Daily Wellness Challenge #25

I personally love juicing. Especially when my body feels dehydrated or 'off'. I don't often substitute a meal for juice, but breakfast is the best time to swap a meal for a tall glass of fresh juice as your stomach is empty and doesn't have other food to interfere with your body's cleansing and detoxing. Beware though, there is a lot of talk about the pros and cons of juicing. Juicing is meant to be short term....for a day or two. Long term juicing is not healthy as your body lacks nutrients such as protein and fat.

Juicing removes the fiber out of fruits and veggies, which some say helps your body to absorb nutrients more easily. There is not a sufficient amount of research out there to support this claim. Your digestive system is designed to handle fiber and is important for heart and digestive system health. Claims that you should avoid consuming solid food or that juicing is a good substitute for medical treatment or a medical diagnosis should be taken with a grain of salt. There isn't sufficient research or evidence that proves this claim to be true.

There are a whole whack of health benefits when it comes to juicing. It is a great way to add nutrient from fruits and veggies that you don't normally eat. Juices from fruit and veggies contain the most vitamins, minerals and nutrients than you would from the whole food version. These can help protect against cardiovascular disease, cancer and various inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. Juicing also gives your digestive system a well earned break as juice is easier to digest. Juicing also boosts the immune system, energizes the body and improves blood circulation.

Thinking about starting? You don't need a fancy juicer. Juicers can range from $50 to $500. Looking for inspiration or ideas? Pinterest is a great place to look! (I seriously use Pinterest for so much in my life) Check out websites such as juicerecipes.com and juicemaster.com/recipes/juice-recipes/.

Take time to do your research and inform yourself of the benefits and the cautions of juicing. I personally love to mix carrots, celery, beets and apples together. I sometimes add a splash of lemon juice and some honey and shake it up before drinking it.

Please note that if you make a batch of juice, it should be consumed within a day or two as it will start to form harmful bacteria on it.

Enjoy!

xo

#juicing #loveyourhealth #fiber #juicingrecipes