Juicing Questions

[RighteousYogini]

Hi Everyone; I've got a few questions regarding juicing. It seems to me that people are saying the benefits of juicing are beyond even those of smoothies. I just bought a very pricey vitamix, and I'm hoping

a) that I can juice with this??? I thought it might clean my whole kitchen for the cost :) and if I can, would it be a huge annoying mess to do so, versus with a juicer?

b) if I can't juice with this, I don't understand how we benefit more from juicing, when with blending we get all of the vegetable juices AND more . . .. ie. the rest of the vegetable. It doesn't make sense to me.

Thanks for any clarification. Because I'm really enjoying the transition into this new lifestyle, I would probably go and get a relatively inexpensive juicer if I really had to. Oh....and is the difference between juicing and blending that a juicer wont waste all of your veggies but the blender will? And is juicing really messy??? Thanks!

Namaste,
Shanti

[RawBogan]

I think your bodily intuition is gonna give you the answer in the long term and mine tells me blending/green smoothies etc are about as nutritious as it gets. I think my dehydrator is my second most important appliance and maybe juicer third.

Of course leafy green wraps with plenty of sprouts are my ultimate food.

HTH

[Aleesha Sattva]

there isn't any right or wrong answers... it's up to you. i juice a lot... cause my body loves the pulp free existence it gets. the break from digesting... the rest. just cause my body loves it doesn't mean yours will.

just like my body loooooooooves tomatoes. doesn't mean you'll even want to eat them!

yes you can use a vita-mix to juice. just get a nut mylk bag or paint strainer bag from a hardware store and pour your blend into it... and massage the juice out into a large bowl.

[RighteousYogini]

Okay, great! Well if there was a real benefit, I would do it... I just wanted to know what that benefit was. Maybe you get more nutrients juciing or something because it;s less filling and you can drink more.

Paint strainer-aswesome idea! Those have to be cheaper than the nut mylk bags.
thanks!

[Aleesha Sattva]

there are many benefits... but just because i benefit from it doesn't mean it's something that will interest you.

have you read any of the fasting threads? the stickie in the fasting sections? all really valuable information.

but for me... the benefits are:

~gifting my body a rest from digestion
~deeper detox than I get when consuming food in it's whole form
~a greater depth to my spirituality
~a feeling of lightness which is breathtakingly amazing to experience
~clarity in my body, mind and spirit
~fine-tuning my 'listening to my body' ability
~fasting eyes (my eyes are sooooo white and my irises are sooooooo blue when I'm fasting)
~rehydrating my body in a really healthy way
~more nutrition readily available to my body than I can give it with foods my body has to digestion (and extract the nutrition)

~giving my body the time and space to do some really deep healing

and those are just off the top of my head...

[RighteousYogini]

Sounds great.... but that seems to speak to the benefits of a fast more than just whether to juice or blend? I wasn't really talking about fasting although perhaps in the future!

[Aleesha Sattva]

you are gifting your body a break from digesting... for one meal. and THAT is a gift in itself.

of course, if it's not a gift in your mind... then don't do it!

[rawnhealthy]

just a quick note: I use cheesecloth instead of a nut milk bag- it was cheaper and easier for me to find. but the paint bag sounds interesting as well...hmmm.

[DopeRawAbundance]

I want to point out, that I believe, I was in the same position as you. I've had a Vitamix for awhile, and I've even made juices with it (with the help of a nut milk bag).

I just got a juicer a couple weeks ago and now I totally see what "they" mean when "they" say that juicing is in a league of its own. A whole new life is breathed into you, you start to feel "like a kid" again. This is based off my own experience, please visit my thread in the Fasting section if you wish to follow my juice feast. :kisses:

"Got a juicer? No? Got a car? Sell your car and get a juicer, it'll take you farther" - Anthony Robbins, paraphrased

I'll once again point out that DIRECT EXPERIENCE is the best way to convince yourself of whether or not something works. Take it from someone who's just learning this himself...

Juicing is the best ever. :excited::juicy::excited:

[bananafish]

I'd agree with the above, I've had my Blentec over 2 years now, I also made juices with it, though not very often, I did find it a bit too messy and fiddly to bother with. Since getting a juicer a few weeks ago, WOW!

I'm now IN LOVE with juicing. :)

I highly recommend one, and a pretty decent one doesn't have to be expensive.

[levamssg]

There is no right or wrong ... juicing vs blending ... you do what feels right to you. Do what your body directs you to do.

I go in phases where I have a green smoothie every day, and a fruit smoothie as well. They I go in phases where I have varieties of juice every day and no smoothies ... and combinations in-between. Whatever I crave, that is what I do, for however many days I feel like it.

Yes, you can create juice in the vitamix using a nutmilk (strainer) bag.
I happen to have both a vitamix and a juicer (greenstar) so I use the vitamix for smoothies, and the juicer for my juice,

Just feel good about what you are eating/drinking ... if it works for you, go for it.