Why Juice?

Last week, my husband and I did a 5 day juice fast...or, should I say (as in the words of my cousin-in-law), a 5 day juice feast!  It would take so much fresh fruits and vegetables to go into just one glass of juice, that had we tried to eat them whole, we never could have eaten as much variety and quantity of the vitamins and minerals that we took in with juicing them.

The amount of produce that goes into just two servings of juice!

Many people asked why we were undertaking this drastic change to our dietary behavior, and we usually gave them the short answers of "for our health" or "because we watched a documentary that made us want to try something different and good for us."  We both wanted to quickly drop a few pounds, and thought this would be just the motivation we would need to jump-start a new healthier lifestyle.

The documentary that made us want to juice.

The juice fast really wasn't so bad.  DH had some digestive issues, but kind of went cold turkey while I had been slowly weaning my body off of "nasty" foods for quite some time.  I stopped consuming caffeine 3 months ago, quit artificial sweeteners 2 months ago, and was half-heartedly trying to stay away from refined sugars & carbs.  I'd been drinking smoothies for breakfast every morning for at least a couple of months, and I figured juicing would just be taking it all a step further.

OK, sure we were a little bit hungry the first day or two.  A tiny bit weak, but it really was not as bad as I thought it would be.  For the most part, I had plenty of energy while following this diet.  I felt lighter and leaner even the first day.  I lost a total of 7lbs before hitting a plateau, and then after incorporating solid plant-based foods into my diet I gained 2lbs back.  I should mention that we did not follow the juicing diet 100% either.  DH ate soups and salads for lunches, but juiced with me for breakfast and dinner.  I juiced all meals, but had 1/4C of nuts once or twice a day, to ensure I was getting enough protein and vitamin B12.  Also, we didn't follow the "reboot" correctly in that we didn't do the 5 days of preparing for the juice feast, we just jumped right in, cold turkey.  Also, we didn't follow it with 5 days of eating only fruits and vegetables (in juice smoothie, or solid form).  Rather we followed it with a period of eating only micro-nutrient foods.  This is something I'll discuss in another post.

The main problem we found with the juicing recipes on the reboot website, is that unless they were primarily fruit-based, they were gross!  We quickly discovered that we don't like any of them with ginger, and I learned that I don't really care for too much lime juice in a drink. Those that included any kind of peppers in the recipe turned out not to be our favorites, and we got a major overload of beets.  It quickly made us rethink what we were doing and begin looking to solid ways to eat the same foods.  If we were to reboot with a juice feast again, we'd have to experiment with some different flavor combinations to find something we could tolerate drinking on a more regular basis. We both still like the idea of starting our day out with one glass of fresh juice, I think the only question remaining is exactly which juice that will be...

But I still haven't answered the question that I teased you with at the top of the post: "Why Juice" in the first place?

The truth is...I don't really know.  I realize how crazy that sounds, but the more I search for detailed scientific answers, the more I seem to rely on the truth that it boils down to simple common sense.  Making a dramatic change like only juicing fruits and vegetables for a while helps to break the cycle of unhealthy eating in which many of us are trapped.  

I see juicing as a way to reboot the system by increasing the amount and variety of fresh fruits and vegetables and removing animal protein, fat, and grains; all of which eases the transition toward a mostly plant-based healthy diet and lifestyle.

By consuming only fruits and vegetables for a limited period, you can retrain your taste buds and begin to not only be satisfied by, but to crave a healthy, plant-based diet, and in so doing, promote a lifestyle that will lower risk for obesity, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, macular degeneration, cognitive decline, and mental illness including depression.

Not only can a plant-based diet help you to manage your weight, it improves your immunity, decreases aches and pains in joints and muscles, promotes healthy skin, nails and hair, promotes increased energy levels, and promotes longevity.

Juicing vs. Smoothies

So the big question I had, was "why juice instead of eating whole foods?"  In fact, I even wondered if blended smoothies would be better, because then my diet would include all the pulp discarded by the juicing process.  This is actually a great debate among many in the virtual juicing communities I have encountered.  Personally, I find value in both methods of consuming produce, but for me, there were 3 main reasons to begin with juicing before transitioning to other ways of preparing fresh fruits and vegetables.

1. Juicing fresh fruits and vegetables releases digestive enzymes and certain phytonutrients that are locked away to us when we try to eat whole foods.
2. You can eat a greater amount and variety of fruits and vegetables when juicing them, which is important when you are not getting calories or nutrition from any other food source.
3. By only consuming juice for a limited period of time, you give your digestive system a break and time to cleanse & detoxify itself.

In defense of smoothies, phytonutrients found in the skin and flesh of fruits and vegetables are retained, as well as the insoluble fiber.  Fiber is important for regulating blood sugar, keeping bowels regular, aiding in hunger control, and may help prevent certain types of cancers.  It is important to note that in juicing, soluble fibers are still consumed, so some of these benefits are reaped through both methods.

Once a reboot juicing program has been completed, I personally prefer a varied diet of juicing, smoothies, and both raw and cooked whole foods.  

I particularly like smoothies because I find them more filling due to the insoluble fiber, and I like to add whole grains (I love to add steel-cut oats in my breakfast smoothies, and have even added quinoa and couscous), liquids (such as coconut water or almond milk, and various fruits and vegetables that you can't juice (like avocados and bananas).  Plus, you can use frozen fruits and vegetables in a smoothie, and I like to add blended ice to make it seem like more of a treat!

So there you have it, that's why any person in their right mind might consider an all juice diet for a while.  I'm sure there are more reasons out there, and as I continue to research this new lifestyle, I'll post more information.  I am now in the transition phase of going from juice-only, to a more "vegan" diet, all of which I'll describe in another future post.