Just start.
(No joke.)
I have both a Blend-tec and a Vitamix (gifts, actually) but for years I used a standard off the shelf Wal-mart blender.
That’s right- I’m a “blender” girl more than traditional “juicer”, you could say.
I’ve used various “juicers” over the years, which compress and extract the liquid, but here’s why you shouldn’t: WE NEED THE FIBER!
Fiber helps with satiety (feeling full) and provides other nutrients you wouldn’t get by juicing.
Some benefits of fiber include:
- weight loss,
- reduced blood sugar “spikes” therefore better for diabetics or pre-diabetics,
- as well as reduced risk of other diseases including CANCER.
Because I am pre-diabetic with a high familial link to several cancers (and you might say a bit of a HIGH stress lifestyle), I blend instead of juice.
I make sure to incorporate vegetables in the mix- not just fruit!
The natural sugar that is in fruit, fructose, is still sugar. Yes, it is better than cane sugar or chemically altered sugar, etc, but it is still sugar at the end of the day.
When making a blend, the first thing to decide is whether you want something citrus-y or creamy. (TIP: Things like frozen berries lend themselves well to both types of juicing.)
Do you need a special base liquid? No. Water works just fine. But options could include: almond milk, coconut water, rice milk…
Do you need ice? No, not necessarily.
Do you measure things out? Never. And I use what I have on hand.
Can you do this on-the-go/mobile? Well…No, not really. And if you do blend things up in advance, it tends to separate. In general, you should consume your blends (or juices) immediately to get the full benefits of the enzymes as well.
Here are some blends to try:
Basic “Citrus” Blend:
Water, Lemon, Arugula, Apple, Ginger root
Basic “Creamy” Blend:
Water (or almond milk, coconut water, etc), Avocado, Banana, Spinach
Citrus + Creamy:
Water, Kale or Spinach, Avocado, Apple, Lemon (or lime)
Once you’re comfortable with these mixes, that are extremely hydrating by the way, then you add-in other items.
TIP: If you have produce that is about to go bad or stale, wash it, cut it up, throw it in a Ziploc and freeze it for another time.
Experiment with additives like protein powder, maca root, collagen, nut butters etc.
Here are some other items for blending #inspo (not all together at the same time, though!) because the sky is the limit with what you can come up with:
- pomegranate seeds,
- cacao,
- turmeric root,
- cactus pear,
- celery,
- cucumber,
- pumpkin,
- watermelon,
- pear,
- papaya,
- mango,
- ALL berries (blueberry, raspberry, boysenberry…)
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Do you have a “go to” juice or blend?
Do you want to learn more about different health combos?
