There is a lot written these days about the rising levels of obesity and accompanying epidemic of chronic diseases such as diabetes. Less than 10-15% of Americans and Australians are consuming the recommended 2 serves of fruit and 5 serves of vegetables per day.

Instead our bodies are bombarded with processed food packed with fat, sugar
and salt, deliberately engineered to make us crave more of the same.

Millions of people in the developed and developing world are fat, sick and nearly
dead, like Joe Cross was before his juice fast. Instead he turned his life around
and that of many others with juicing.

Whether you are undertaking a full-on juice cleanse or simply adding juices
into your life gradually, smooth out the bumps on your journey to better health
through juicing with the following tips.

1. PLAN. PLAN. PLAN.

This includes simple day to day practicalities such as working out the
juices you are going to have and making sure all ingredients are to hand.
Carey’s fantastic eBook “25 Healthy Juice Recipes” makes this easy.

Think about anything that might come up that could push you off track.
How can you go up, over or around the obstacle?

I had an ‘aha’ moment the other day when I realized that I could accept an
obstacle (and wallow around feeling sorry for myself) or choose to move
past it.

What obstacles are you coming up against in your juicing journey? How
can you move around them?

2. Identify, assemble and surround yourself with a support team.

Set up some accountability. Now is not the time to be shy. This could be
friends or family and these days with technology they may live in the
same town or be on the other side of the world. Forums, blogs and
facebook communities can also be a wonderful source of support and
encouragement.

3. Identify saboteurs.

Unfortunately this may include your nearest and dearest. You may be
able to transform them into your supporters simply by telling them what
you need and how they can hep you. They may be unaware of how they
are undermining your efforts, have the best of intentions and are really
happy to support you. If this is not the case, can you minimise their
impact? Aim to have your supporters far outnumber your saboteurs.

4. Redefine normal.

In our society today it has become the norm to have a diet high in
processed food, fat, sugar and salt. Similarly with weight, our view of
what is a healthy weight has changed (upwards) over the last 20 years.
Remind yourself that normal for you now is nourishing your body with
micronutrients from beautiful juices.

5. Enjoy the feeling!

Focus on what you’re gaining, not what you’re giving up. Revel in the sparkle in your eyes, your clear skin and that gorgeous feeling of lightness. Relish that feeling of accomplishment.

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About the author:
Claire Kerslake is a diabetes educator and founder of Loving Life with
Diabetes, a website and blog for anybody at risk of diabetes, with
prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. She believes that good health is essential
for us to live a life that makes our hearts sing.

Related posts:

1. Fruit Juice Cleanse
2. Juicing for the Immune System

As my blog title states I write about juice cleansing, but if you’ve been following me you know that I also write about smoothies (or blending).  Both are very similar and in fact, this does create some confusion for many people.  I’d have to say the most common question I get is “Which is better, juicing or blending?”  I believe juicing and blending serve different functions and both are beneficial.  I’ll explain the differences and similarities the the two, so that you can decide which (or both) method is right for you.

Let’s start with juicing.   The function of juicing is cleansing and supplementing.  By cleansing I’m referring to whole body cleansing, but primarily that of the colon and the blood.  Since juice contains no fiber it can bypass digestion and quickly be absorbed into the bloodstream.  This eases the colon and allows more energy to be devoted to removing foods and waste that are already inside the body.  Most of us really don’t pay attention to how much and which kinds of food we’re taking in.  Even a healthy person with a good diet can experience this build up of waste and a slow moving or sluggish system.   Juices provide maximum nutrition and energy so that the body can heal itself.

There are two ways to go about cleansing with juices.  The first is simply to drink fresh juice first thing in the morning, every morning. The first meal of the day breaks the fast that your body experiences from the last meal of the day before.  If your last meal was at 6:30pm and you eat breakfast at 6:30am, you’ve already experiences a twelve hour fast!  Drinking juice before breakfast extends this fasting just a bit longer, plus the nutrition goes straight into action, giving you a super boost.  Now that’s a great way to start the day!  The second way to cleanse with juices is to go on a short term juicing fast for a period of one to ten days.  In this method the colon has adequate time to really begin eliminating and healing.

Now, blending is much the same as juicing in that it contains the vitamins and minerals.  Blended foods are easily digested, but they do still contain fiber so there is definitely digestion happening.  The function of blending is to provide whole food nutritional meals that contribute to building healthy cells. You might want to add extra foods such as bananas, avocados, and yogurt into the mix for extra nutrition and variety.

Most people get stuck on the issue of fiber.  Yes fiber is absolutely necessary for the colon and for a healthy body.  Blending provides this. It builds up the body.  But to cleanse the body you need to remove the fiber.  Juicing is best for cleansing.

