Juicing and losing nutrients?

[ellie]

Hey I was just thinking about juicing tonight, as I tried to make a juice in my non-juicing blender - ha ha! It's like a mixmaster, so all the skin a pulp stays - ha ha!

Don't you lose a lot of the good stuff when you use a juicer? Isn't there a lot of nutrients in the pulp and skin of fruit and vegetables? Also you tend to consume a lot more fruit and vegetables in one go with a juicer. Wouldn't it better to snack on a few pieces of fruit or vegies?

By the way I feel absolutely sick from my spinach, celery, cucumber, banana, mango and lime juice.

[Angela]

I was wondering about that, too.

[Steve Pavlina]

You don't lose much aside from the fiber and some fiber-bound nutrients. The benefit of juicing is that you can actually consume MUCH more produce than you can by eating it straight.

For one quart of juice, I might include 6 carrots, an entire bunch of celery, a head of romaine, some additional greens, half a lime, and some ginger. Try eating that 4+ times per day.

Even so, juice feasting/fasting should be temporary. You wouldn't want to do it indefinitely. I've heard of people doing it for as long as 150 days. Beyond that you risk weakening your colon because the fiber is important for peristalsis.

I make some juices (especially citrus-based ones) in my Vita-Mix. Then I run it through a nut milk bag to remove the fiber. The point of juice feasting is to minimize digestive load, and fiber slows digestion and drains more energy. All that freed energy gets channeled into cleansing and elimination.

[Fullcrum]

Steve, I wouldn't be surprised if, after the trial, you're liquid 'till dinner. You probably enjoy the higher energy from increased and expedient nutrient absorption and having no digestive lag for most of the day.

[Steve Pavlina]

Originally Posted by Fullcrum

Steve, I wouldn't be surprised if, after the trial, you're liquid 'till dinner. You probably enjoy the higher energy from increased and expedient nutrient absorption and having no digestive lag for most of the day.

People tend to simplify their diets after a juice feast and eat less food as well (because digestion becomes more efficient).

Angela Stokes reported that she continues to do all juices one day a week.

[Dan.Linehan]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

Beyond that you risk weakening your colon because the fiber is important for peristalsis.

I wonder if a few smoothies here or there would be enough.

I like the idea of an all liquid diet - juice and smoothies.

[Steve Pavlina]

I think your jaw can also weaken on an all liquid diet. Even if you chew your juice, it doesn't offer much resistance, so your chewing muscles may atrophy if you don't exercise them.

[Dan.Linehan]

Could always chew gum for that.

[ellie]

ok this is good to know. I wasn't thinking about it so much from the juice feasting perspective, more the raw food diet.

As a personal choice I think I wont do as many juices, I just feel too bloated consuming so much in one go.

[ginkgo]

As far as losing nutrients, what do you do when you go to eat an orange and itis moldy. Throw it away and eat another one. So with juicing you throw some away but the juice is much more concentrated nutrition. That is the purpose of it. You get more fiber eating the whole fruit.

[Rawvolta]

Yes, you can loose some nutrients by juicing.

But if you look at the amount of whole foods you put into juice and relate it to amount of whole foods you put into blender it is still extremely better to do the first one. ( under certain conditions : juice at the first stage of raw/vegan or after leaving the SAD to make an easy access for nutrients entering your body and as Steve says -- > juice from time to time, to not overdo the sugars ).

Regarding your sickness from spinach, celery, cucumber, banana, mango and lime juice :
- try to skip the banana ( maybe to heavy )
-add some cayenne pepper for easier digestion
-add some honey ( if you allow yourself ) for additional enzymes

And smile!