I don’t know about you all, but I have dozens of friends who juice often and are overweight or gaining weight. Sounds strange right? But it is true. Many people fall into these lies that juicing will “help lose weight” or that “juicing can help detox the body.” Well truthfully, the way most people juice is all bullshit which feed into self-fulfilling affirmations of things that make them feel “healthy.” But hey, don’t be foolish by falling into these traps. Let me tell you why most juicing methods are crap and you’ve most likely been doing it all wrong.
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| Photo: youngandraw |
If you’re on a juicing diet, then you probably woke up early this morning needing to get your juice kick in. You’re feenin for a delicious glassful of vitamin and mineral rich juiced veggies and fruit. But there is only one thing wrong. Like most Americans, you believe that this concoction is uber healthy for you. However, chances are you’ve been using too much fruit.
If your juice cocktail is chalk-full of more fruit than vegetables, then you are actually doing more harm than good for your body in the long run.
Why is that you may be asking? Well you can point your fingers at the culprit oh so sweet culprit known as Fructose.
Glucose is a sugar like fructose, however Glucose is naturally occurring in the body and is a staple energy source for the body. However Fructose, a sugar itself, is not naturally occurring in the body and metabolizes at a differently than that of glucose.
When ingested by itself, fructose is poorly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, and it is almost entirely cleared by the liver and entered into the blood stream. In the blood stream, excess fructose gets converted into this asshole known as triglycerides (aka FAT).
Fructose is found in honey, tree and vine fruits, flowers, berries, and most root vegetables.
Strawberries, kiwis, and blueberries are undoubtedly delicious fruits. Even though fruits such as these have Fructose in them, they aren’t all that harmful when eating as whole fruits. Many people eat fruit, and in small amounts Fructose will not add weight to your body immediately or is any worse than eating a big mac from McDonalds. What makes it an issue is when it becomes concentrated, and continually ingested through juicing.
Why juicing the wrong way such a huge and inconspicuous issue?
Juicing breaks down the meat and fibrous part of the fruit in order to excrete juices. Fruits are created perfectly in which the whole fruit and its fibers are meant to digest and be absorbed at a natural rate.
Yet when fiber is removed, the opposite occurs. Nutrients aren’t all absorbed because the body knows how much it needs and will secret all water soluble nutrients and store fat soluble. In addition, your body will be filled with excess sugar.
It is an even larger problem when your juice only contains fruit. With fruit, if fiber is non-existent, your body will immediately send sugar (fructose) into your blood stream spiking your blood sugar levels.
If you’re new to The Fittest Blogger, then you might not know this but whatever your body does not need as a source of energy or not burned off through exercise eventually gets stored as triglycerides.
So no matter what you read or hear, using only fruit when juicing is not a “miracle detoxer.” Alone that is.
Sugar, Sugar, and oh wait more Sugar
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| photo: JeffVabrell |
What does that mean? It mean that you are taking a large amount of sugar into your diet at one time!
According to the World Health Organization, the sugar intake for an adult of normal Body mass (BMI) is 5% of your total daily caloric intake. But many people pass or get close to that number on one improperly made juicing serving.
You are getting more than your total daily allowance of sugar in just that one serving and you still have the rest of the day to go. Where you might snack on some energy bars, drink coffee, eat lunch, and then eat dinner. Yet so many people in the United States are surprised that obesity and cardiovascular diseases are so rampant.
So what’s my beef with juicing and sugar?
My beef with juicers or juicing is that many juicing machines tend to get rid of the skin / pulp which is where the fiber lives. Fiber is one of the key reasons that fruits and vegetable are so good for us.But look on the bright side, using whole foods as a juicing substitute is a lot better than going to the grocery store and buying juice at the grocery store. The juices you find in the store tend to be a lot sweeter than any juice you would make by yourself, because producers understand the optimal level of sweetness.
That is why even when many juices are already sweet, producers will make it sweeter by adding high fructose corn syrup.
And think about it for a second, why in the hell would you want to buy any juice that are in the middle aisles? I.e. Apple, cranberry juice, kids juices.
These juices are full of preservatives and sugar through science the manufacturers of these juices know what level of sweetness makes you the happiest when drinking their products. They don’t care about your health or well being. If you have to buy juice, make sure you buy those in the freezer aisle and preferably not full of sugar( labeled as High Fructose Corn Syrup).
Also there is this huge belief that juicing will help detox your body. This is a fallacy. Juice will not cleanse your body and there is no scientific evidence that shows the ingredients in juice will help eliminate toxins.
There are certain foods or supplements that do cleanse your system, but all you have to do is add that into your juice, protein shake, or smoothie.
Don’t get me wrong though, there are some benefits to juicing, especially if you do it right.
How to Juice the right way?
1. Add monounsaturated fats to your mixes
Monounsaturated fats are known as the “good fat.” These are fats that are liquid at room temperate and are research and scientifically backed to reduce Cholesterol levels, assist in weight loss, decrease risk of breast cancer(Women in the highest Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated fat quintile intake had a reduced breast cancer risk after age 50 years), reduced belly fat, and lower risk for heart disease and stroke.
So add a table spoon or two of: olive oil, tea seed oil, or grape seed oil
Whole foods you can add: Avocados, almonds, hazelnuts, and cashew nuts
* I would recommend adding to your taste preferences, otherwise these foods will overpower your juice.
2. Ratio of greens to fruit should be 3:1
3 to 1 is an indiscriminate number that I like to use to help me get rid of extra vegetables I have laying around. Keep in mind, there are vegetables that also contain fructose. Its is your duty to play around with different vegetable and fruit mixes to keep sugar to a moderate amount.
Fruits should be added to spice up the flavor and get additional nutrients and antioxidants into your system. Too much fruit will cause spikes in your blood sugar which will force your pancreas to release insulin. This is especially dangerous if you’re diabetic.
3. Consume the pulp
The fiber that we cherish so deeply is in both greens and fruits. If your juice gets rid of the pulp or skin, then you are essentially getting rid of the fiber and only leaving trace amounts in your juice. Take the pulp and add it into your juice. If you don’t want an extremely mushy drink, then take as much as you desire. The point is to keep your waste to a minimum.
4. If you’re looking to build muscle or increase athletic performance
Add a scoop of your favorite whey protein into the mix. If you want to stay true to your daily sugar and caloric intake, then find a hydrolyzed protein that doesn’t a fancy flavor and add a scoop of that.
For performance, I’d recommend adding sea salt and marine phytoplankton into your mix. If you didn’t know already, Gatorade is pretty much a delicious form or salt water (Salt/Sodium is form of electrolytes). When working out your electrolytes get depleted. Your body will suck up electrolytes quicker as and they soak up the water right along with it to reduce fatigue and help replenish energy.
Marine phytoplankton is a super food that is full of antioxidants and assists in cell regeneration, slow aging, liver health, increased energy, and healthy brain and heart activity. If you want your juice to help you “detoxify,” adding Marine phytoplankton should be on the top of the list of your available options.I know today’s post was a little lengthy, but I hope you take everything into consideration. Whatever sounds strange in the post, feel free to comment and ask me about it or google make google your best friend.
There are numerous studies that show the negative effects of sugar in your system, so make sure to take my warnings about juicing incorrectly serious. And soon, you may one day become a master juicer. Or not. Just kidding. Happy lifting!
#theFittest
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