Juicing – Good Idea Or Bad Idea? – TTC Health & Wellness

Photo Credit – Public Domain

By Carmen Hunter [Founder of The Institute For Functional Health Coaching and contributor to the Tennessee Conservative] – 

One of the best things I ever did for our health was to bring a juicer into the kitchen when my son was a toddler. Talk about sneaking in the kale and spinach! We made it fun, and I got him a pampered chef kids knife so he could “cut” the fruit with me. Those are some of my favorite memories even today as I make them for him and his girlfriend at 16 years old.  

So is juicing a good idea? Maybe. Maybe it is the answer I give to people when they ask me if something is good for them. This is because we are all different, and without knowing someone’s health status, the best I can do is say, “Do the research and listen to yourself first.” 

In the case of juicing, I will share some simple advice about why you would want to juice as well as some tips on how to juice to keep things easy.

The WHY of juicing:

1. It can help picky eaters increase the healthy fruits and veggies they may not otherwise want to “chew”.
2. It can help with repairing the body when there has been surgery or inflammation from sickness. Liquid food is easier to digest (digestion takes WORK) so the body can focus on healing the other things going on that need to be prioritized first.
3. It can be a good way to reset. Stopping solid food and only doing juices, bone broths and very wilted soft greens can be a great detox or reset for the gut.
4. It can be an efficient way to prep food for a couple days if you have a busy week. Just drink them within 2-3 days for maximum freshness.
5. It tastes good and can be a good break from all the normal ways you eat vegetables and fruit.

The HOW of juicing:

1.  Get a good juicer. You don’t have to spend more on it than the food you are using in it…but a cheap one won’t do either. Here’s a link to help you choose. We love the Breville but not the clean up of it. Think about your time in the cleaning area as well. It can be laborious.
2. Get a juicing book at the local McKays used book store or thriftbooks.com  
3. Play with ingredients and flavors! There is no end to the recipes and combinations that you can use.
4. Don’t say no to veggies just because you normally don’t like to chew and eat them. Spinach and Kale can be disguised pretty well with some sweet apples and strawberries! Ask my kid. 

1. Don’t make it your only source of food on a regular basis. You still need to chew, stimulate those enzymes and keep your body working optimally.
2. Involve the kids (and the veggie opposed spouse or partner). Have them make their own!
3. Use organic vegetables and fruit whenever possible. If you need to ease into that because of price, take a look at the list on EWG.org for the dirty dozen and then wash the rest thoroughly with a good fruit wash.
4. Try to use more veggies than fruit.  Fruit IS sugar.
5. Don’t make it your only source of food on a regular basis. You still need to chew, stimulate those enzymes and keep your body working optimally.
6. Involve the kids (and the veggie opposed spouse or partner). Have them make their own!
7. Use organic vegetables and fruit whenever possible. If you need to ease into that because of price, take a look at the list on EWG.org for the dirty dozen and then wash the rest thoroughly with a good fruit wash.
8. Try to use more veggies than fruit.  Fruit IS sugar.
9. Don’t complicate this. Juicing is not any more difficult than using a blender. Have fun!
10. Utilize online resources like this one and this one.

I will be talking about some of my other favorite ways to make being healthy easy, flavorful and fun in the coming weeks!

Remember being independent and proactive in your health is the ticket to freedom. Take back your power, listen to your instincts and remember no one knows better than you what’s best for you!

About the Author: Carmen Hunter is the founder of The Institute for Functional Health Coaching®, Carmen Hunter Health LLC and the creator of Education, Preparation & Action.  She has over 11 years of experience in the wellness industry to include coaching hundreds of one-on-one clients, group training and teaching coaches and practitioners worldwide how to collaborate for better client outcomes and business success. Find Carmen on Facebook and Twitter @functionalhealthcoaching and @shapereclaimedwithcarmen – Subscribe to Carmen on YouTube. Carmen Hunter Health on Mighty Networks