Fruits & Vegetables.
Fruits & Vegetables.
Fruits & Freaking Vegetables.
We are constantly being inundated with reminders to “get our fruits and veggies everyday”.

5 servings a day.
9 servings a day
13 servings a day.

Vegetarians swear by the benefits of an exclusively plant-based diet.

Vegans will do the same, and probably lecture you on the moral implications of killing Bessie just so you can have your Quarter Pounder w/ Cheese. They are even creating “meat” that isn’t really meat but a combo of tofu, quinoa, black beans and 14 other ingredients, prepared over a 10 day period, left to dry in the sun and prayed over by vegan priestesses….

…or something like that….

…but i digress.

I believe in the benefits of fruits and vegetables. I spent 15 years advocating for plant-based supplementation, partially because I watched a lot of very smart people spent a lot of time and effort working on creating, testing and evaluating the benefits of plant-based supplements.

But it’s hard, people.

Getting the right combination of fruits and vegetables, prepared in the right way, every single day.

This is where juicing comes in.

Actually, juicing has come into my life because a nice couple opened a juice bar in my gym. You know those juice bars. If you’ve gone to a gym for any amount of time, you’ve seen them come & go. They open, you look over the juice & smoothie menu, you say “ I should stop by and grab something”, but you don’t. And then, before you know it, they are gone. Just a lonely forlorn blender left of the bar as a placeholder until another entrepreneur decides that they’ll be the next Jamba Juice or Juice it Up (btw, Juice it Up has the BEST peanut butter based smoothie. It’s called “the Zone”. Healthy? Who knows. But you’ll thank me. Really).

So I saw that they opened up a few weeks ago. Right at the New Year. Presicely when I’m ripe for a new wellness idea.

So what the heck. I took a look.

I saw a “triple shot” Shots of turmeric, ginger & wheat grass. I thought, “OK. for the month of January”, let’s do this every time I come here”.
First observation is that turmeric & ginger are some intense shots. If you’re not awake before you take them, you WILL be after. The first time I ordered them, the owner couple gave me a strawberry “for after” and stared at me as I shot them like I might gag, fall over or turn into Mr. Hyde.
Intense.

Let’s take a break from my exciting narrative to get into a few “Juicing Facts”.

• Juicing as a trend had some early beginnings in the 1920s and 1930s, but it took off more in the 1970s. By the 1990s, juice shops and healthy dining trends became more mainstream.

• Juicing extracts the juice from fresh fruits or vegetables. The liquid contains most of the vitamins, minerals and plant chemicals (phytonutrients) found in the fruit.

• However, whole fruits and vegetables also have healthy fiber, which is lost during most juicing. Some believe that juicing is better than eating whole fruits and vegetables because your body can absorb the nutrients better and it gives your digestive system a “rest from digesting fiber.” However, the average adult doesn’t consume nearly enough fiber each day, and therefore, does not need a digestive tract rest. The average adult consumes an average of 15 grams of fiber per day when they should be consuming 25-40 grams.

• For my money, whole fruit is better than juice, but juicing, and supplements for that matter, are much more convenient on a day to day basis.

• The amount of nutrients in your juice can depend on what fruits /veg you choose, how they were grown and how your juice is prepared.

• If you’re not careful, you may end up drinking too many calories and too much sugar.In fruit juice, calories mostly come from sugar. When you drink juice, you often experience a spike in blood sugar levels, because there’s no fiber to slow down the absorption of sugar.

So. Have I noticed any big difference in my life in the last 3-2 weeks?

Nope.

But that’s the nature of the beast. Changes in diet take a while to have a discernible effect. It’s like that with food, with supplements and it’ll be the same with juicing. And honestly, unless you’re being evaluated by medical experts before, during & after, it’s going to be up to you. How do you feel, what do you see in the mirror, what do you believe.

Because of my experience and what I’ve learned, I believe in the benefits of fruits & vegetables, while still believing a healthy balance of those with meats, cheeses and the occasional glass or 2 of cabernet will contribute to my physical, mental & emotional wellness. It’s a personal thing.
Your belief system is your business.

Maybe you believe that eating animals is wrong.
Maybe you believe that GMOs are evil
Maybe you believe that gluten causes digestive issues, apoplexy and atheism.

I’m not here to dictate, I’m here to inform and amuse.
Hopefully.
Also, I believe I’m in my gym 4 days a week. II believe ’m going to give it about another month, then I’ll make a choice based on my experience. And knowing me, I believe I’ll write another blog about it at that point in time.
It’s what I do.

Talk later,
Bob