Raw Green Juice, copyright DAYS WITH US (www.dayswithus.com)
It’s been 48 days since I began my journey to South Beach. Yep, 48 days without carbohydrates, without coffee, without alcohol, and without desserts. I’ve lost pounds. I lost inches. I feel great. I gained a sense of food-control that was beyond my initial expectations. I’ve changed by body, my mind, and my belief in myself. Hooray!
With all these changes in my food choices and eating habits, I’ve found something that I only knew a little bit about before now, and that is juicing. Do you juice? How did you learn about it? When did you start juicing? This past Christmas, my husband gave me a Breville Juicer. I was excited to receive the juicer; however, I was a bit hesitant that I may not like the actual juice. It took me a few weeks to open the box because I didn’t want to take on something new while I was detoxing from sugar and carbohydrates. Once the most difficult part of the South Beach Diet was under control and I began to lose weight, I decided it was time to give this juicing-thing a good old fashion try. I read the included Breville manual and started searching for juicing recipes everywhere I could. I was pleasantly surprised by all the wonderful resources that were available to me especially the on-line resource: The Healthy Blender Recipes. I read and read, collected a bunch of healthy juice recipes, and then headed over to our local grocery store. Once the produce I needed was in hand, I headed home to begin my experimentation.
The very first healthy green juice I ventured to try included: kale, spinach, romaine lettuce, apple, lime, ginger, and broccoli. To my surprise, it was and continues to be delicious and one of my favorite combinations. I do not strain or add water to my juice. I drink it straight up or over ice. I love, love, love it. I do limit myself to one of these juices a day because of the natural sugar in the apple. Do you know that an apple contains about 23 grams of sugar? Can this actually be possible? Are there any nutritionists out there willing to comment on this and set me straight about whether or not I should actually be juicing if I am trying to limit my sugar intake? Anyone? The reason I looked up the sugar content of fruits and vegetables was because I was having an emotional reaction to some of the juice combinations I have been drinking. I explained it to my husband as having the same feeling I used to have when devouring a hot-fudge sundae with Death By Chocolate and Peppermint Stick ice-cream {this is my favorite ice-cream treat}. I would drink the juice, feel elated, and then not want to finish because I didn’t want to see the bottom of the glass. Am I crazy? Can anyone understand what I am describing? When I told my hubby about my experience, he said frankly, “it’s because of all the sugar in the juice”. I tried to debunk his statement but then he researched it and quickly deduced that his reasoning was correct. I guess I knew there WAS natural sugar in apples and fruits in general but I didn’t realize how much. Knowing there are 23 grams of sugar in one apple bums me out a bit because I love juicing but I am now more particular about what combination I use for each recipe.
So, what does this all mean for me? Since I’m feeling so good and continue to lose weight, I am going to stay the course of the South Beach Diet, and continue reading labels, eating as a way to fuel my body, cooking healthy meals for my family and for myself, and I am going to keeping juicing. With that said, I am reading more and more about juicing and have added the following resources to my library: Heinerman’s Encyclopedia of Healing Juices (written by John Heinerman), The Healthy Green Drink Diet (written by Jason Manheim), and The Juicing Bible (written by Pat Crocker). What are your juicing go-to resources?
I’ve learned a lot about myself since starting my journey on the South Beach Diet as well as introducing juicing into my life. I know there will be ups-and-downs as that’s just life. I’ve clearly connected my mood with how well I’ve eaten throughout the day. The food-switch has been flicked. I am not just a believer in these food-decisions anymore but I am actually doing it for myself and for my family. My journey continues with these little changes that have helped me kick the sugar demons out of my life. What are you doing to stay healthy in 2013?
Raw Glorious Greens Cleansing Juice | copyright DAYS WITH US (www.dayswithus.com)
It really is bananas how much sugar there is in fruit. But that’s why it’s better to eat fruit whole than to drink the juice from a carton–because then the sugar concentration goes way high. Good luck with your juicing endeavors. It sounds like fun! Yummy, too.
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I just started juicing this week and I’m totally addicted. I’m not doing a cleanse or anything, but I am trying to up my greens intake. Have you heard of Kris Carr and her Crazy Sexy books? She’s awesome and an expert on juicing.
Found you on Honest Mom.
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Hi Steph. Great, welcome to the juicing phenomenon. So, I did not know of Kriss Carr but now I do {thank you}. Her book looks great. I am going to buy it and check out her recipes and blend recommendations. Thanks for stopping by Days With Us.