Understanding Green Juice
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JUICING AND BLENDING? A juicer and a blender are different machines with distinct functions.
A blender turns the whole fruit/vegetable into a liquid version of itself. For example, a pear becomes a liquid pear drink. Everything that was in the original pear is now found in the blended version. The viscosity of the drink is irrelevant and is usually dependent on how much water is added to the blender. It can be thick ("smoothie") or thin ("juice") but it still is a blended pear. All the nutrients, liquid, and fiber found in the pear are present in the blended drink.
A juicer is an extractor. It is when the machine separates the nutrients (the liquid which contains all the vitamins, minerals etc.) from the fiber (part of the fruit/vegetable that does not get digested and continues to the colon to form stool). It is only juice when the fiber is not present.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A "BLENDED DRINK" AND A "JUICE"? Juice has no fiber, a blended drink has all of the original fiber; both have all the nutrients found in the original source. Fiber slows down the absorption of nutrients from the gut into the blood. The nutrients in a blended drink will release slowly as the fiber is slowly separating from the nutrients (fiber is never absorbed into the blood). A juice, which has no fiber, is absorbed immediately into the bloodstream.
ISN'T FIBER GOOD FOR YOU? Yes! Fiber is extremely good for you and is essential for regular bowel motions, to maintain a healthy weight, and promote optimal health. Adults require 30g of fiber a day, which is easily ingested on a diet of whole foods, including whole grains and fruits and vegetables. If you are worried about not getting enough fiber in your diet, a green smoothie is a wonderful source of fibre, as are large vegetables salads and fresh fruit (a medium apple has 5 grams of fiber)
WHY DO YOU PROMOTE GREEN JUICE WHICH HAS NO FIBER? (My favorite question ) Two main reasons
The more green the better!
Fiber keeps us full (which is usually a very good thing!). But I want to consume a LARGE amount of green nutrients. Without fiber I can easily consume a head of kale, celery, lettuce, parsley, cucumbers in a glass or two. If I blended all of that I wouldn't be able to drink a 1/4 of it! Plus I would have to add other ingredients, like juice and fruit to make it palatable, which would result in less greenery. Forget about eating it with a fork- that would be a salad for four, at least, and I love salad.
Green Juice goes directly into your blood stream.
In order for the nutrients in the food/drink you consume to positively affect your body (add calcium to your bones, clean your blood, strengthen your muscle) the food first needs to first be digested (broken down mechanically to smaller pieces and then chemically from larger chemical structures to smaller ones) and then absorbed by passing through our GI tract into our cells. Think of it this way. There is a tube in your body that starts at your mouth and ends at your bum. If you put something in the tube it is technically in your body but needs to pass through the tube to impact the rest of your body. For example, carrots are healthy for our eyes, but in order for the carrot to positively affect our eyes, it first needs to be digested (broken down in the stomach/intestines) and its nutrients absorbed (pass through the tube into the blood stream).
With a green smoothie, the fruits and vegetables are pre-digested (broken down very well) which is beneficial, but your body still has to separate the fibre out to access the nutrients. With a green juice the alkaline greens go directly into your blood, causing an immediate detoxifying reaction. This is why I do not recommend fruit juice (apple to sweeten a mostly green juice is fine). Fruit juice will pass directly into your blood causing your blood sugar to spike. Fiber is essential with fruit to slow down the ingestion of the abundant sugar found in the fruit. My motto is "eat your fruits and drink your vegetables:)"
HOW MUCH DO I HAVE TO DRINK? CAN I DRINK TOO MUCH? Start slowly because green juice is very cleansing and too much too fast is not always best. I personally feel best drinking 30+ ounces a day, but I recommend 8-16 oz as a good amount to start with.
WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO DRINK GREEN JUICE? Mornings. More importantly, green juice must be enjoyed on an empty stomach. This allows the juice to go straight into the body without being slowed down by any fibre or food lingering in the stomach.
HOW CAN I START DRINKING GREEN JUICE? This depends on your personal lifestyle and preference. If you live near a juice bar and can easily buy a daily green juice, you may choose to do that. If the juice is made per order, they will be using a centrifuge juicer. This will enable you to choose the ingredients (more green, less apple.. add ginger to taste etc.), but you need to drink the juice within 15 minutes. If the juice bar sells pre-made green juice, it must be labelled cold pressed, be refrigerated, and be consumed within three days of pressing. Also, aim to choose a juice that does not have fruit in the first three ingredients.
WHAT JUICER SHOULD I BUY? If juicing at home is a better option for you (as is for most) I recommend buying a cheaper juicer to begin with. These are the centrifuge juicers and although the quality of juice is not as good as others (stay tuned for a post on juicers). They are the best to start with as they are cheap, light, easy to use and time efficient. The biggest downside is that you cannot juice in advance. However, this is still the better choice. The spouts are large, reducing prep time, and clean up is easy. After juicing for 6-12 months you will be ready and willing to invest in a better quality juicer.
WHAT ARE THE BEST FRUITS/VEGES TO JUICE? Green leafy veges!!
Here is a simple recipe to start with: 4 stalks celery 1 lemon (peeled) 1 cucumber half bunch parsley kale, lettuce or spinach leaves green apple to taste (usually need 1-2) ginger, optional
Run through juicer. Discard or compost fiber.
DO I NEED TO USE ORGANIC PRODUCE WHEN JUICING? Preferably, yes- especially for juicing because you are getting a concentrated form of whatever produce you are juicing. If all organic is not an option go choose items that are on the highest pesticide list "dirty dozen" (visit www.ewg.org/foodnews for current list)
I LOVE GREEN JUICE! HOW CAN I GET MY KIDS TO DRINK GREEN JUICE? Check out my post on raising healthy kids and remember You drink it. Get them involved: get them to make the juice! Make it exciting and sweet by adding strawberries, kiwi and apples to the mix... and over time they won't need much sweetness either <3
If drinking something that will show positive results in your skin, hair, nails, and energy isn’t for you… that’s fine <3 But for those who want to try something that is life changin' amazing...It's time to get your juicing on.. and I am here to help
Cheers!
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