The Lazy Girl’s Guide to Juicing
Just FYI, this page may contain affiliate links. Meaning, if you shop through my links, I may make a small commission at no added cost to you. Please know that if you do shop through any of my links, I am extremely grateful as it supports the blog (and buys dog treats for Jackie, Lola, and Lady). *I am (obviously) not a doctor, dietitian, or nutritionist. The information included in this post is based solely on my own research and experience. So, this is the disclaimer that tells you to consult your physician before starting any diet program and not blindly follow the advice of some random chick on the internet. Enjoy. As far as I’m concerned, diet is a four-letter word. Okay, well obviously it has four letters…what I mean is that it’s a bad word. And I came by this opinion honestly, because I’ve tried a lot of diets. Atkins, Keto, Weight Watchers, Slim Fast, Intermittent Fasting, low-calorie, low-fat, high protein, blah, blah, blah. All of them are ridiculous (and I personally think low carb diets are the work of Satan). Now, you can argue and say that some diets are realistic long-term solutions to weight and health concerns. Sure, it’s totally possible to follow a strict diet plan that doesn’t make you feel like your stomach is attempting to eat itself…but that doesn’t make it realistic. For example, I followed a strict Keto diet for about 8 weeks. I was never starving, I was able to eat satisfying meals and (for the most part) I felt like I was doing something good for my body. Yet, I couldn’t eat a friggin’ apple. After years of following over-marketed diet plans ‘guaranteed’ to make you leaner and healthier than ever before, I’ve reached one big conclusion… What’s the use of sweating my tail off in the gym and counting calories or carbs in the kitchen if I can’t enjoy a cheeseburger when I want one??? Which led me to another conclusion, one that many others have discovered before me, life is all about balance. Eating a cheeseburger or celebrating with a piece of cake or wallowing in a pint of ice cream is not going to kill you…as long as that’s not all you’re eating. Think back to that health class you took in fifth grade, remember the food pyramid? That’s called a healthy diet. So yeah, you can eat that slice of pizza…but maybe try a salad tomorrow. And balance can be hard in today’s world. Trust me, I know. When I’m spending 50+ hours a week trying to run a restaurant and not getting home until after midnight (on a good night) while trying to squeeze in at least some form of exercise, keep the house from looking like the aftermath of a frat party, and care for the fur-babies…there’s not a lot of time left for cooking and preparing healthy meals. And I can only eat so many protein bars and Lean Cuisines before I want to stab myself in the throat. But a couple of months ago I discovered my new secret weapon…juicing. Now, unless you live in a cabin out in the middle of no where with no connection to the outside world (in which case I doubt you’d be reading this), you’ve probably heard of juicing. And probably you’ve heard mixed opinions about the subject. Some people extol the virtues of the juicing phenomenon and all the good benefits it can have on your body. Some people claim that it can actually be worse for your health. I’ve done my share of research on both arguments (and you should too) and, ultimately, it comes back to that whole balance thing. So, here’s my five tips and tricks to juicing like a boss. Juicing is a really good option for getting in those vital vegetables and fruits when life is crazy and you don’t have time to sit down to a perfectly portioned meal. But treat it like a building block and not the foundation. Yes, it’s totally possible to do a complete juice cleanse where you only consume juices for a set amount of time (typically anywhere between 3 and 7 days). I’ve done it. But it’s not really necessary. It’s possible to reap the benefits of juicing by replacing one or two meals a day with a healthy juice…as long as you’re doing it right. No, drinking a bottle of apple juice is not the same as juicing. Fruits can be a great way to make juices more palatable, particularly if you’re not Popeye and don’t love the taste of spinach. But, as the saying goes, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. Fruits are packed with lots of great benefits…they’re also full of natural sugar. And if your juices are primarily fruit-based, you can count on counting a lot of extra calories. In case you missed learning about this gem of an acronym in middle school, allow me to enlighten you…Keep It Simple Stupid. You can buy one of those super cool pricey juicers with a ton of useless features, or you can pick up a perfectly suitable basic model at your local superstore for under thirty bucks. Your choice. You can also spend, literally, hundreds of dollars a week at the grocery store on fresh vegetables and fruits trying to follow any of the thousands of recipes you found on Pinterest. Or, you can do a little research on which veggies or fruits best suit your needs and create your own simple and easy juice. So, you did your research, bought your juicer, gathered your ingredients and shoved them all in. Now you’ve got a nice healthy glass of liquid veggie goodness…and a pile of pulp intended for the garbage (or compost). Don’t do that. In a pinch with a lack of produce and no time for the grocery store, I decided to try running the leftover pulp through the juicer again to try to stretch it as far as I could. So. Much. Juice. Seriously, save the pulp for another day (or just an extra-large juice to last the whole day). Especially if you’re using produce that’s high in water content like cucumbers. Toss that pulp, and you might as well throw money down the drain. If you’ve ever juiced before, then you’ve probably felt that crushing disappointment when you feed handfuls of leafy greens and diced veggies into the juicer and get out one little bitty glass of juice. On days when I’m super busy and plan on sipping on a large juice throughout the day to keep me from feeling those hangry pains, I add coconut water to my juice to make it last longer. Getting in some natural electrolytes doesn’t hurt either. So, there you have it, five easy tips to juicing so you don’t break your bank or lose your sanity. Now go read these articles by people who actually know what they’re talking about. https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-juice-at-home/ https://www.mensjournal.com/food-drink/should-you-be-juicing/ https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-7334/the-right-and-wrong-way-to-juice.html http://www.all-about-juicing.com/best-fruits-and-vegetables.html
