Juicing 101: 6 Tips for Easy Juicing

Here at Olivera Weight Management, we juice nearly every afternoon as a great way to boost our energy. Juicing is an excellent way to get an abundance of vitamins and nutrients which help boost immunity and reduce your risk of chronic disease.

According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010, most Americans only get 59% of the recommended amount of vegetables daily and 42% of fruits. Here are some helpful tips to get you juicing and on your way to reaching your recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables!

1. Try different greens: While spinach and kale are delicious and healthy, too much can actually lead to hormonal issues due to a build up of oxalic acid which can negatively affect your thyroid. Vary your greens with your days. Try using swiss chard, collards, mustard greens, romaine and arugula in addition to your spinach and kale. One green for every day!
2. Limit the fruit: While it’s true natural sugar is better for you, too much can still cause insulin to spike and increase abdominal fat and weight, just like refined sugar and artificial sweeteners. To avoid this use a 3:1 vegetable to fruit ratio. Hint: treat carrots like a fruit as they are sweet and high in sugar.
3. Drink your green juice on an empty stomach: When you drink your green juices on an empty stomach the vitamins and nutrients are better absorbed and used by the body. Wait at least 20 minutes after drinking your juice before eating something else.
4. Drink your juice as soon as possible: The enzymes in the juice begin to breakdown immediately after it is exposed to air. Waiting too long to drink your juice means you are missing out on many of the benefits of juicing. However, if you are going to store juice, use glass containers because plastic results in faster oxidation. Also, fill your containers up as far to the top as you can, this leaves the juice less exposed to air. Drink within 24-48 hours. The sooner, the better!
5. Try different recipes: Repetition gets boring! You don’t need to buy a juicing cookbook. A simple Google search will give you thousands of new and delicious recipes for your thirsty palate. Different fruits and veggies are rich in many vitamins and nutrients. Switch it up to make sure you’re getting them all!
6. Juice Organic: It is always best to juice organic fruits and vegetables to avoid absorbing unwanted pesticides and chemicals. If you are unable to buy everything organic, learn the Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen lists here: http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.php  Try to at least buy those fruits and vegetables on the dirty dozen list organic whenever possible.

And don’t forget your fiber! Eat some raw fruits and vegetables as juicing does eliminate the fiber content. A high fiber diet is essential to a healthy diet so try to get in 25 grams every day! Read more about the importance and health benefits of fiber here.

By the way, the movie Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead is an incredibly inspirational documentary following people’s “juicing journey” to better health. Check out the link here, or you can find it on Netflix.

Do you have a favorite juicing recipe? Please leave a comment below with your favorite juice for all to enjoy!

Happy Juicing!