With all the craze of juicing, I wanted to give you all some tips about how I don’t think it is the best thing for you. Let me tell you why. “Juicing” does not include using a blender, I mean physically using a juicing machine that you have to unload all of the pulp from after, or just manually juicing by hand and throwing away the remainder.

Now, there are tons of vitamins and minerals that come from eating fresh organic fruits and vegetables. And most people don’t get enough in their diet, so juicing is an easy way to get the servings in. I want you to think for a second. When you use a juicing machine what comes out that you have to empty? All the pulp right? Well what is in that that you are missing?
FIBER!

When you juice, you lose all the nutrients and fiber from the actual vegetables and fruits. So, all that stuff you throw out is actually what you need. The bacteria in your gut feed off of that good fiber. That being said some people can’t “tolerate” eating fiber. They get too gassy or bloated. This is a common symptom that people can get from eating beans. Beans are really high in fiber. You get the symptoms because there is not enough healthy bacteria in your gut, or the gut is disrupted. If there isn’t enough healthy bacteria in the gut, then you won’t be able to digest all that fiber and it will give you those symptoms.

Solution?
Either eat/steam your vegetables, or use a blender. If you use a blender then you are getting the entire portions of the fruit and vegetables, and not throwing out all the good stuff! Having a smoothie in the morning or throughout the day is a great way to get in your servings each day. It’s also a great option for mom’s trying to get their kids to eat more fruits and vegetables. Having more fiber in your diet can also help with hemorrhoids and other GI issues, enabling an ease in eliminating. And, as always, make sure your gut health is functioning optimally! If it isn’t you will get all the discomfort of not being able to digest your fiber. So eating probiotic rich foods or supplementing, and killing any bad bacteria/fungus is important.

I hope you enjoy your week. After all of the superbowl party foods, I’m sure you can all use some good “blending” this week.