Juicy Juice

Juicing is quite the rage at the moment. It has always been trendy among dieters. For some reason the idea of drinking food is always paired with weight loss. This does not make sense in any shape or form!! I decided to test out the juicing fad when I spent the weekend with my momma. It did not work out for me. I was hungry within in an hour, my sugar cravings were through the roof, and I ended up taking in more sugary carbs, and calories in general. I also felt sooo guilty tossing out the pulp (fiber!). I do understand the good side of juicing. Some people claim it detoxifies your body, but eating healthy real foods will rid your body of inflammation just as well if not better. It seems to be easier for your body to absorb the nutrients from juiced foods quickly without having to go through the digestive process, but what happens when you skip the digestive process? You gain weight. Especially if you are insulin resistant and carb sensitive (ME!!!). Your body is doing less work for more nutrients, and it is likely going to store those bad boys. Juicing isn't "bad" for you, but if weight loss is your goal, I do not recommend it. It is better to eat the foods in their whole form. You will be more satisfied and you'll burn calories in the digestion process. Now if you're just into juicing for the occasional treat go for it! Everyone is different so if juicing works for you let me know! I'd love to hear your side of the story.

Update: A friend asked me about juicing tonight and I had a revelation! I think that juicing is a great way to kick start a real food diet or and changes from processed food to all natural food. It gives your digestive system a break and helps it transition from junk food to healthy fruits, veggies, and proteins. 

Here is a juice I did find a use for! I made this as a pre-workout drink to boost my electrolyte stores and give me a minuscule (lemons and limes are not high in fructose) jolt of quick energy from the fructose in the fruit. It was tangy and E said it made his whole mouth explode (you know that tingling feeling you get when you eat something sour). Also did you know you can use a blender and a nut milk bag to make juice! No need to invest in a juicer.

Mean Green Kool-Aid (E named this)
Ingredients:
1/2  lemon peeled
1/2 lime peeled
1 small cucumber
1 broccoli stalk
1/2 cup almond milk
*This is not a sweet drink. If you are dying for something sweet throw in half an orange, but remember that it is packed with fructose.

If you have a juicer add everything to the juicer and you're good to go. If not add everything to your blender and blend until its nice and chopped up. (You can juice the lime and lemon instead of peeling them if you'd like). Strain through a nut milk bag. Save the pulp for another recipe or discard. Did I mention I hate throwing things away?!

This website has a whole list of juice pulp recipe ideas. This is the one I can't wait to try!

P.S. Juicing is so not Paleo. Cavemen didn't own juicers ;)