Juicing to cleanse your body and boost your nutrition has become wildly popular. In this article, you’ll learn how to juice correctly to reap all the benefits!
I love juicing. My kids love juicing. It is loads of fun to watch the whole fruits and vegetables magically turn into juices while a stream of colorful pulp gets sent out a chute. It’s fun to watch, but even more, fun to be the one in charge of the juicer making the magic happen.
When we juice, everyone gets to choose what combo they want, which makes everyone happy. When else can you get kids so excited about fruits and vegetables? Sometimes it takes a little tech to pique their interest. A big juicing machine is sure to do that.
Benefits of Juicing to Cleanse & Boost Nutrition
In the last ten years, there has been a rise in fashionable juice bars that offer fancy juice blends catered to health-conscious people. As many struggle to squeeze enough fruits and vegetables into their diet, juicing provides an easy solution. I only occasionally treat myself to juice from a juice bar, as the prices are high. But when I do, it fills my body with a beautiful, healthy vibe.
With juicing, you get a large number of vegetables and fruits reduced to a small volume, so consuming more than your usual amount is easy. Fruits and vegetables are powerhouses that contain nutrients that help to protect your body against inflammation, cardiovascular disease, and cancer and have many more health benefits.
Juicing to Cleanse
A juice cleanse is one of the most popular ways to detox the body. When you consume only fruits and vegetables, sans the fiber, you boost your body with large amounts of vitamins and minerals with minimal digestive effort. When your body is not burdened with digestion, it can focus on its natural detoxification process.
3- Day Juice to Cleanse
A juice cleanse can last for a couple of days, in which you consume only juice as your nutrition. Though, make sure to drink lots of water in addition to the juice. (As always, consult your doctor before embarking on any health change.)
Choose 7-10 of your favorite juice combinations. To ensure a nutritional balance, have at least 4-5 green juices, 1 yellow/orange juice, and 1 red juice.
The keys to a juice-only cleanse are to pick a few days when you know you don’t have a lot going on, drink juices slowly throughout the day and find a balance between rest and movement. You’ll feel like resting due to the low-calorie intake and detoxification. But you also need to keep your lymph system moving. The lymphatic system collects excess matter the body wants to get rid of and deposits it in the bloodstream. We can aide it in moving along.
Go for long, slow walks. Take daily baths with magnesium salts, and dry brush your skin beforehand. (Dry brushing is brushing your skin lightly with a natural bristle brush towards your heart.) And drink lots of water.
Daily Juice to Cleanse
Or, your juice cleanse could simply be a great addition to your daily morning routine. With the daily morning cleanse, you consume only juice for breakfast and then eat normally for lunch and dinner.
A daily morning cleanse could be as basic as a lemon squeezed into water. Lemon water is a wonderful, simple detoxifier. (If you drink strong lemon juice every day, use a straw to protect the enamel on your front teeth.)
Boost Immunity
Juicing isn’t just for the spring and summer; it is excellent for boosting immunity during winter. Fruits and vegetables contain many vitamins that will aid your body in staying healthy during the colder days when huddled inside with many other people. Vitamin C is well known for its immunity boosting, and Vitamin D, which we could generally get from the sun, is in low supply during the winter months. A quick orange carrot juice mixture would serve such a purpose.
Lose Weight
Juicing serves your fruits and vegetables in a low-calorie way – straight up and not hidden in pasta (or however you tend to hide your vegetables if you aren’t a fan).
Easy Digestion
Juicing may also help you feel better by giving your digestive tract a break from solid food, especially first thing in the morning. Juicing removes the fiber from vegetables and fruits, allowing those nutrients to absorb into the gut and bloodstream easily.
Whole Fruits and Vegetables vs Juicing
One of my readers asked when she heard I was writing about juicing, “Does juicing have as many benefits as eating a piece of fruit with the skin on?” I have some astute and informed followers; that is a great question! Answer: there are some of the same benefits to juice and the whole version, but also some differences. Let me explain.
When you eat an entire piece of fruit or a vegetable, you gain the vitamins and minerals from that piece of produce as well as the fiber. Fiber is important for digestion but can also be obtained from whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes. When you juice fruits and vegetables, you do lose the fiber, but you gain the extra nutrition from the large amounts of produce you consume.
Do You Choose Juicing or Eating Whole Produce?
So, look at your diet and decide what it needs most. Check if you are getting the women’s recommended 25-28 grams of fiber daily. Then consider how many servings of fruits and vegetables you consume. Even if you think you eat a lot of produce, there is only a 10% chance you are eating enough. The 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans advise adults to consume, on average, 3 cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruits daily. (Note: 2 cups of leafy greens equals 1 cup of vegetables.) (1) According to the CDC, a whopping 90% of Americans don’t meet these goals. (2)
And, if you teeter between both needing more fiber and not getting the recommended number of servings of fruits and vegetables, do the best you can and start somewhere. There is no need to overthink this and make it difficult. The addition of more fruits and vegetables can be completed efficiently with juicing. Then, perhaps, you can put your other nutritional efforts into switching to whole grains and adding nuts and seeds for more fiber. Ideally, though, you want to juice to add more fruits and vegetables to an already generally healthy diet to make it rock solid. But Rome wasn’t built in a day. Be gentle with yourself.
Also, check out my 9 Healthier Habits for a Healthy You Guide if you need more assistance getting your health back on track.
Successful Juicing to Cleanse Tips
Out of Sight, Out of Mind
In preparing to write this post, I pulled out the beloved juicer I purchased more than ten years ago. (See “Resources”.) Just seeing it makes me smile. It is a clear reminder that I am taking care of my body.
I was at the market the previous Sunday to purchase many beautiful pieces of fruits, vegetables, and herbs for juicing this week. The first juice I made was cucumber, lime, and mint. So refreshing. Two of my kids saw the juicer out and asked for some fresh apple juice. But the fun was just beginning. I left the juicer out all weekend and juiced several times each day.
I usually put the juicer away after each use, but I enjoyed leaving it out. And we indeed used it more often. Seeing it is a good reminder to use it!
Watch the Sugar
When people think of juicing, their mind often goes right toward large glasses of fruit-only juice and its incredible sweetness. I love pineapple, but I actually only put a couple of pieces of pineapple, or any very sweet fruit, in what I am juicing.
Balancing sugar levels while juicing is essential. It is easy to create a sugar bomb if you juice a lot of high-sugar fruit. Focusing on juicing vegetables and only adding enough fruit to make the veggies taste great is vital. A good rule is not to juice more fruit than you would eat in one sitting. I know, bummer. If you are a 17-year-old cross-country runner, as one of my sons is, fresh fruit juice is a good way to get large amounts of vitamins and minerals while meeting your significant calorie needs. But for the rest of us, the above rule stands.
Another way to balance the natural fruit sugar is by adding fat to your juice. Ah, things are looking up! A tablespoon or two of whole-milk yogurt or full-fat coconut milk helps slow down the absorption of sugar. I find this creamy sweet combination of juice and creamy fat delicious. Sweet beets and carrots juiced together benefit from this addition.
Fresh Ingredients Only
Be sure to start with fresh ingredients. If you have decaying produce in your refrigerator, this is not the time to “use it up.” Your produce probably has little nutrition left in it anyway. Also, you should avoid using frozen fruits and vegetables because they will not yield as much juice as fresh ones. Finally, make sure to wash your produce thoroughly before juicing. This cleaning helps remove any dirt or pesticides that might affect the quality of your juice.
Consume Within 24 Hours
Juice has the most nutrition when consumed immediately. But be sure to drink it within 24 hours.
Types of Juicers
There are two main types of juicers:
- Centrifugal juicers use high-speed spinning blades to separate the pulp from the juice.
- Masticating juicers crush fruits and vegetables using a screw auger.
Both types of juicers work well, but masticating juicers are said to be more gentle on the fruit – though they also take longer to produce juice. I have a masticating juicer. But the best kind of juicer is the one that you actually use!
Juicers come in various sizes and shapes, so make sure you choose one that will fit into your kitchen space. Look for models that offer a wide range of speeds and power settings. Also, consider how much countertop space you need to store the machine.
How to Make Juicing to Cleanse and Boost Nutrition Easy
At The Easy Healthy Eating Blog, I aim to make healthy eating as easy as possible, with tips and tricks to achieve the nutritional goal at hand with as little effort as possible.
If a new appliance is outside your budget, I have a trick for you: juice with your blender. You can blend your fruits and vegetables in a blender and then strain the mixture through a fine strainer.
Or, to make the juicing journey even more manageable, consider pre-packaged juices. The juices won’t be as fresh, and you will lose some vitamins and minerals. But, if juicing at home adds stress to your life, purchasing ready-made, cold-pressed, unpasteurized juices with no added sugars is much better than not getting enough fruits and vegetables in your diet. I have done both, juiced at home and purchased juice, depending on the stress and season of my life.
Right now, I have Suja Juice Uber Greens in my refrigerator. I purchased it at my local grocery store. When I get home from work, dinner isn’t ready, and I’m hankering for a snack; I grab that green juice and pour myself a large glass. That is all I need to get me through making my meal when I know I will get to eat something solid and healthy. Also, chewing the juice instead of just swallowing it gives greater satisfaction to the experience (and further aids digestion).
Great Juicing Combinations
There are many kinds of juices, each with unique properties. Here are some of my favorites:
- Green Juice – This is a popular choice because it contains lots of vitamins and minerals. These nutrients help boost your immune system, improve digestion, and keep your body strong.
Choose a few leaves of a green you enjoy (kale, leafy lettuce etc), and add 1/4 of a lemon and a green apple.
- Beet Red Juice – Beets contain good levels of vitamin C and iron. They also help flush toxins from your liver and are rich in betalains, which give them their deep red color. These compounds are believed to protect against certain cancers, reduce inflammation, and fight infections.
Juice one beet and two carrots and add 1-2 T of yogurt or coconut milk to the finished juice.
- Orange Juice – Oranges and Carrots – The juice of an orange has been shown to reduce inflammation and lower cholesterol levels. In addition, orange juice helps fight colds and flu by strengthening your immune system. Carrots contain beta-carotene, vitamin A, potassium, fiber, and other vitamins and minerals. They help boost your immune system, improve digestion, and help prevent cancer.
Juice one orange, two carrots and a thumb-sized piece of ginger.
- Ginger Juice – Ginger has been used as medicine for thousands of years. It helps reduce nausea and vomiting and stimulates digestion.
To make straight ginger juice, mix juiced ginger with 1 cup of water. If you prefer a sweeter taste, add honey or stevia.
- Cucumber Juice – This particularly refreshing juice will stave off hunger.
Juice one cucumber, add a few mint leaves, and 1/4 of a lime.
Conclusion
As many struggle to squeeze enough fruits and vegetables into their diet, juicing provides an easy solution. With juicing, you get a large number of vegetables and fruits reduced to a small volume, so consuming more than your usual amount is easy. When you consume only fruits and vegetables, sans the fiber, you boost your body with large amounts of vitamins and minerals with minimal digestive effort. When your body is not burdened with digestion, it can focus on its natural detoxification process.
A juice cleanse can last for a couple of days, in which you consume only juice as your nutrition. Or, your juice cleanse could simply be a great addition to your daily morning routine. With the daily morning cleanse, you consume only juice for breakfast and then eat normally for lunch and dinner.
Juice can be used for cleansing, immunity boosting, weight loss and easy digestion. Be sure to watch the amount of natural sugar consumed at one time and use fresh ingredients. Juice bars and juice purchased at the grocery store can make drinking vegetable and fruit juices easier.
Resources:
Give this juicer a try: https://amzn.to/3zFM8T6
For more key nutrition tips check out these posts:
1 What Should I Eat to Be Healthy? Confused?
2 Do You Know the Healthiest Diet for You?
3 Healthy Meal Planning Tips for Busy Families
Citations:
(2) Lee SH, Moore LV, Park S, Harris DM, Blanck HM. Adults Meeting Fruit and Vegetable Intake Recommendations — United States, 2019. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2022;71:1–9. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7101a1external icon.
This blog post is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to treat any health condition or to be prescriptive for anyone. Always be sure to work with your healthcare practitioner before making any changes.
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