I guess it doesn't have to be a serious thought pattern to determine if juicing is good or not. Honestly, how can it be bad for you? Though anything done to extreme can have side effects.
When it comes to weight and health I just tend to stick to the simple "Eat healthy, exercise and balance" I really do think it's as simple as that. But the key is finding what works for you. Each body is as unique as your fingerprints. And what works for one person might not work for another. The important thing is giving yourself that time and patience to discover what combination of food, exercise and balance will make a difference for you. It might mean eliminating certain things if your body just doesn't seem to respond well to i. And that's fine.
But with all these trends and diets and ideas out there I often get skeptical. There are a few ideas I think have some merit and can be beneficial. And I do think it is more than simply "calories in/calories out". As I said in another blog post, I am a fan of the Cinch/Sass Five-Day Fast Forward cleanse. And there is an idea about intermittent fasting and how that can be good. It helps to re-start your system. There is a book called the 8-Hour Diet. The idea is in an 8 hour span you eat almost anything you want. Not an entire pizza of course. But you can eat well and not worry too much as long as you do try and get the nutrients in. So lets say you start to eat at 8:00 am. You would then stop eating by 4:00 pm. And once your window closes, it's closed. If you aren't a breakfast eater and don't need to really eat until 11:00 am then your window would close at 7:00 pm. Apparently it has worked for many. I can sort of understand why. I'm sure you just can't eat as much as usual in that 8 hours because you are full from the previous meal. And it has to help with snacking, picking in between meals or later after you've already eaten all day. I'm sure cutting down snacking would help many!
Sorry, I can ramble a bit but I tend to write sort of how I think about these things. I never have a true agenda when writing my blog but more a general idea of what I want to talk about and just go. Almost like we're all in a room and brainstorming! :)
So back to juicing. The biggest thing I like about it is the ease in which to get the nutrients from fruits and vegetables in. While concentrated juices are not necessarily bad as it's just a process in which to store and increase shelf life but the heating process does kill a lot of the nutrients and depending on the brand can end up being more sugar than nutrition. I just think eating these things fresh are going to provide your body with the benefits. And the juicing recipes contain large amounts of the fruits and vegetables as well as ginger and other awesome ingredients. So downing a glass of that instead of a meal or having it for a snack is going to provide you with a lot of your daily requirements.
The health benefits of juicing include weight loss, immunity boost, better digestion, better sleep, a decrease in allergies, healthier hair, balanced skin, decrease in body odor, increased energy, decreased need for medications.
Here is one recipe to get you started:
Mean green:
2 Granny Smith Apples
4 Celery stalks
1 Cucumber
1 (1") thumb of Ginger
6 Kale leaves
1/2 of a lemon
Process all ingredients in a juicer. Shake or stir and serve.
Check this link out for nutritional benefits of this recipe and to view other recipes.
http://juicerecipes.com/recipes/mean-green-25
I am heading out soon to get a good burn in at the gym. I take my boys to the daycare there. They have a Wii and do some fun things. Then I imagine today will bring something fun with them. Not sure what yet! And cooking a good, healthy meal. Spring is on Wednesday! With the snow coming down yesterday, that doesn't seem to fit but I will take it. I am so ready to be outside with them more.
Have a beautiful Sunday everyone. Just be good to yourselves. Treat your body with the respect it deserves and it will thank you! And Happy St. Patrick's Day!! We're all a little Irish today.
Lets end this with a little Sinatra, shall we?? :)
"Each time that I find myself flat on my face, I pick myself up and get back in the race. That's life!" - Frank Sinatra.
God Bless,
Tami
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