Juicing: A Glassful of Health and Home Remedies!

Bottle-gourd juice is supposed to be very effective for weight loss. Also, has a host of other health benefits.

Mostly veggies, as fruits have lots of sugar. I like spinach and strawberry juice, berry delicious! I only use a couple of strawberries, and mostly spinach leaves. If you are using a spinning juicer I would add a harder veggie to help push all the good stuff the rest of the way through. Also don't forget to use the pulp. I made some great rice with celery and carrot pulp. If you are juicing only pleas make sure you are getting enough calories, as you metabolism will slow if you get too few.

Hope this helps in your quest to lose weight through juicing.

How do I lose weight with juicing?

The best way to achieve weight loss through juice fasting is to use low-sugar vegetables, rather than fruits. Remember that with juicing, all of the fiber is removed, so any high sugar vegetable (such as carrots) will send your blood sugar and insulin levels through the roof. This will cause weight gain.

Juice with the following ORGANIC low-sugar, high-nutrient vegetables for optimum cleansing and weight loss:

o green or red chard o dandelion greens (these are especially good for liver cleansing) o cucumber (these have lots of water) o celery o spinach o parsley o sprouts o romaine lettuce o cilantro o broccoli o fennel o tomatoes

Avoid the high-sugar root vegetables such as carrots and beets (although beets are well-known for their liver cleansing and healing abilities). If you can get beet greens, use those instead. Many supermarkets carry them.

You may notice that there is only one cruciferous vegetable on my list (broccoli). Although these types of vegetables are filled with cancer-fighting, liver-cleansing compounds, they have also may interfere with thyroid function. Since a sluggish thyroid (hypothyroidism) can affect many people who are trying to lose weight, I advise keeping your intake of these vegetables lower, especially for juicing.

Experiment with which combinations you like best. Here are some general guidelines for combos:

o tomato, celery, cucumber, romaine, dandelion o broccoli, tomato, celery, parsley, cilantro

Why no fruit juices?

I don't recommend consuming fruit juices because it is such a concentrated source of sugar, and can spike your blood sugar and insulin levels, leading to increased weight gain. Most people who are overweight need to control their blood sugar carefully. So stay away from fruits to achieve weight loss through juice fasting.

However, there are some low-sugar fruit exceptions: strawberries, cranberries, and blueberries. Although they DO contain fruit sugars, they are the lowest in sugar of all fruits (except lemons and limes, of course).

A delicious, refreshing morning blend is to juice a handful of fresh (not frozen) strawberries, blueberries, and cranberries. Then add the juice of half a lemon.

But be sure to note how you feel after drinking this juice. Does your heart race? Do you feel lightheaded? This could indicate that these fruit juices have caused a spike in your blood sugar. If this happens, don't juice fruits, except for lemons and limes.

Why buy organic?

Because these juices use so many vegetables, and are so concentrated, it's especially important that you buy organic vegetables. If you're on a limited budget, then make sure you get organic celery and spinach, as these are the most highly sprayed of the juicing vegetables. Of the fruits, be sure to buy organic strawberries.

Juicing is an important part of a successful weight loss plan, and you will feel great, too!
Janie

Cantaloup is another fruit with less sugar.

1 cup cantaloup balls (177g) has (Daily Values):
14g sugar
120% vitamin A
108% vitamin C
14% potassium

1 cup raw blueberries (148g):
15g sugar
2% vitamin A
24% vitamin C
3% potassium

A fantastic site for comparing food values: http://www.nutritiondata.com/