To juice or not to juice...?

[curlygirl82]

I'm confused about the benefits of juicing. It seems like it's probably a really healthy thing, and I want to give it a try, but:
1. The pulp that's removed is basically fiber, right? And isn't one of the major benefits of a raw food diet the fiber? This is what keeps your system clean, so why would you want to remove it?
2. Aren't we supposed to be moving in the direction of Whole Foods (as a concept, not a chain grocery! :))? Why not just eat the whole carrot/celery/whatever?

These are sincere questions, I'm not criticizing. In fact, I just got a juicer that I found at a thrift store, and am really, really excited about using it!! I just wanted to get your take on the benefits of it before I dove right on in. I've also heard about people juicing veggies/fruits, then adding the pulp back into the juice. What's the benefit of doing this as opposed to just eating the whole food to begin with?

Also, I recently finished a Master Cleanse. I know a lot of people do juice for awhile after fasting/cleansing... but I'm particularly concerned with keeping my system flushed out right now - so it seems to me like lots of fiber's the way to go, which would be the exact opposite of juicing, right? Very confuzzled!

Thanks for any input!! :)

[spicyfull]

You're RIGHT........Its just a Personal thing. Now if you are on a Juice Fast, you drink the juice because you don't want the bulk. When you Juice, you can also use the Fiber in other dishes and it's not a waste. Usually you can drink more Carrot Juice than eat Carrots.

I don't Juice much anymore, I just use the Vita-Mix. Some of the Juice Experts will stop in and give you some advice.

[MiahTay]

Hey Curlygirl! There are a couple of different ways of looking at juicing for me.

1. If I am juice fasting/feasting I most certainly strain out the pulp as I don't want my body to go into digestion mode.

2. If I am just including juice in my daily diet ... there is one theory that if you strain the pulp your body can just readily assimilate the nutrients in the form of juice vs. having to go through the digestion process to digest the pulp in the juice. I USUALLY strain the pulp out of my juice but in some fruit juices I leave some in, I always strain my veggie juice.

And if you look at juicing as part of a healthy raw foods diet you are still getting lots of fiber from the other foods you are eating. I like to do juice first thing in the morning as my system is empty and it is like liquid energy. I don't drink juice on a full stomach because then it is going through the digestion process again.

Blessings,
Heather

[MiahTay]

Another thought...

The pulp works great as an addition to flax crackers or pates.

Blessings,
Heather

[Teraw]

Juicing also allows you to get more nutrients in before getting full. All the post prior to my own are correct as well. There are many benefits to juicing, but unless you are fasting, juicing isn't your only way of eating your fruits and veggies. I love this question it was awesome!

[Aleesha Sattva]

the point of juicing is to:

a) give your body straight pure nutrition which is very quickly (within minutes) absorbed into your system. one apple juice may use 10 apples... think of how much energy your body has to expend to digest up 10 apples... but absorbing the juice of those 10 apples, it uses almost no energy at all.

b) yes your body needs fibre but since a raw diet IS fibre rich... it doesn't really need high fibre in every single mouthful. so not using the fibre in your juices is a nice little break for your system.

c) look at it as 5 days of raw eating in one day. you can easily juice all the foods you would eat in a week and drink it down in one day. now that is some major nutritive value there! if you have any health issues which need healing, this is the magic raw pill that'll do just that. even if you don't know of any issues, your body probably does. your liver needs a break, you arteries can use some unclogging... you blood could use a cleaning... this is what juices are able to do cause since they use almost no energy to be absorbed the energy your body would have used to digest them is used to heal instead.

d) your body feels lighter when you juice. remember the light feeling you had doing the m/c? since your body didn't have a lot of work to absorb that drink... well you get the same light feeling from juice.

if m/c is cleansing (on a scale of 1-10 it would be a 5) *this is a made up example to explain my point by the way*
then juicing is cleansing and healing (on a scale of 1-10 it would be a 7 for both)
then water is a complete and total shut down of your systems - giving them a break from everything... so again, a lot of healing with this one. (on the scale... this one is a 10)

of course that's a full day of m/c or juicing or water fasting. but you get the idea.

adding juices into your daily life increases your nutrition dramatically. you body will thank you for it.

