Losing weight is no easy task. For many, however, a juice fast is a great way to detox the body of harmful chemicals. Many people believe this type of diet can reset your physiology to help make weight loss and an all around healthier lifestyle possible. Luckily, there are several juice recipes that are flavorful, healthy and easy to make.
The Benefits of Juicing
Juice diets are popular and healthy ways to lose weight because you gain nearly all of the nutrients your body requires in one little glass. To follow a juice diet, replace the food you would normally eat with juices that concentrate on vegetables and fruits low in carbohydrates and simple sugars.
When you consume a juice diet, proponents believe several things may occur:
- An overall increase in energy
- Clearer skin
- Flushing away of unnatural toxins
- Healing of your digestive system
A typical fast will reset the body and start the process of eliminating toxins is 3 days. Juice fasts can last for as long as 30 days but should only be done under the supervision of a doctor.
Nine Juice Recipes for Weight Loss
It is fun to create your own juice recipes. As you learn to mix juices, you'll get a better understanding of what juices you like and the benefits they offer. The following recipes will help get you started in your effort to promote healthy living and weight loss.
These recipes are very simple. All you have to do is assemble the ingredients and run them through your juicer.
Good Morning Sunshine:
- One medium grapefruit, halved
- Two medium apples, cored
- Fresh Italian Parsley, several sprigs
- Half a handful of grapes, seedless
Hunger Pain Be Gone:
- Four medium carrots
- Two stalks of celery, leaves and all
- One handful of parsley
- Four leaves of baby spinach
- Dash of Tabasco
Stomach Filler:
- One small cucumber, skin and all
- Three celery stalks, including the leaves
- One medium apple, cored
- Two tablespoons of flavorless protein powder
Smile, It's Morning Smoothie:
- Two large oranges, skin removed
- One medium grapefruit without the flesh
- Six strawberries
- Half a banana
- Two tablespoons flavorless protein powder
- 1/4 cup ice
Watermelon Beach Quencher:
- Two cups watermelon, cubed
- Two cups honeydew, cubed
- Two cups cantaloupe, cubed
- One-inch of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
Strawberry Refresher:
- Half a cup strawberries, frozen (not in juice!)
- One cup orange juice (fresh squeezed, not concentrate)
- Half a lemon, squeezed
Carrot Juice Dream:
- Four large carrots
- Two stalks of celery (including leaves)
- One medium green apple
- Handful of baby spinach
- Several sprigs of parsley
- Lemon and lime juice to taste
Waistline Buster:
- Five carrots
- One red apple
- One small cucumber
- One beet (washed well, peeled and sliced)
- One celery stalk
- Ginger optional (for more bite)
Hunger Buster:
- Four carrots
- Three sprigs of parsley
- One small cucumber
- Two granny smith apples
Juicing Tips
When designing your own juice diet, keep in mind that different kinds of juices do specific things for your body. Check out Dr. Norman Walker's book Fresh Vegetable and Fruit Juices: What's Missing in Your Body? It offers a complete guide to the therapeutic use of fresh, raw juices. Combine his juice recipes with others to ensure a great dieting experience. Jack LaLanne was also probably the biggest advocate for juicing, and his results cannot be refuted.
Keep these tips in mind when you embark on your juice diet journey:
- Use juice as you would a diet shake; drink two large glasses of juice in place of breakfast and lunch, followed by a well-balanced meal for dinner.
- Do all of your juicing in the morning, because as the day progresses, you may get busier and too tired to juice.
- Make more than you need and store it in airtight containers - juices can also be frozen.
- Drink juices containing parsley or carrot to help curb your appetite and lessen your cravings as well as help maintain proper blood sugar levels.
- Drink watermelon and cucumber juices to help reduce water retention; watermelon and cucumber are natural diuretics.
- Use the skin if possible; the skin and seeds of certain fruits and vegetables are loaded with nutrients.
- Add lots of protein powder; it promotes weight loss and gives you a feeling of being full.
- There are many juicers and juice extractors on the market that are very good. Proponents of this diet typically recommend juicers over the normal household blender. This is because they can juice things normal blenders have trouble with, such as seeds and tough skins.
- Buy organic produce whenever possible, because much of what you buy otherwise is tainted with pesticides.
- Play around the with flavors of the protein powder and the juices; you may be surprised by what you come up with.
Approach a Juice Diet Cautiously
While the juice diet may detoxify the body and help you lose weight, remember that juice is not a whole food. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables enables you to take in the fiber from the food that may be otherwise lost in the juicing process. While the juice fast is built on the idea that the body can absorb nutrients quickly from juice, the colon can become backed up with toxins if you don't eat any fiber. Always consult a medical professional before undergoing a juice fast for weight loss or before undergoing a fast for any extended length of time.
