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Health & Fitness

Green Juice: Healthy or Hype?

With the onset of the juicing trend in the health & wellness community over the past few years- as with any diet or exercise program it eventually becomes the newest fad- but is this just a fad?!

With the onset of the juicing trend in the health & wellness community over the past few years- as with any diet or exercise program it eventually becomes the newest fad & morphs into a national obsession.  Since bikini season is on the horizon you may be considering- should I do a juice cleanse or start adding fresh juice to your diet regimen?

If you hear the words juicing & you think of your childhood glass of Juicy Juice- think again! We are saying “So LONG” to the pasteurized juice (like the OJ you’d find at the grocery store) , instead opting for cold-pressed & live enzyme packed-freshly blended juices.

When the juice is pasteurized, it’s heated at a very high temperature, which protects it against bacteria and prolongs shelf life. However this heating process also destroys live enzymes, minerals, and other beneficial nutrients. Cold pressing, on the other hand, extracts juice by first crushing the fruits and vegetables, and then pressing them to squeeze out the highest juice yield, all without using heat. This produces a thick juice packed with three to five times more nutrients than normal juice! The downside is that cold-pressed juices typically last for only 48-72 hrs when refrigerated—if not, they develop harmful bacteria—so it’s crucial to buy or prepare them fresh and drink them quickly.

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Benefits: If you find it hard to get your daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables- Green juices may be just the ticket!  Most green juices pack two servings of fruits and veggies into each serving, so they’re a healthy way to sneak in nutrients if you’ve been slacking on salads lately. Keep in mind that juicing  strips the produce of dietary fiber- found in the pulp and skin of produce and aids in digestion, regulates blood sugar levels, and keeps you feeling full longer. So whole foods (except when detoxing/cleansing) are still the optimal way to ensure you’re getting plenty of fiber in your diet.

As a general rule, stick to green juices made mostly with leafy greens which are much lower in sugar than fruit-based options. If you’re purchasing your juice- look at the nutritional information on correct serving sizes (Most bottles are considered 2 servings per bottle).

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Where to buy your produce:
Check out your local farmer’s market for the best prices on local, organic fruits and veggies!
Consider getting your co-workers to join you on a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) or a Co-Op program.
Need less hassle? Have them shipped to your home! (Live in metro-Atlanta- check out Natures Garden Delivered).

Dr. Erika’s Personal Juicing experience: When my Husband, Garrett, and I received a juicer for Christmas 2012 we thought- oh this will be nice to have fresh juices on the weekends. However included in the Breville Juicer packaging was recipes and excerpts from Joe Cross’ movie “Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead”. We immediately rented it from Amazon Prime- after hearing his journey we were sold! We had to try a detox! Erika & Garrett completed approximately 21 days of juice detoxing. We were able to kick some bad habits, and Garrett even lost over 35 lbs! To this day- we still try to drink at least 1-2 freshly made juices per day!
Our Favorite Produce to toss in the Juicer: Kale, Spinach, Chards, Romaine, Carrots, Roma Tomatoes, Ginger, Turmeric, Granny Smith Apples, Cilantro, & Parsley!

Great juicing resources:
www.fatsickandnearlydead.com
Facebook.com/VegetableJuicing
Facebook.com/fatsickandnearlydead

For questions on reaching your optimal health contact Dr. Erika for a complimentary consultation, schedule by calling (678) 517-0240!

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