[Eva]

I like juicing for an occasional cleanse only, and when my body seems to be wanting that.

[Aleesha Sattva]

mmm not me. i juice daily... regardless of whether or not i'm eating or fasting. my body can always use more nutrition :)

[Zuri]

Angela Stokes juices everyday and a lot of people in the raw community agree that its beneficial to juice, do green smoothies, eat salads, AND eat energy soup for overall health and longevity. I love juicing when I'm fasting because it gives me way more energy to do things and function over lemonade and it just helps spice things up so I don't get bored quickly. Like it's been stated before, no fiber allows my body to cleanse faster without focusing on the digestive process. Juice is POTENT too!

[Stina]

I'm another one for pro-juicing. It's the vitamin-mineral complex my body waited for more than 30 years to get. It's pure healing energy for me. And practical. I've been a house cleaner and think I would have been too lethargic without the added boost of juicing, and that's the real credible evidence I need.

Ultimately, we need to be our own scientist and see what works for us as individuals and keep experimenting. We live in such a toxic world today, especially a contaminated food supply, that it makes sense to me that my body needs extra nourishment to heal from a lifetime of bad eating habits. That's a situation that juicing would be extremely helpful in. There are a lot of scanarious that I do use juicing for: recovery from eating cooked food, stress, fasting, menstural cramps. It's amazing what a chore digestion is for the body and what a vacation it is to provide the nutrients via juicing without all of the work

I've got a totally different take on constipation than most people. When someone complains of being backed up, most people would tell them to add even more fiber to their diet. I say, Stop Eating! Let that poor, overworked digestive system get caught up on it's backlog, then add in the raw diet, which is naturally more fibrous as long as you're eating with basic common sense.

Yep, I'd cuddle with my Greenstar at night if I could. I do use that Vitamix more for green smoothies but there's an important time and place for both of them.

Also, think of how all major religions use fasting as a key tool for spiritual development. For me, juicing is an important part of fast, very supportive.

Great question, though. And I just compost the fiber. Afterall, I didn't pay $365 for nothing for a Greenstar to have wet pulp! :)

[Christiana]

Yep, I'd cuddle with my Greenstar at night if I could.

Aww, really? How sweet! :D

Well, I have had only great experiences with juicing...For one, I feel totally awesome, and today's day 3, and I never feel this way on fasts of even eating normally!! I feel like a wound-up energizer bunny---on a much larger scale...:p

Second, my pimples/acne/scars/stretch marks are moving out, my eyes are more clear and defined, and I'm loosing weight!

Whatever works for you, but I'm reaping the advantages of juicing!

[rawstrength]

Think of juice as a supplement, a way to get more veggies and/or fruits in than you normally would if you were just eating them. Our soil, and therefore our food, is so depleted of minerals these days that sometimes it takes a little extra produce to fulfill our needs. Juice helps.

I particularly love green juices, because you really can't eat too many greens. I make green juices in my vitamix and filter with two paint strainer bags. I had a juicer for one glorious day . . . and then it broke *sigh* .

[curlygirl82]

hey everyone, thanks for responding. it's really interesting to hear everybody's different takes on juicing!! i can't wait to get my juicer up and running.

[oai]

i think getting a bunch of nutrients from juicing is better than taking vitamins. :) that's about it. but if you're not someone who is nutrient deficient from years of SAD eating, then smoothies are awesome. :D and much easier than juicing i think. :p

[Zuri]

Yep, I'd cuddle with my Greenstar at night if I could. I do use that Vitamix more for green smoothies but there's an important time and place for both of them.



LOL ..i know the feelin! :D