My first exposure to juicing was in 2009 when The Oprah Winfrey Show was on in my house, and David Murdock, the owner of the food company Dole told viewers about the health benefits of juicing fresh fruits and vegetables.
I was only half listening and didn't think much of it. Fast forward a few years and my cousin told me about a documentary called Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, which was all about juicing. He told me that he really enjoyed it, so I decided to give it a watch.
Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead centers around a man named Joe Cross, who has a successful career but is also severely overweight and suffers from a debilitating autoimmune disease. Joe is shown eating a lot of fast food, taking a lot of prescription medicine for his autoimmune disease, and living a low quality of life.
Joe then decides that he does not want to continue living his unhealthy life, so he turns to juicing. Rather than slowly incorporate juicing into his diet, Joe decides to cannon-ball in- going on a sixty day juice fast (meaning he only drinks juice and eats nothing).
At first the juice fasting is very difficult for Joe, as he suffers from food cravings and hunger. However, as the days go by Joe starts exercising and his health steadily improves. At the end of the movie Joe has completely taken back his life and is completely off of his medication, completing the restitution narrative.
Around the midpoint of the movie, Joe meets someone who was even more unhealthy than Joe was himself was before starting his juice fast. Phil Staples is an extremely overweight truck driver who has been told by his doctors that his health is so poor he could go to sleep on any given night and not wake up the next morning. Joe helps Phil with his own juice fast, and Phil is able to turn his life around as well.
Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead is an entertaining movie with a very simple message: Juicing is an extremely effective way to heal the body from years of unhealthy living.
Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead centers around a man named Joe Cross, who has a successful career but is also severely overweight and suffers from a debilitating autoimmune disease. Joe is shown eating a lot of fast food, taking a lot of prescription medicine for his autoimmune disease, and living a low quality of life.
Joe then decides that he does not want to continue living his unhealthy life, so he turns to juicing. Rather than slowly incorporate juicing into his diet, Joe decides to cannon-ball in- going on a sixty day juice fast (meaning he only drinks juice and eats nothing).
At first the juice fasting is very difficult for Joe, as he suffers from food cravings and hunger. However, as the days go by Joe starts exercising and his health steadily improves. At the end of the movie Joe has completely taken back his life and is completely off of his medication, completing the restitution narrative.
Around the midpoint of the movie, Joe meets someone who was even more unhealthy than Joe was himself was before starting his juice fast. Phil Staples is an extremely overweight truck driver who has been told by his doctors that his health is so poor he could go to sleep on any given night and not wake up the next morning. Joe helps Phil with his own juice fast, and Phil is able to turn his life around as well.
Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead is an entertaining movie with a very simple message: Juicing is an extremely effective way to heal the body from years of unhealthy living.
After watching Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead I had to try juicing for myself and see what the hype was all about. I bought a lower-end Breville juicer and started experimenting.
I have found that as long as some sweet vegetables such as carrots or beets are included in the juice, it will taste delicious!
Many people advocate juicing leafy greens for their nutrient density, but I find that they usually produce a very small amount of bang for your buck. If you have the money, by all means juice kale or lettuce, but I prefer to make kale chips or a salad with them.
In no particular order, I've found the following veggies to be best for juicing in terms of taste, nutritional content, and juice produced: cucumbers, beets, carrots, bell peppers, celery, and peas.
Many people prefer blending vegetables into a green smoothie with a Vitamix style blender rather than juicing them. There are advantages to both juicing and blending. Juicing generally causes the end product to have a more pleasant texture, taste sweeter, and is easier to digest. Blending will produce more end product, include the fiber from the skin of the produce which will keep insulin levels a bit lower. Blending also makes it easier to add things like powders and solids that don't contain very much juice such as seeds or nuts to the smoothie.
In the end, it comes down to personal preference as both methods are tasty and very good for you. When juicing, try to use fresh, organic produce for reasons stated here.
Juicing is an easy and tasty way to consume a lot of important nutrients, so give it a try!
I have found that as long as some sweet vegetables such as carrots or beets are included in the juice, it will taste delicious!
Many people advocate juicing leafy greens for their nutrient density, but I find that they usually produce a very small amount of bang for your buck. If you have the money, by all means juice kale or lettuce, but I prefer to make kale chips or a salad with them.
In no particular order, I've found the following veggies to be best for juicing in terms of taste, nutritional content, and juice produced: cucumbers, beets, carrots, bell peppers, celery, and peas.
Many people prefer blending vegetables into a green smoothie with a Vitamix style blender rather than juicing them. There are advantages to both juicing and blending. Juicing generally causes the end product to have a more pleasant texture, taste sweeter, and is easier to digest. Blending will produce more end product, include the fiber from the skin of the produce which will keep insulin levels a bit lower. Blending also makes it easier to add things like powders and solids that don't contain very much juice such as seeds or nuts to the smoothie.
In the end, it comes down to personal preference as both methods are tasty and very good for you. When juicing, try to use fresh, organic produce for reasons stated here.
Juicing is an easy and tasty way to consume a lot of important nutrients, so give it a try!