In summary, juicing and blending have two different functions. Juicing is for cleansing and supplementing, while blending is for nutritional meals and cell building.  It’s great to include both into your diet even if it’s just for variety.

Related posts:

1. Autumn Colon Cleanse
2. Begin A Healthy Lifestyle with Juicing
3. Juice Detox

I thought today that I’d talk about a specific occasion, a perfect time to have a juice or smoothie – after a workout.  Now, I’m not much of a workout type gal.  I walk/bike as often as I can, but I don’t go to the gym or lift anything more than my 2.5 pound hand weights!  But I do know that it is necessary to replenish your body after exercise.  If you eat or drink the proper foods after a workout you can enjoy more energy, with less soreness, and a quicker recovery time.  During immediate post workout your body is primed to accept the nutrition.

So what do your consume after your exercise routine?  Because of heavy media advertising, we’re conditioned to believe we must have a protein bar or shake.  Many of those are great and do provide nutrition.  But you don’t have to go out and buy a pre-packaged snack to get such nutrition.  Try fulfilling your body’s need the natural way.  Fruits and veggies contain simple sugars, carbohydrates, and amino acids that refuel your body and won’t weigh you down.  Green juices are especially rich in the vitamins and minerals you require.  Greens such as kale, spinach, celery, and cucumber can be juiced with an apple or carrot and some lemon or ginger.  It’s a quick, easy, and healthy snack.

Don’t just take my word for it.  Fitness expert Yuri Elkaim also suggests drinking green juices and smoothies post workout.  He makes the drink in the morning or just before going to the gym and has a quick punch of nutrition available exactly when he needs it.   Here’s Yuri talking about his routine.

Guest post by Shannon Wills

There are some forms of wealth that can be earned at any point in our lives, but when it comes to health, if you lose it once, it’s pretty hard to earn it back again. And for that reason alone, health remains the greatest kind of wealth we can possess. There’s no particular age to concentrate on health and fitness – the journey should be one you start from childhood and continue throughout your life. The fitter and healthier you are, the younger you feel, no matter how old you are. So if you’re looking for smart ways to boost your fitness and health, turn to juice for the answer. If you’ve never tried juicing as a way to good health, here’s why you should do so:

·Instant energy: If you want to energize yourself before your workout, the best and most efficient way to do so is to drink a glass of juice before you start. The nutrients and natural sugars are absorbed into your blood stream immediately and your body has enough energy to last through your workout. It does not waste energy in breaking down your food and all the goodness and nutrients in the juice are assimilated into your body in a matter of 30 minutes. And after your workout, a glass of juice is a great way to refresh and rejuvenate yourself.

·Wholesome health: We all know that a healthy diet is one that includes fruits and vegetables, and the easiest way to eat your fruits and veggies, especially in the raw form, is to juice them. Even if you don’t like the taste, you can just close your eyes and drink it up without having to chew them and endure their taste in your mouth for what seems like an eternity. You not only get the benefits of the fruits and vegetables you juice, but also find yourself eating more of this food group if it’s in the form of juice.

·Not just fruits and veggies: The best part about juicing is that it extends to all kinds of foods and is not limited to fruits and vegetables alone. You can put pretty much anything into your blender as long as it won’t break the blades. Since any workout requires complex carbohydrates as fuel, juicing the source of any such energy provider saves you the time and effort of cooking or getting ready a mini meal to fuel your exercise routine.

Remember however, that for juicing to be totally beneficial, your concoctions must be fresh and without any additives like sugar or milk. You’re not going to get the same benefits from pre-packaged juices as you would from the fresh ones because they contain additives like sugar and preservatives and because they’re pasteurized to kill germs. Essential enzymes and vitamins are destroyed during pasteurization, so it’s just not going to be the same as blending one or more fruits at home and gulping down the resultant mixture.

Also, if you’re juicing fruits with pulp, drink up without filtering if you want to retain the benefits of the fiber found in the fruit. It aids digestion and helps regulate your intestinal system. Remove the peel from citrus fruits and large seeds from any fruit. Also remember to wash the fruits and vegetables before you juice them to rid them of dust, dirt and preservatives.

This post is contributed by Shannon Wills, who writes on the topic of x ray technician schools . She welcomes your comments at her email id: shannonwills23@gmail.com .

The other day I bought some red cabbage. Now, normally I buy the green cabbage – why? I suppose because it’s more readily available and most recipes call for green cabbage. But this time I bought the red just because it was so beautiful, though I didn’t have a recipe for it. After a couple days in the fridge, I decided to juice the cabbage with some carrots and greens. To show you just how beautiful it was, I took a picture!

Here’s a picture of the vegetable pulp after juicing.

Resource:
US Department of Agriculture (2008, March 11). When It Comes To Red Cabbage, More Is Better. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 23, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2008/03/080307081409.htm