Juice Baby, Juice!: Juicing for Beginners

Taylor Tunstall September 20, 2018

Hey friends! So I have always been interested in juicing but never made moves to buy a juicer because I’m financially frugal and was nervous that my juices would be gross. My mom bought me a juicer for my birthday and it changed my lifeee...well just about. Juicing made me hold myself more accountable for meal planning and working out more. The whole shebang! On Sundays I made it a habit to grocery shop, meal prep, and juice for the week.

So what’s the hype? So I found that I was slacking on eating my daily recommended fruits and veggies and I thought that this would be a good way to get more fruits and veggies into my diet. I was also not eating breakfast every morning due to having to be at work at 7a.m. so I thought that juicing would be a great way to get some nutrients in without have to chew so early in the morning.

Some benefits of juicing include weight loss, inflammation reduction, reduced body fat, boost in metabolism, reduced hunger, blood sugar regulation, increase in nutrient absorption, lower cholesterol, body detoxification, and disease prevention. It is also beneficial to people who have weak digestive systems due to the lack of pulp. All these benefits, so why not juice?

I started juicing with mostly fruits and some vegetables to get used to the taste. As time went on, I used more veggies and less fruits. It may seem like juicing is an easy way to lose weight but it could backfire. I had to be cautious of doing at least a 1:2 ratio when it came to juicing fruits and veggies. Yes, the natural sugar from fruits are better than the sugars in cookies or candy, but excess sugar can turn into triglycerides and be stored as fat. The more veggies you add into your juice, the better because they have less sugars and calories than fruit. Note, it will take a couple of times to acquire the taste of green juice but you will like it the more you drink it.

To start, it is important to have a couple of bases like cucumbers, celery, or carrots to produce a lot of liquid and volume. Then you should add fruits and veggies that have a lot of vitamins like beets, leafy greens, and other fruits. Sometimes I would add herbs or spices such as parsley to add a kick. Some people may recommend fresh ginger or mint leaves. Lemons and limes also give the juice a nice refreshing taste.

This may sound silly, but be sure to juice with FRESH fruits and vegetables. Juicing old or frozen produce makes it hard to obtain liquid and you don’t want to run the risk of juicing bad foods. Old foods loose some vitamins, minerals, and other nutritional values so be sure to buy that “so fresh and so clean” produce.

So you might ask what you can juice… You can juice just about any fruit or vegetable! Here is a list of the most common choices...apples, pineapples, celery, cucumber, ginger, spinach, kale, berries, carrots, oranges, beets, lemons, mint, tomatoes, peaches, grapes, limes, cabbage, and broccoli.

Here are some of my favorites that I like to juice with and why:

1. Cucumbers aid in weight loss by boosting metabolism, detoxes the body by removing toxic and waste materials, and boosts immunity. Cucumbers are another one of my favorite bases to juice because they provide a lot of liquid. More bang for my buck if you ask me!

2. The good ol’ celery helps with cleansing the digestive system, aids in weight loss, and provides a good amount of antioxidants. Celery is a great base because it is made of mostly water. Therefore, you will get more content out of celery than another base like carrots…once again, more bang for my buck! But be aware…many people claim that cucumbers are bitter so it might take some time to get used to.

3. Apples are packed with antioxidants, cleanses the digestive system, and help reduce cholesterol. Apples are also tasty when it comes to balancing out all of the green produce.

4. Beets are another food that many people do not like. It takes time to build an acquired taste for them but they are really good for you. They contain a good source of potassium, vitamin C, and other minerals essential for the body. My number one reason for adding beets to my juices are for energy boosts. I often find myself tired at work or easily fatigued during my workouts but drinking beets keeps me energized and helps fight the urge of falling asleep during mid performance.  

5. Pineapples provide a good amount of manganese and vitamin C. They are great for boosting the immune system as they are anti-inflammatory. Pineapples are also provide a great tropical flavor to override the green produce taste.

Please remember that juicing should not be used as a total substitution for eating fruits and vegetables. I know many people would want to drink juice in place of eating meals but I would not recommend using them as meal replacements because they lack in protein, fiber, and necessary carbs your body needs to perform on a day to day basis. Remember that by juicing, you lose most of the fiber that the whole fruits and veggies provide. They also lack in protein compared to eggs, meats, and almonds. Juicing makes it easier to absorb various nutrients that you may lack in your normal diet. I would not recommend drinking a juice as a meal replacement for more than one meal a day. You can drink them as a meal enhancer or snack. They should be complimentary to your lifestyle and be obtained to maximize your energy and nutrition intake.

Now remember I said I’m frugal right? Juicing doesn’t have to be expensive if it’s done properly. Find a recipe that requires some of the inexpensive produce or find deals at your local grocery stores. You’re the real MVP if you grow some of the fruits and veggies yourself! Personally, the Kroger app is my friend where I can compare the prices of produce before I even enter the store. I have to stick to a plan or I end up buying unnecessary foods. I also buy produce that are more bang for my buck... meaning I buy produce with high water content. So I always juice with cucumbers, celery, apples, beets, and/or pineapples.

A few additional tips:

• Juice using a cold pressed juicer

• To assure you don’t lose out on all the nutrients your juice provides, drink your juice within 2-4 days.

• Be sure to rinse off your produce before using!

• Store your juice in a glass container, BPA free, of course! (Some lining of plastic containers shed as they are used…you don’t want to drink plastic particles!)

• Store juice in the refrigerator

• Don’t be nasty, clean your juicer! It can get sticky

• Juice with more veggies than fruits! Use the 80 veggie/20 fruit rule!

So many think that juicing is a gimmick but when its done correctly, it can be very beneficial to your health. Juicing is fun and yummy so I encourage that everyone should give it a shot! With all of the benefits it provides, I don’t see why not. If you’re a bit skeptical, find a nearby Juice Bar! If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach me at taylor.tunstall@yahoo.com.

With Love,

Taylor Tunstall

About the Author: Taylor studied exercise science at Indiana University. She is currently working on her Master's in Occupational Therapy. Taylor is also an Exercise Physiologist at ATI Physical Therapy. Taylor has spent many years focused on physical and mental well-being. One of Taylors most recent ventures has been Snatched Fitness, LLC. Taylor is a co-founder of Snatched Fitness, LLC alongside her two best friends. Their mission is to build a community that empowers others and works toward a common goal of owning a healthy mind, body, and lifestyle. Lynnie's Lane encourages everyone to visit snatchedfitness.co !