marathon chronicles 03. juicing update.

it's been almost two months since i started juicing, so i thought this would be a good time to check in and see if the benefits outweigh the cost and time spent.

my main intent was to supplement mini-she's teen diet. although she has a well balanced dinner, she rarely eats (a good) breakfast, and who knows what she has for lunch at school. for myself, i wanted an overall healthy diet to go along with my training and increased physical activity.

i, personally, have no problem eating my fruits and veggies. in fact, i prefer to eat them. a huge bowl of salad is always on the dinner table, and fruits are always on hand at home. but truth is, with my typical weekday, generally eating only three meals a day, it can be difficult to get those 3-5 servings of veggies and 2-4 servings of fruit in. maybe not the veggies, but definitely the fruits.

that's where juicing works for me.

what i bought in february:

2x carrots 10lb, $7.49

3x gala apples, $8.79/$8.49/$9.99

3x organic power greens (baby kale, chard, spinach), $4.99

cucumbers, $4.49

strawberries $7.79

3x oranges, $9.79

lemons, $5.99

celery, $3.79

pears, $6.29

ginger $2.00

cost:

month total: $124.45

daily: $4.44

per person: $2.22

time:

juicing (prepping/juicing/cleaning) in the mornings added 20-30 minutes to my daily routine, depending on whether i prepped the night before. 

tip: juice more veggies than fruits. juicing can be high in sugar, so use veggies as your base, then add a little fruit to sweeten. as a beginner, we added lots of fruits to mask the taste of the veggies. i slowly decreased the amount of fruit and actually began to appreciate the "taste" of the veggies.

tip: buy organic whenever possible, otherwise scrub/wash well.

tip: regular kale can taste bitter and smells horrible in my opinion. this green mix is a lot easier to drink...

great for beginners!

tip: drink your juice with a straw.

goes down easier without the smell.

tip: continue to eat your fruits and veggies for fiber.

in fact, have a piece of fruit with your morning juice!

favorite 'green' juice:

4-5 handfuls green mix

2 celery stalks

2-inch cucumber

1 apple (or pear or orange)

1/2 lemon

favorite 'orange' juice:

4-5 carrots

1 apple

1/2 orange (or 3-4 strawberries)

1/4 lemon

small piece ginger

*makes about 15 oz

i use the breville juice fountain plus.

below are some of the popular juicers:

top centrifugal juicers:

top masticating juicers:

(better if you juice more leafy greens)

my thoughts?

although i don't see any physical differences after a month of juicing, i feel better knowing that i'm getting my daily servings of fruits and vegetables. i have my juice in the morning on an empty stomach and do feel "clean" and energized...it certainly makes me think twice about what i put in my body the rest of the day. i believe the cost per drink is reasonable considering you'd pay $5-$7 at a juice bar. eventually, i'd like to incorporate other veggies, but i stuck to what was conveniently available (in bulk) at my local costco. 

overall, i would not survive on a liquid diet. i love food too much. however, daily juicing as a complement to my meals (as opposed to a replacement) works for me. i can't afford the extra 30 minutes in the morning, so i'll have to make an effort to do more prep work the night before. i will continue to juice at this point and will make another assessment in a few more months.

if you juice, what's your favorite recipe?

if you don't juice, would you consider it?