Juicing His Way to Health

(Note:  I realize that the content of this post is somewhat controversial, and I am certainly NO health expert.  I am just sharing my husband's experiences.)

If we're friends in real life, or on Twitter, then you know that my husband has started juicing.  Several of you had questions about it, so I thought I'd share his journey.

My husband Mike is friends with a few people who have also started juicing for various reasons.  After several conversations with them, and some research on his own, he wanted to experiment with the process.  I had heard of the documentary "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead", so we watched it together on Netflix.  To be perfectly honest, it's not without its flaws (I didn't think there was a ton of research), but it raised a few interesting points.

It's no secret that we don't get enough fruits and vegetables ("whole foods") in our diets.  Combine this with the fact that we're over-medicated, overweight and full of processed food, and it's probably not a huge shock to see so many Americans with health issues.   The documentary follows the story of Joe, an overweight Australian who goes on a 30-day juice cleanse.  Along the way, he inspects American eating habits and tries to inspire others around him.   After the 30 days, he lost almost 100 pounds and eventually stopped taking heavy medication for his autoimmune disorder. (Note:  There are TONS of documentaries on healthy eating, juicing and whole foods.  I also found "Forks Over Knives" and "Hungry for Change" to be interesting, though they all kind of say the same thing...)

Now, Mike certainly wasn't looking to follow Joe's drastic footsteps, so he conducted a TON of research (I can't stress this enough.  There is SO MUCH to learn.) on the process and eventually bought a juicer (an Omega VRT 350).  He experimented with several recipes before settling on two different types of juices, and off he went!

 

(Note:  Mason jars make for awesome, airtight juice storage!)

Keep in mind that he did NOT straight up juice for days and days.  Mike basically did a modified 3-4 day cleanse, and then slowly added healthy foods back into his diet.  Now, he usually has a juice for breakfast, a juice for lunch, several mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks and a sensible dinner.  I also think it's important to note that he is very diligent about taking his vitamins as well. After a few days, he noticed the following:

* He sleeps better at night.
* He has a TON of energy.
* The juices DO make him feel very full and satisfied - he hasn't once complained of being hungry.

If you're curious, his main juice recipe is:

Green Juice: kale, spinach, dandelion greens, parsley, cilantro, red/green/yellow peppers, habanero pepper, apple, carrot, sweet potato, ginger

(A typical juice haul.  You can imagine how fun it is to clean up after him...)

Obviously, there are a lot of veggies in the juice.  As Mike says, "That's the point."  Too many fruits = too much sugar, therefore defeating the purpose.

Additionally, he found that by purchasing mason jars, he is able to make several batches at once and store them without losing the flavor and nutrients.  This allows him to use the juicer only every few days, which makes me happy:)

Overall, this entire process has caused Mike to reevaluate everything he puts into his body.  And again, I can't stress enough how much research (internet + doctor's advice) he has done throughout this process - in fact, he's DOING IT RIGHT NOW.  Ugh:)  I just wanted to share his experiences in case anyone else was curious about juicing.

Do you juice?  Have you juiced?  Any thoughts?