Is it over yet?
It’s that time of year again. Everyone planning their New Year Detox even before the New Near has actually arrived. We all overindulged in some way or another at this time of year, with parties and dinners to attend, guests to feed, and children to keep happy. The shops are always full of delicious goodies like mince pies, trays of party nibbles, cakes and biscuits. Do we have enough just in case someone pops in? We know the routine. Stock up like there is going to be a holocaust, then find biscuits for cheese still in the cupboard in September with softened edges, and filo pastry wrapped prawns still in the freezer when the barbecue comes out in July.
It makes me more aware than ever of how our eating habits can change so much. No matter how ‘good’ you intend to be, it is Christmas after all and we are all human. A little treat now and then won’t hurt at all, but ensure you have balance. The better the balance, the less guilty you will feel and the less in need of that ‘serious detox’.
If you are a juicer, don’t stop!
Many of my clients seem to juice in phases. Why do that? If the juicer is out, it should be part of your daily routine. A ginger shot each morning to get the digestive system primed and ready! Green based juice for alkalinity and a good beetroot based one when you are going to be doing exercise. Of course, if you still haven’t bought a juicer, it can be a bit of a minefield as to which one to purchase. Don’t splash out on the most expensive to start with. I find this one is a great first purchase. Strong, quick and easy to clean.
If you haven’t yet found Juice Master Jason Vale have a look at his website and sign up for the newsletters, while preparing for the New Year Clean! I didn’t know anything about juicing until I was introduced to it a few years ago. Since then I have developed my own juicing programme, and have to admit that I have never followed a full ‘juice only’ detox. Jason Vale makes it very clear that you have to find the system that works for you, and although I have many clients who have done the full three, five and sometimes seven day detox, personally I use juicing as a nutritional boost each morning rather than a total juice detox.
You will get fibre!
People are concerned that they won’t be getting enough fibre when they follow a juicing plan. Here’s the ‘thing’, if you are over weight, and generally needing to improve your diet, you won’t be eating enough fibre anyway, so leaving the fibre out of a pile of veggies during a three, five or seven day plan won’t do you any harm. After all, you are getting more vitamins and minerals than you’ve had in a long time. The idea is to rest and re-calibrate your digestive system. Allow it to come alive again after too many processed foods, caffeine and alcohol. Get the vitamins into your system FAST! There is plenty of soluble pectin – gel fibre – in the the apples. Taking a juice cleanse for a few days is perfectly okay. Think if you were unwell with a tummy bug, you wouldn’t eat much. You would take fluids. This isn’t dangerous. With a juice cleanse you are giving your body nutrients.
‘But what happens when you come off it? You will get fat!’
NO. You really won’t. If you follow the plan… and gradually introduce food that is ‘clean’ and healthy. You WILL put on weight if you go back to eating highly processed rubbish with high salt and sugar and little nutritional value. After a juice cleanse, you will find that you don’t actually crave the ‘rubbish’ food any more. Watch this…. It may just change your life!
You don’t have to live on juice!
If you don’t fancy a full juice cleanse – as some people find this tricky during the colder winter months, you could do what we call the JJM, ( juice, juice, meal) so you would make your lunch juice thicker by adding avocado to your juiced bits in a blender. Just make double at breakfast and add the second lot to the blender- more fibre and a Super Food! Or, if you also use a bullet…. you can make your lunch time ‘juice’ more of a smoothie. Personally I prefer juicing. I don’t like the thick texture you get with a Nutri- bullet. It’s a different concept.
I’m always being asked… ‘Why don’t you just eat it all?’ Well, because people DON’T !! All the vitamins from this little pile are in my system first thing in the morning. I’d rarely EAT all that in a day. My personal programme of day to day healthy eating would be a Ginger shot first thing, then a herbal tea followed by a bigger nutrient packed juice.
Usually during the winter I have homemade soup for lunch and then an evening meal.
I don’t LIVE on juice! That would be silly. It’s just part of my routine, like make
Two great morning juices:
1) Small beetroot, small parsnip, one carrot, 2 apples, then ginger, turmeric (about a thumb tip of each), and a slice of lemon. I also love lime! Personally I don’t juice oranges, but you could add an one to the above selection.
2) Two apples (or pears), a stick of celery, small handful of broccoli (use the stalk too! Lots of juice in that!) A handful of spinach or kale, and when in season some cucumber with the usual lemon/lime, ginger, and turmeric.
Be sensible, it’s not an exact science with measurements. I personally don’t eat cucumber in the winter as it’s too cooling to my system, but if you like it, try it with the beetroot recipe. If you hate celery, leave it out. Play about a bit.
Mix it up with more veg than fruit.
Recipes in books are a great guide.
You will find your own way. The basic rules are – The greener the juice the more Chlorophyll it contains, and the more alkali it is. A powerhouse of cancer reducing nutrients – research has shown that cancer cells cannot survive in an alkali body. I like my first juice of the day to be a green one….unless my husband is playing golf, then I make him a beetroot based one. Beetroot was the fuel of Olympians. A superb pre-exercise drink to help oxygen be released from cells ( but you need to add sweeter fruits so carrot, parsnip and apple go well with it) Better performance! He usually wins…and will blame it on the lack of beetroot if he doesn’t!
Find a routine that suits you.
Look at the different ingredients. If you cook you will understand how different flavours blend together. Juicing should be enjoyable. If you really don’t like something, leave it out. You will become more interested in which veggies hold different vitamins.
Eat fresh. Organic if you can. No fridge scrapings please…. not many nutrients in those! If you have a juicer and are a little bored with your routine, this is a lovely little book that will give you some inspiration….. Yes, it’s by Jason Vale, but let’s face it, he knows his stuff!
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