juicing vs green smoothie

[UltrasonicRaw]

i am interested in doing a juice fast for the first time and i am not 100 percent raw yet. my juicer will be arriving any day now, but while researching juice fasting i have seen information on green smoothies which are made in the blender? also, i have read about the green energy soups? i have had a hard time switching to raw food meals, most of them send me to the bathroom within a couple hours and then i "go" three or four times a day depending on how raw i am eating. it has been a month now and i think my body is accepting the increase in fiber, i can eat more and more raw each day.
my question is: would it be good to do a short juice fast which is a combo of the soup, smoothie and straight juice or just one type? i also need a book which describes the difference between these types of drinks and how to make different blends(it is getting so confusing and i cant afford to buy a ton of books).

i know i will have to learn how to make combinations which taste good to me, i have read that lemon will cut the bitter taste. i am not too hip on kale and collards, although i love them as a wrap.

my main reason for the fast is weight loss and also i feel it will simplify my life, it just feels like the right thing to try right now. i want to really increase my green intake.

sorry to ramble! need help!

thanks!

[Rawkinlocs]

Hi Ultrasonicraw,

Well, both the juice fast and green smoothies have their own set of benefits.

One thing to be clear on - juice fasting is not really TRUE fasting because with true fasting, the body is not receiving any nutrients or anything it has to work at digesting. This allows for the body to really do some DEEP cleaning because the digestive gets a full-blown rest from having to do any work.

Juice fasting will also produce cleansing, weightloss (but not necessarily permanent) but your body is still receiving nutrients but just not the fiber of the fruit. The digestive system gets "somewhat" of a rest but not a total rest as with a true water fast.

Green smoothies could be used as a "diet" of sorts. You're not only getting the nutrients of the fruit and the greens but you're also getting the fiber. This might be the better choice for you - perhaps even starting out with this and then maybe going into juices from there. I'm sure you'll even get some great cleansing/detoxing benefits from this as well, but probably not as much as with a water or juice fast.

But just keep in mind that any weight that comes off doing any of the above may not be permanent once you begin eating again. I'm not saying you'll gain ALL of the weight back that you lose, but it's probable that you'll get some of it back.

Best wishes to you whatever you decide to do! And yes, you can also do a blended diet where you are doing smoothies, juices and blended soups.

[sailaway]

I made carrot, apple and kale juice (trying to sneak the veggies in the kids) and it was very good. Not as sweet as the apple carrot.

[UltrasonicRaw]

i think the green smoothies would be best and i can start them right now. i dont know when i will ever be ready for a full fast since i work so much and take care of two kids full time and the two step kids part time.... so busy i am starving all the time. i know weight lose is going to be a slow process for me. i gained twenty pounds over the course of 5 years, very slowly.... so it suits me fine to just slowly lose it and keep it off.

thank you for the kale, apple, carrot recipe, i will try it as soon as my juicer arrives.

thanks again~!

[rawpriestess]

With juicing you only get the juice, with all the sugars, and no fiber, so this is said to help digestion, personally I would rather eat my fruit and veggies the way Goddess intended with it whole and natural.

So, although I do drink Orange juice most every day, I drink it with most of it's pulp, or all of it.

Smoothies are supposed to have all of the fiber in the drink, so that is the main difference. or so it would appear.

I would think this would be easier on the digestion, just logically.

the biggest thing to remember about juicing is that if you are juicing and not getting any fiber, you really need to get your bowels moving somehow, this is natural, and juicing isn't , so make sure you are either taking an enema to keep your bowels moving, or you are getting fiber from somewhere else.

And going to the bathroom 3 or 4 times a day is natural, you should go every time you eat.

Just to let you know, as most people think once a day, or even once a week is natural, it isn't.

[Revvell]

Part of the problem with you're not being able to lose weight is in your statement: "so busy i am starving all the time". When one is "starving" all the time, they are not getting enough nutrients, therefore the body will hold on to the fat for survival. I would suggest you eat more ~ whether it be fruit, veggies, smoothies ~ whatever.

Might I suggest you look at your long-term outcome and not treat this lifestyle as just a weight-loss diet? It's not. What will you do when you don't with to do smoothies anymore? Do you think you are not too busy to create 5-8 smoothies a day plus feed those children? btw ~ how are you feeding them and not yourself?

Personally, from my own experience, it sounds to me as though you need more nutrients and fiber. I would stick with the green smoothies. btw ~ if you get on the Boutenkos list, they have had some interesting information about greens and greensmoothies. You can find out more here too as this has been discussed numerous times. Just go up to the banana, click on it and type in "green smoothies".

Injoy ~

Revvell