juicing good or bad?

Siayae · 09-07-2007, 02:39 AM

hi i am really confused? is juicing good or bad? i mean some say carrots and other juices without the fiber cause a blood sugar rise that makes insulin worse , others say it cured them,. can i get everyones imput on this? what have you done with juicing , how does it affect your symptoms?

MissBehave · 09-07-2007, 06:54 AM

I'd say that juiced foods are easier to enjoy and that makes calorie intake rise. So, I guess gaining weight with juice is easier than eating just 2 carrots (because you don't get much of juice from 2 carrots and you end up getting more energy).

soniya888 · 09-07-2007, 11:32 AM

The natural sugars from fruits and vegetables are absorbed more slowly than refined sugars that create spikes and drops. Part of the insulite program has some form of dried beet and carrot powder to stabilize blood sugar.

KatCarney · 09-07-2007, 12:15 PM

Juicing isn't bad. Just don't overdo it on fruit juice. Make sure it's not your only source of fruits and veggies - you still need fiber from whole foods, too.

Ella831 · 09-07-2007, 06:02 PM

For me I love to juice.You would think that it would make you gain weight,but if you are juicing yourself with a juicer not drinking store bought juice you don't you actually loose.The thing about juice is that it get the nutrients straight into your system. Store bought juice has added sugar and not the nutrients you need.When you start juicing say you want to do it for meal replacement you will feel hungry at first.Once your body is use to the juice you can eat a small snack with your juice like a rice cake. When you first start juicing it will tend to give you the runs b/c your body is not use to the natural nutrients and it is detoxining your system,once you are use to that it will go away. When I juice regularly it helps to clear up skin,keeps me bowels moving regularly,gives me more energy and makes me feel better.So by all means go for it.You will love it!!!!!

August · 09-08-2007, 04:09 AM

Ella, I also understood that juicing yourself and then consuming the juice very soon after makes a big difference in how the juice affects you. (To me though juicing is expensive both for the right equipment (which I admit I don't have) and also in terms of buying high quality product but only consuming the part that you can extract as juice (and at least with a poor quality juices that amount is very disappointing). The juicing process also seem to require a lot of prep time and a lot clean up.

I also share the concerns about the blood sugar/insulin effects of removing the fiber from fruits and veggies and consuming them as a liquid - which can be be consumed in no time flat.

It seems like some people have had really good results with just juicing and following the rule about consuming the juice very soon after it is juiced. That is still hard for me to believe and I sort of wonder about it. Anyway, I think that the good things were at least partly attributed to enzymes and maybe also giving the digestive system a 'rest'. And it seems like the deal was consuming only fruit and vegetable juice (or perhaps mainly juice plus only raw fruit and veggies).

Does anyone know if the advantages of juicing are worth it if you are not going to do juice or raw exclusively? Do you sort of miss out on the advantages of juicing such that the problem of blood sugar spikes is more of a concern, if you are not committed to doing it pretty exclusively? Or can you still get some benefits from juicing if you are insulin resistant and consuming some juice but not juicing exclusively?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ella831

For me I love to juice.You would think that it would make you gain weight,but if you are juicing yourself with a juicer not drinking store bought juice you don't you actually loose.The thing about juice is that it get the nutrients straight into your system. . . .

Ella831 · 09-08-2007, 10:55 AM

August,
When I started juicing I was worried at first about the cost and prep time too.I bought my juicer on ebay and it only cost with shipping $60.Of course it is not as good as a $100 juicer but hey it works and I like it. Then I thought the fruit would be expenisive. For me it was worth it and it really didn't cost as much as I thought especially if I got to a local produce stand. I started out just juicing fruits together.It is definitely better to drink it right away,it tastes better and the nutrients are fresh.I took it to work one day for lunch and it tasted horrible to me!!!! Then I started juicing fruit and veggies together.You are actually still getting the fiber,not as much as if you eat the apple peel,but you will be amazed at how much fiber you are getting and how your bowel movements are very regular!!!!You will get even more fiber if you add veggies to your fruit,spinach is a great veggie to juice.
As far as prep time it depends on the juicer you buy.With my juicer I have to chop up all my veggies.With the juicer my sister has she can drop a whole apple,orange or whatever and doesn't need to cut hers up.She spent over $100 on her juicer. I clean my right away just b/c I am clean freak and it takes no time for me to pull it apart,whip out the leftover then wash it.Once again it depends on the juicer and how many parts of it you need to clean.
If you are still concerned about the fiber part once your body is use to juice,about a weeks time. You can eat a little fiber with your juice.
I don't do juice or raw exclusively!!!Sometimes I will juice for breakfast or dinner.Then other times I will just juice during the day for a snack.I don't do it exclusively and I still get benefits from it when I do it. Some weeks I will do it once a day,then some weeks I do it every so often,it is just what I feel like doing that week.I still see benefits,it doesn't make my sugar spike,and I think it is worth it!!!!

Allsmiles · 09-09-2007, 01:44 PM

I have just started juicing as per my Naturopath's advice. I asked her about my blood sugar, and she said the same things mentioned here: juicing gives you fiber (it is just VERY finely chopped) that you drink. Also, the nutrients can be amazingly beneficial when you drink your juice within the first 20 minutes after juicing. Add a little protein (like some almonds or dairy if you are tolerant of dairy), and it will sustain you for the whole morning! It doesn't cause a blood sugar spike similar to store bought refined juices and other foods. But, it does give you energy and antioxidants you need.

Good luck! I am on day 5 of juicing (like I said, just for breakfast). I am still having withdrawls from stopping other foods, but it does give me energy to start my day! AND, I am SUPER regular now!

Allsmiles

Siayae · 09-10-2007, 06:14 AM

wow, thanks all for your info and imput!!! I had no idea that the juice still had some fiber in it. I have an older juicer , but it works great. I am going to give it a shot, I eat alot of vegtables and fruit, but it seems like i get too full to really get all my nutrients in. I tried the green smoothies, but they would fill me up so fast. I am a bird eater. so i get full really easy!!!! I know my body is telling me it needs nutrition with m acne and all. and pcos. so Im gonna try it for a week. ill do fruit first. i dont think i could do spinach yet!!!!