Sipping your nutrients has been crazy popular for a while now. And it's no surprise—the It drink can provide you with loads of health benefits by upping your intake of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. The problem is, there's a lot of confusion about how to juice. Some people start with the go-big-or-go-home mentality with juice for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Others add so many juices to their diet that it totally negates the health benefits. No matter what your juicing dilemma, we’re here to help. Here are four juicing fails you'll want to avoid:
Going All Or Nothing
Some people get so caught up in a new diet trend that they think going to the extreme will provide better, faster results. In reality, that often sets you up for failure. For most us (myself included) it's extremely difficult to sustain an all-juice diet for any extended length of time (just check out these 15 signs you're on a juice cleanse!). It's a ticking time bomb that will likely explode and result in you downing a bag of Doritos and bingeing at a burger joint. Not a good plan. The key is to incorporate juices into your diet without totally replacing your meals. For most people, a breakfast juice is a great place to start. Try a green juice with a handful of almonds instead of your usual breakfast of yogurt or cereal (Here's a great starter recipe: 1/2 a head of romaine lettuce, 1/2 a cucumber, 6 spinach leaves, and 1/2 a green apple.). Do this a couple times a week, allow it to become a part of your healthy eating routine, and you'll be sure to stay on the juicing wagon (otherwise, we make no promises).
MORE: Would You Do a Juice Cleanse to Boost Your Libido?
Adding Without Subtracting
Another common flub is adding juices into your diet without subtracting other foods. Look, we know juicing is great for you, it provides all kinds of insane antioxidants, but it's important to keep in mind that they still have calories. Some are better than others—for instance, green juices tend to have fewer calories and sugar than fruit juices—but if you're adding these to your diet every day, well, let's just say it adds up. Instead, add a juice to your diet while subtracting another food. But remember, the trick is to incorporate them, not use them to replace meals altogether. In place of another side dish, try a green apple, spinach, and celery juice with your salmon and broccoli at dinner. This way you'll get all the amazing benefits of the juice without overloading on calories.
Picking the Wrong Produce
The best part of juicing is that each drink you make is hand crafted from the fresh produce you put into it. Unfortunately, this leaves a fair amount of room for error. As a new juicer, it's totally understandable if you're not digging the straight up green juice (it's an acquired taste, I know). But this doesn't mean that you should load it up with so many fruits or fruit juices that it tastes like a strawberry milkshake from a fast food restaurant. I promise, adding a couple of pieces of apple or pineapple can go a long way in making it palatable. If you find yourself adding entire fruit baskets to your morning drink, it's probably time for a new plan. You might end with so much sugar and calories that it negates the health benefits. My tip? Make sure your juices follow the 80:20 ratio...80% greens, 20% fruit. Essentially, the fruit is there to cut the bitter taste, not to dominate your drink. And sometimes, you have to let those greens speak for themselves.
MORE: How an ALL-Fruit-Juice Cleanse Affects Your Body
Juicing (and Storing) in Bulk
You know it's important to store your produce properly before juicing, but it's also crucial to drink any juice you make at home as soon as possible. Once all of the raw nutrients are exposed to oxygen, they have a tendency to break down. At a maximum, juices should be stored for just a few hours before drinking. After that they lose a huge amount of their nutrients and may cause you to become ill if pathogens grow due to oxidation. So, if you want to reap the most benefits, drink up right after you juice up. If you're buying your juices, make sure to follow their expiration dates. Many juice companies now use a technology called High Pressure Pascalization, which allows nutrient-dense juice to live longer than it has in the past (up to 6 days) and also stops the growth of microflora. Still, they won't stay healthy forever in the back of your fridge.
So if you're looking to start your juice game, try to avoid these rookie mistakes. You'll end up thanking me years from now when you're a juicing fiend.
MORE: 5 Delicious Spinach Smoothies
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