JUICING
I was introduced to juicing when I was exploring the plant based ,raw food diet for healing.At first,when I heard about juicing, the whole process sounded very daunting.I think this is the problem with most of us, we get comfortable with the some things and certain routines in our lives and introducing anything new is always intimidating.I remember when my husband suggested getting a juicer about 5 years ago and my first response was..'its too much work, I’m not doing it’ and that was the end of our conversation.Needless to say we never got a juicer then.Anyway, better late than never:) Once I heard how beneficial it was for detoxing,healing and general wellness I just had to do it! At that point it was not a choice for me. I have been juicing for about 8 months now and I have never felt better!
Although I may not say its too much work now, it does take some time but with some organizing you can do it!
TIPS
DO YOUR RESEARCH: I don’t mean spend three months trying to research juicing and get totally confused:) Just read about it , learn what juicing is all about and decide if it is something for you.While there are health benefits to juicing there are also side effects and may not be for all, especially children.While I am not an expert, here is some information in the link and video below that may help you get started.
PICK THE RIGHT JUICER: This is the first step that may be difficult to decide.There are juicers from $50 to $700.So which one do you choose? You just have to decide your budget,how frequently you are going to juice and for how many people. Good housekeeping has a list of 9 best juicers of 2019, that you can check out.
I have a BREVILLE JUICER which I bought at BBB for $150 with a 20% coupon (Yup, I love coupons)
SHOPPING:Juicing requires a lot of produce if you are doing it often.I try to buy everything organic and mostly buy in bulk.You can buy carrots, celery and apples in bulk in big box stores like Costco and BJ’s.Whole foods,Wegmans, Shoprite,Trader Joe’s are also great places to shop.Start looking at sales, unit prices and shop accordingly.
START SLOW:Anything that is new can always be overwhelming,so start slow.Do it maybe once a week and gradually increase depending on how it feels.
JUICING PREP:Just like meal prep,a little organizing with Juicing can speed things along on a busy week day.When you have time, put the produce in individual bags so you can pull out one at a time when juicing.This not only saves time but also avoids the hassle of taking all those big bags of produce out and making a mess.
PICK A GOOD TIME:What I mean by this is, choose the time for juicing that works best for you.I usually juice in the afternoon because that’s what works for me.Although, they say you should drink on an empty stomach which would ideally be in the mornings.
BASIC JUICE RECIPE:
3-4 CARROTS (MED)
2 STALKS CELERY
1 GREEN APPLE
SMALL BUNCH DARK LEAFY GREENS
ABOUT 1/2” OF GINGER ROOT
A PIECE OF TURMERIC ROOT
1 GARLIC POD
This basic juice recipe is adapted from Chris Wark’s book. His story really inspired me to explore the plant based diet.You can read about his story on Chrisbeatcancer.com
METHOD:
Wash everything thorougly in running water or in a container submerged in water. Trim the carrots , celery and greens. Remove all seeds from the apple.Cut into 2-3 pieces. Put in juicer one at a time…Enjoy!
PS:Each Juicer may be different.Make sure you read the instructions before getting started.
More juice recipes coming soon…..