a vegetarian diet (a truly vegetarian diet...I was a vegetarian for 8 or 9 years and I can't say my diet was in the least bit healthy) isn't so ridiculous after all. Not that I'd ever go back to being a vegetarian, mind you. Not even a real vegegarian. But I think I'm going to make a bigger effort to get a lot more in me that I had previously. I might even continue to juice for one meal a day just to keep the cravings away.
As for the negatives of juicing, the only one I can really think of right now is the cost. You have to have a decent juicer or you'll never get some of those leafy greens juiced and produce is just about the most expensive thing in the grocery store, especially where I live. So I'm not likely to try a 30 or 60 day fast anytime soon, but I sure wish I had the money to do so.
As far as weight loss, in four days I've lost 3.6lbs. Nothing to shake a fist at, and it sure beats gaining 3.6lbs, which I've been known to do in one day!
Have you gone on a juice fast? What were your results? Do you have any other helpful observations to share?
Do you know, if you were to die today, whether or not you'll go to be with Christ after you die? Are you 100% and completely assured of your salvation? If not, please read my page on salvation today. There is nothing more important than giving your life to Christ and securing your place in eternity. I pray the Holy Spirit leads you to a personal relationship with Christ today, and I pray that you follow where the Holy Spirit leads you.
