I told a few people earlier this week that I started juicing. One person pretended to push a needle into his arm – no, I’m not taking steroids!
I remember going to a friends house as a kid after church one Sunday. We sat around the table (I was probably 12 or 13) and we were served a roast dinner. What did we have to drink with this wonderful, salty meal? Tomato juice. I tried it…and hated it. This was my first introduction to juicing. After lunch I made my way to the washroom and cupped my hands under the running water to try and quench my thirst. Needless to say, I was NOT going to drink liquified tomatoes again.
But just because I had one bad experience doesn’t mean I should never try again. Right?
So I tried juicing again recently. What I’ve come to learn is that there is a BIG difference between Mott’s Clamato and REAL juicing.
So I read about juicing and even watched an inspiring documentary (Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead) which was incredibly motivating! I’ve started to see the amazing benefits of including juicing into my life. Many years ago during a moment of weakness at around 1am I bought a juicer being advertised on TV – The Jack Lalane Power Juicer! It sat in storage for a LONG time.
So I dragged it out and plugged it in and started feeding it with all kinds of fruits and veggies. (I haven’t been brave enough to juice a tomato yet!) I have to say that some of the drinks I’ve made are actually pretty awful. Too much greens, not enough sweet flavour. My goal is to be able to make a totally veggie drink – but for now I’ve started easy.
My favourite juice so far is 2 apples, 1 carrot, a bunch of spinach and two oranges. I know there is a lot of fruit-sugar in that drink but I’m easing myself into things.
Let me tell you about the benefits I’m seeing. ENERGY. Just from one juice per day! Plus, I’ve had dry skin for a long time but after 4 days of juicing I’ve seen my skin starting to clear up. Awesome!
This isn’t surprising when you realize what’s really happening when you juice. The nutrients from the fruits and veggies are concentrated. Yes, you lose most of the fibre when you juice, but like I said earlier – this is something I’m incorporating into my life. I’ll get fibre from somewhere else.
I think most of us live in a state of nutrient deficiency. So it’s no surprise that when I’ve started to juice, my body absorbs the nutrients it so desperately is lacking. I’m not a juicing evangelist…yet, but I do see the benefits!