Join Our Vida Juicing Community and Blog for Us Get Started Now

One Page Guide On The Juicing Diet

By on February 9, 2015
juicing diet

It seems as if there is always some new diet popping up, and when so many end up being unhealthy, don’t work, or are just plain dangerous, it can be a daunting task to slog through all the hype. Here, you are going to learn everything you need to know about the juicing diet, helping you to make an informed decision on whether it is right for you, or something you should avoid.

What Is Juicing?

Juicing is exactly what it sounds like – you are extracting the juices from fruits and vegetables so that you can drink them. You put the fruits and vegetables into a juicer, which extracts the water and nutrients from the produce. The result is a liquid that is packed with the healthy benefits of eating your veggies, without having to actually eat them. This can be a serious benefit for those who truly can’t stand healthy green vegetables such as spinach and kale. These are packed with nutrients, and being able to mix them with fruits helps to mask the flavor so you can still get the benefits.

What is a Juicing Diet?

There are different options available for those who want to try losing weight with a juicing plan. The most common method used for dieting is to only drink the juices, while cutting out the solid foods in your diet. If this sounds extreme, it is. Those who want to quickly drop a few pounds before a major event often use it. However, it is also recommended for those that need to jump start weight loss, such as those that are obese.

If the diet idea is starting to sound like a fad, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. Strict juicing is not meant as a long-term solution for losing weight. A few days of drinking healthy liquids is certainly not going to harm you, but if you try to take it to the extreme, you will have problems. The best way of using juicing for dietary purposes is to include it as a part of healthy eating in general, rather than exclusively.

How Healthy is the Juice?

The juice is amazingly healthy, which is why it is becoming so popular. It’s no secret that fruits and vegetables are good for the body, and considering so many people don’t get the recommended number of servings each day, it’s easy to see why it can be beneficial when used properly.

Are There any Downsides to the Juicing Diet

The downsides of the juicing diet depend on how you incorporate it into your life. If you are only drinking the juices as opposed to eating, you can cause problems due to not getting the other nutrients your body needs. If you do the juice only diet for a few days, you may slow your metabolism briefly, especially if you aren’t consuming enough calories, however you’ll be cleansing your body from the inside out by releasing toxins, sugar craving and putting your body in a healthier state.

When you juice, you also have to keep in mind that you are removing the skin and pulp, which is where all the fiber, and many important vitamins and minerals are found. Fiber is one of those tricky aspects of eating, as it provides many benefits, such as blood sugar regulation and satiety, but it can also be damaging to others who have overly sensitive digestive systems. If you fall in the latter group, juicing is obviously a great thing that will help to keep you more comfortable.  Although fiber is lost when juicing by eating a diet of clean whole foods it becomes a non-issue.

Another consideration of removing the fiber from the fruits and vegetables is that the natural sugar content is more concentrated. Without the fiber, there is nothing to act as a buffer for all that sugar, and it gets absorbed into the bloodstream quickly. If you have blood sugar issues such as diabetes or hypo/hyperglycemia, it can cause some problems if you drink too much throughout the day.  A simple solution for this problem is to always juice more vegetables then fruits per glass.

You also have to realize that juicing means you are going to consume more calories from the fruit than you would if you ate the whole thing. Many recipes call for more than one fruit, so that increases the calories. However, as long as you drink in moderation, this shouldn’t be an issue. You can also add more vegetables than fruits, specifically shoot for and 80% vegetable to 20% fruit ratio, which will also lower the amount of calories in each glass.

Can You Really Lose Weight?

When you use an all juice diet, you are likely to lose some weight. If you are only consuming the juice, you are more than likely consuming fewer calories, as well. Now, before you get too excited and think this is your weight loss solution, you need a bit more information. Since you are consuming fewer calories, as soon as you start eating whole foods again, the weight could come back momentarily. However, following a juicing diet or doing a detox, while slowly incorporating whole healthy foods into your diet correctly can and most of the time does lead to weight loss. The key is keeping discipline with juicing and building your healthy eating habits.

What is the Best Way to Juice?

If you are serious about switching to a healthier diet and lifestyle, juicing is a great addition to other healthier choices. You can juice for breakfast, and then maybe have another as a snack in the evening. The key is to make sure you are balancing the nutrients you need with the amount of sugar you are drinking – if you focus on vegetables over fruits, this won’t be an issue at all.

The Bottom Line

A juicing diet can be healthy, when you follow it responsibly. Any type of extreme diet that cuts valuable nutrients from your diet is never the healthiest option, especially for long-term success. However, if you make the changes needed for eating healthier, and you include juicing as a part of that healthier diet, you will experience the best benefits and have a thinner, healthier body as a result. Just make sure to check with your doctor before drastically altering your diet to make sure there are no unwanted affects of doing so.

Did you enjoy this article?
Share the Love
Get the latest news, reviews and features directly into your inbox.

About Lionel Correia

Lionel is a fitness enthusiast, juicing advocate, and serial entrepreneur. He loves real estate, but is even more passionate about health, wellness and a positive mindset. He’s a graduate of the University of Arizona and prides himself on establishing great habits because great habits lead to great results. His favorite workouts include, yoga, spin class, sprints on the track and resistance training. He believes that if you desire a strong healthy body, you must first build mental toughness because a healthy body requires a disciplined mind and great habits.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *