Friday, February 13, 2009

Will it give me gas?

Ha!

I'm sorry, I just had to give it that title.

See, its still Question and Answer time about Juicing, and as long as the questions keep pouring in, I'll keep answering them.

And Beatriz asked the million dollar question. Will it give me gas?

Yes.

Next question. :-)

Seriously, though, yes. But a little gas is fine, when you're in your skinny jeans, right? And getting fewer colds! And feeling better!

Catherine asks: "Do you juice in the morning or evening or...."


I'm an evening girl. I do this for a few reasons.

1. I'm lazy in the morning.
2. I like coffee first thing.
3. I tend to eat junk mainly in the evening, while watching TV. So having juice first thing when I get home "curbs" the mindless eating.

Heres why. This is key to weight loss: Our bodies are smart. They know when we are giving them empty calories. Our bodies will continue to give us the "hunger" signal until they feel like we've given them enough nutrition. (Kind of why a Lean Cuisine seems like a good idea for dinner until you're hungry 10 minutes later.) The juice is amazing this way. You give yourself 12 oz of fresh carrot, cucumber, beet, celery and apple (plus a little snap of fresh ginger and lemon) and VIOLA - you feel full. Your mind says "satisfied! Thanks for the nutrition!" Plus, since there is very little sugar in the juice (I use a Granny Smith apple - lowest sugar) - it helps curb other sugary/carby cravings.

Dana wanted to know: "For weight loss, did you replace one of your meals with the juice? Or did you just add it to your regular diet?"

Such a good question, and the answer is complicated. Remember how desperate I was at that point? Stuck in a rut feeling like there was no way out? I was in a depression, to be completely honest. And in a depression, not only can you not see a way out, but you almost don't even care anymore. That was me.

So, I wasn't really into the whole "pull myself up by my bootstraps" kind of thing. I was not getting a plan together involving diet and exercise. The idea of the gym made me nervous. I thought to myself "I need to be in shape to go to the gym!" and had no plan to put on sweatpants and make a fool of myself on the treadmill.

The ONLY thing I could think to do was dig out that juicer from under the counter and plug it in. I could only handle one thing at a time, or I knew I would get overwhelmed and give up. So heres how the timeline went.

1. put juicer on counter
2. made juice
3. felt full (and a little queasy. it was day one, after all.)
4. didn't eat much else that night
5. woke up next morning, thought "just make the juice at one point today. thats all."
6. made juice that evening
7. felt full. felt proud Id done it two days in a row. Hated taste. Gulped it down.
8. didn't really feel like dinner that evening.
9. woke up next morning and hated my new routine. Thought "just do it one more day."
10. made juice that evening.

the only change between then and now is this: eventually I quit resenting the fact that I was making the juice. Then I began to actually enjoy it.

So to answer your question Dana, yes, at first I replaced dinner. But not on purpose. It was because I felt full. Had I been hungry, I would have had a little something. But usually (and my other juicing friends agree with me on this) the juice is a wonderful meal in-and-of itself.

Last question for today goes to Eva who wants a specific recipe for my favorite drink:

4 large carrots, well scrubbed
1 cucumber
1/2 beet (with greens if you're brave! tons of magnesium in there!)
3-4 stalks of celery
1 Granny Smith Apple
1 lemon, pealed
tiny amount of ginger

That is what I make (or my husband makes) everyday. I drink one full glass, and theres usually enough for my husband to have 1/2 a glass.

Hope I got all the previous questions answered. Did I miss you? Leave it in the comments and I'll get to you again.

And for those of you who are saying "Enough already! No more juice!" well, I'll try and mix it up on here in the next few days. I need something else to post about though....

How about:

1. Our plans for Valentines Day (trick question, we have none)
2. How is Tom doing with the fact that he's gonna be a dad in 5 months?
3. Joaquin Phoenix on David Letterman
4. More embarrassing things about me so you can know my life isn't perfect!

Your choice makes the next blog entry... let me know!

12 comments:

Jen said...

embarrassing things always make me feel more normal.. I say-

"Pick #5, my lord, pick #5"

That is my cheesy quote of the day from Shrek.. Another favorite is "I'm a donkey on the edge"
But that is all the RANDOMNESS you get from this Mama.. I love reading your blogs. Love the juicing entries, and am so thankful for your "real-ness"

Thank You for being an encouragement to me and so many others.. :)

Addy said...

I hadn't had time to post a comment on your first Q&A blog with my question(is the juice a meal replacement?), but you definitely cleared things up for me here. Thanks! And, thanks so very much for being honest and putting yourself out there. The words "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony" come to mind.

Now..onto talking to my hubby about getting a good juicer...say a prayer for me! hehe

I know about not having plans on V-day...mommy-hood?
I'd love to hear what you have to say about Joaquin Phoenix on Letterman! Does anyone agree when I say WHAT IN THE WORLD?? He's a grrreat actor, I really appreciate his work. But, he looked soo gone on Letterman...I couldn't help but wonder if he was on something. Sheesh...

Alrighty then....Be blessed!!

Anonymous said...

Definitely write about Joaquin Phoenix on Letterman next...

Eva said...

I agree with Megan. Joaquin Phoenix on Letterman. I am just totally baffled by him. I love him as an actor, not so much as a rapper.
Thanks for answering my question. Tomorrow I am going to the co-op. I am going to do it. I am in that rut and failing nursing school doesn't help.

Felton/Casey said...

Seriously, that is almost my favorite drink from the book too. Have not tried it with the ginger yet though, even though I love ginger. And I use the whole beet, with the greens. Ooh yeah! I need to be better about juicing daily though! Since I got this book, it gave me so many ideas and made me more brave with the veggies. Seriously, ever juice a brussel sprout. It's not bad with the other stuff. And although I don't over do the fruits, orange juice is the best. You peel off just the orange color, so that all of the white part of the peel is still there...Creamiest juice ever. Honestly, it is like an orange julious without all the sugar and garbage. Good stuff! Makes ya mad that you get ripped off with store bought juice.

cacfus said...

What? Joaquin Phoenix on Letterman? Fill me in girl.

Rachael said...

I think I'll juice some Hempler hotdogs for your dad tomorrow. I'll toss in a fresh tomato for a hint of ketchup flavor....We have to break him into this kind of gradually, don't you think?

Lyndsay said...

I was wondering does Olivia drink the juice too? Or some form of it more suited to her taste?

Anonymous said...

You are doing a GREAT job talking about juicing!! I have to admit, with all the travelling we have been doing, I have gotten out of the habit and now have to start all over. I have to tell you though, I take it one step more and put my juice in the blender with a couple of cubes of ice. YUM!!! It comes out frothy!! Dan is even doing it when he comes in from his runs 3 X's a week!! Thanks to you and Callie for getting us started!! Keep it up, girl!!

Barb Z.

Addy said...

SO,I bought a juicer over the weekend. I wanted something I didn't have to wait for, so I went with Jack Lalanne's juicer since it was available at Target.Impatient, I know!
Anyway...I tried the juicing recipe you posted and loooved it! I was nervous all day about drinking the juice; to my surprise, it was easy to drink...AND enjoyable. I am so shocked it tasted as good as it did. My husband and I agreed to name your recipe "The Rookie." I look forward to tomorrow's juicing! Thanks!!!

Nathan said...

Hey Sarah,

I just started reading your blog, and love your stuff about juicing! Are you still giving away books? I would love to try this juicing thing out! Thanks, Nathan

Vannoys said...

Thank you for inspiring my husband and I. We have replaced espresso machine, with our juicer! Our favorite juice recipe so far is:
12 carrots
30 red grapes
1 braeburn apple
1 orange
Organic whenever possible, and cold fruit makes tastier juice.
Thank you! Thank you!