19 Jan Can juicing help you lose fat?
This is a hot topic and one that is often discussed. Can juicing fruits and vegetables help your quest for a leaner, healthier body? Lets discuss a 
few points first.
Keep in mind juicing is a very broad and at times controversial topic, this is by no means an end all be all of how to juice, and why you should. More a quick start guide to why you would use it and if you decide to where to start. We have seen (and experienced) great results with adding juicing (mainly green veggies) to someones diet in overall health, energy, and fat loss.
We will not get into a tangent on detoxing from juicing, intestinal cleansing, etc. That is entirely too long of a topic for a short blog. Juicing barely fits!
Pros
Now why juice (or blend) fruits and veggies? Well for starters to increase our pancreatic enzymes we lose by continually eating cooked foods vs raw items (1). As we have discussed many times optimal health stems from proper gut (digestive) function and this is a great way to start. And if you blend say in a vitamix vs juicing it is a great way to help with some insoluble fiber (2) to the diet which helps with regularity, blood sugar control and fullness.
It is also another great way to get your servings of vegetables up which will help lower inflammation among other things. When inflammation is lower you will see; lower umbilical fat, less joint and overall pain, and easier time with weight loss. Here is an article we wrote recently on how to lower inflammation. Hint, if your goal is fat loss, this is a big deal.
Juicing is also a great way to get nutrients into the cell immediately and given most people are chronically tired, and malnourished, this is a great way to boost energy and immune function.
Cons:
We actually prefer blending to juicing and here is why. When you blend you get to keep the fiber, and remember we said fiber helps with blood sugar control. When you juice, not only can it be very time consuming but given there is no fiber and nothing to slow the absorption of the juice it can elevate glucose and insulin dramatically. And if you are a diabetic (but may not be aware of it, say type 2) this can be very dangerous. This is one of the reason why a couple of years ago we switched to recommending blending vs juicing as we (and the people we worked with) were sometimes not aware they might be diabetic. So we switched to blending because a) its easier and much faster b) we dont have to worry as much about the massive blood sugar spikes which will precede a massive crash.
From our experience the only major drawback to juicing was the major blood sugar swings. Switching to blending has helped that. Again, not saying its the only way, just what we have found.
When to do it?
We recommend doing it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Most times (especially caffeine addicts) notice a huge energy boost and need less coffee or energy drinks to get through the day. Often times they need none.
Easy recipes:
There are a million recipes and a great book for various concoctions is Heinerman’s Encyclopedia of Healing Juices. This is an easy drink to get started.
Blended in a vitamix till liquid:
– 3 cups spinach
-1 cup frozen berries
-1/2 lemon with the peel
– tspn ginger
– 2 large carrots
– 2 cups water
This will make a large amount, usually 70 oz give or take.
Word of cation with juicing. Some people load up entirely too many fruits when they juice and this essentially becomes an injection of sugar. We use a 4 to 1 ratio of veggies to fruits to help balance better.
Questions, post them. Happy blending or juicing!
References
1. https://jonbarron.org/article/enzyme-story#.UtwRxrTnbIU
2. http://www.webmd.com/diet/fiber-health-benefits-11/insoluble-soluble-fiber
3. https://www.bodysolutionskc.com/personal-training-information/articles/is-inflammation-making-you-fat/