Juicing for Health

Let's be honest about your juice cleanse. Fortunately, this trend is finally tapering out but there are still some serious juicers out there touting its health benefits. They are not wrong. Raw fruit and vegetable juices can be highly nourishing and are great for helping the body cleanse and remove toxins! But cleansing should be done with caution.

Here are the 4 main mistakes people make when going on a cleanse and how to avoid them:

1. Cleansing in the Winter. Your body needs a building diet high in protein and fat during the winter. The cold season is a time for booster foods and rejuvenating the body to store up nutrients for hibernation. Think about the natural cycles of ecology and how we once needed to store up abundance in fall in order to survive through the winter, while in summertime, food is easily available all around us so the biological urge to binge is lower. If you feel the need to cleanse in the cold, try a broth or soup cleanse instead.

Summertime, when it is hot and food is abundant, your body tends to need less fat and protein to stay active. This is the time to cleanse. Drink smoothies, eat raw foods and enjoy juice! Sweat it out. Exercise and encourage the body to cleanse during the warm months of spring and summer.

2. Buying Pre-made Juices. Juice that comes in a bottle is expensive and usually loaded with unnatural ingredients. Fruit juice is high in sugar so what you buy at the grocery store is not the same as homemade green apple and celery juice. The best way to juice is at home with high-quality, organic ingredients so you know your drink is fresh and additive free. And you'll save a ton of money this way.

3. Making Juices Too Sweet. Foods like beets, carrots and apples are high in sugar. When you juice foods, you are removing all the fiber so there is nothing to slow down sugar absorption. This is why fruit and sweet vegetable juices can spike blood sugar and cause problems for diabetics and other glucose sensitive individuals. Your juice blend should have some savory vegetables to balance out the sweet. Try making celery or romaine the base instead of beets or carrots. And when adding fruit, always opt for green apples over sweeter varieties.

4. Eating Raw Cruciferous Veggies and Spinach. Some foods are not meant to be eaten raw! Cruciferous veggies (kale, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower etc.) are high in goitrogens and other anti nutrients that can be hard to digest and inhibit thyroid function. SO STOP PUTTING KALE IN YOUR SMOOTHIES/JUICES! Likewise, spinach contains oxalic acid that can be problematic for the stomach and digestive tract. It should be steamed or cooked. This is especially important if you have any kind of digestive disorder. These foods should only be consumed raw in very small amounts or not at all.

Fresh Juice Recipes: