Hello my beautiful earthlings! I’ve been juicing up a storm over here the past few months and weeks, whether it be celery juice in the mornings or a sweet summertime concoction! I’ve had some people reach out to me especially after reading about my experience juicing celery every day for 60 days and the questions are BUT WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER FRUITS AND VEGGIES, CAN WE JUICE THEM TOO?!
The answer is YES. We love them too! Of course celery juice is amazing, but the benefits of juicing don’t start nor end there. Each fruit and vegetable has it’s own assortment of vitamins and minerals that can benefit you greatly in different ways! I’m a big fan of switching up the plan every now and then especially when it comes to food. I love to diversify and that way it never gets boring. Also it’s worth noting that every body is different. Something I may LOVE may not be someone else’s jam. Same goes for everything, yoga, movies, favorite chocolate…you get the drift!
In this post I’m going to break down :
Why I juice and the health benefits of juicing
What you need to get started juicing (Not much at all in fact)
What the heck to we do with the extra juice pulp?!
AND my two absolute favorite juice recipes right now aka Sunshine Juice & Magic Morning Strawberry. THINK SUMMER TIME FINE *Alexa play In The Summertime by Mungo Jerry.
These juices are super healthy AND great for breakfast or entertaining (safely)
One note before we get started - benefits of juice vs. smoothie. Both have their place. The benefit of juicing vs. blending is that there will be a highly concentrated amount of nutrients in your juice. There also will not be any excess fiber blocking your body from absorbing the nutrients. When you have more fiber you get full faster limiting the amount of nutrients you can consume per sitting. With juicing the fiber is completely removed allowing you to get many more servings of vitamins minerals and phytonutrients into your body. I also LOVE blending and do not think a morning juice should replace you breakfast! I find juicing to be a beautiful supplement to my daily meals.
Why I Juice Fruits and Vegetables
Honestly, I’ve been juicing ever since I saw Kris Carr Speak live almost 10 years ago. Kris Carr is a powerhouse woman who was diagnosed with a rare form of stage IV cancer about 10 years ago. She has used lifestyle habits and nutrition along with many other modalities to help her thrive and continue to live a live full of happiness and good health. Hearing her story inspired me to look deeper into what juicing could do for my body to keep it performing at optimal levels! I seek constantly and if juicing could help her thrive, there had to be something to it!
When I began to juice I started very very simply and I came to found that the act of juicing brought me a sense of calm present awareness. For a person who has been anxious in nature since being a child this was comforting. I find that doing anything with my hands, juicing, cooking, gardening gently forces my mind to be on the task at hand allowing rouge thoughts to move away and my spirit to be at peace.
I also very much enjoy how I feel when I drink a juice in the morning, I find I have more energy and it starts me off on the right foot for whatever I have on my to-do list later! Plus they are TASTY.
Benefits of Juicing at Home
Nutrition
To get the amount of nutrition from a juice into your body by simply eating fruits and vegetables would be a challenging feat! Juicing allows you to extract the nutrients from the fruit and vegetables and deliver it to out bodies in a simplified way. Think about sitting down to eat two whole cucumbers? Not a usual sight. But when we juice we can do just that without getting full from the rest of the cucumber! ALSO When you juice at home you know EXACTLY what is going into your juice. No additives, no extra sugars, no creepy ingredients! You take control of your health!
Mental Clarity
This is the #1 Benefit I get from juicing. Hands down this is worth the juice on it’s own. When doing juice cleanses this is the top benefit I love. It’s like the brain fog completely dissipates and my mind clears. Drinking juice in the morning each day can help contribute to greater mental clarity. The clarity gets attributed to the many vitamins and minerals you receive in high amounts when juicing. So if you’ve never juiced before, starting to juice regularly can give you some serious PEP in your STEP!
Reduce Inflammation
Fruits and vegetables are full of powerful antioxidants which can help reduce constant inflammation we walk around with daily. Inflammation can be the root cause of so many major physical issues we hear on the day to day. Some great fruits and veggies for inflammation reduction are Basil, Pineapple, Kale, Spinach, Chard, Turmeric & all Berries.
Digestion
Juices are easy to digest, they let our digestive system get a mini break from all of the fiber we are constantly consuming! And don’t get me wrong there is a place for fiber! But sometimes people with irritable or sensitive stomaches may lack proper enzymes that help break down the food and you can find these in certain fruits and vegetables OR the digestive system might need a rest and juicing can give it that!
Skin Health
So most juices will cause a gentle radiance boost to your skin. But what causes that healthy goddess skin glow? It all starts in our gut; SO fruits and veggies that are high in Antioxidants (Berries!), Vitamin C (Pineapples, Oranges & Strawberries), Vitamin A (Carrots), Chlorophyll (All of your greens!) & Silica (Cucumbers) will be the best blend for keeping your glow on all year round. You can alternate and mix and match, have fun with it!
pH Balance Restoration
Mainly the green juice varieties provide this benefit; think leafy greens, cucumbers, celery, broccoli. So many of us are more acidic than we realize, this can cause feelings of lethargy, fatigue and even muscle pain. Feeding your body more alkaline foods can help to balance our your pH and support bone, muscle and hormone health!
What do you need to get started juicing?
A juicer! That’s literally it. Once you’ve chosen a juicer that’s the right fit for you, all you need is your pick of fruits and veggies and you’re off to the races! I’ve linked the juicer I use below and a smaller option if you are trying to conserve space!
This is my juicer! I’ve had it for 8 years, still runs like its new. I LOVE IT. it has 3-4 parts that are easily detachable and super simple to clean! This juices efficiently and I can make a whole pitcher of juice for my family or any gathering so fast! I like the Breville brand because they have a ton of good reviews and I’ve never had one issue with it! If this juicer speaks to you, you can purchase it here.
MY JUICER - BREVILLE JUICE FOUNTAIN PLUS
Buy Here:
If you’re looking for something a little bit more compact, my best friend uses this little juicer and although it doesn’t produce as large a quantity of juice, the quality is still great. It’s a little lower price-point and won’t take up a ton of counter space, plus it’s adorable! If this juicer speaks to you, you can purchase it here.
HAMILTON BEACH JUICER MACHINE, BIG MOUTH 3”
Buy Here:
What to do with the extra juice pulp (No need to waste it)!
Run the pulp through the juicer 1 or 2 more times! I love doing this, there is usually some juicy goodness left after the first run through so give this a try and you will definitely get more juice than you thought!
Put the remaining pulp in your garden! YES this is a thing! Whenever I have extra pulp I spread it over my garden and let it blend with the soil!
Make JUICE PULP CRACKERS! This is such a fun way to re-use your pulp and they are super tasty! There are recipes for this all of the internet so give it a good old google. Maybe I’ll put up a juice pulp cracker recipe soon, would this be of interest?!
AT LONG LAST - I GIVE TO YOU MY SUMMERTIME JUICE RECIPES!
We have been sipping these all week here at my house and there’s a debate going on for which one taste’s better! Honestly its hard to choose! Let me know which one you like best! These are great for a morning boost, for entertaining the family, a soda replacement, or even a mixer for a healthy evening cocktail! So many options! Let me know what you decide.
Tag me on Instagram @JRockYoga if you start your juicing journey!
I’d love to follow along!!
juicing essentials
Some links may be affiliate links. J Rock Yoga may receive a commission if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these.
Juicing at Home (Everything you need to know)!
