Love my juicer!! (and a few questions)

lorieg

So, I have  juicer for about 4 or 5 months but, up until yesterday, had really only used to make fresh orange/apple juice.  Basically was scared of juicing vegetables as it sounds gross!  Although I have always been a healthy person I have had to force veggies.  I do enjoy raw broccoli, cauliflower, and I love salad but otherwise, ICK!!  Since my breast cancer diagnosis I have been trying to consume mostly veggies, fruits,beans, lean organic meats, etc.  Yesterday I decided to get brave and break out the juicer....

I can not believe how delicious a huge bowl of organic spinach, broccoli, celery, carrots, and little bit of apple/lemon taste when juiced!  Not only do I love it, but my 15 month old daugher goes crazy wanting more.  She looks pretty silly with a green mustache, but she loves the juice!  (Don't worry, I know she still needs raw f/v) Now I just need to get my 4 year ol son on board!  My goal is to up the veggies and decrease the fruit.  I would love to include some other veggie that I normally do not touch, but I am taking baby steps.  I know this does not replace eating fruits and veggies, but it should help me get my number of servings up.  Plus I was low/normal body weight to begin with and since my cancer diagnosis I am underweight.  It is great not to burn as many calories digesting all the raw fruits/veggies in their regular form.

So questions....are their decent studies out there showing the real benefit to juicing or is it all just hype?  Theoretically it makes sense, but just wondering what your take is on all of this? 

 Anyone tried veggies like asparagus (which I despise)?  I am hoping the strong apple flavor would cover up some of the taste. 

I read through the juicing thread, but where does one get wheat grass?  Whole foods?  Can it be combined with other stuff to make it taste ok cause it sounds hideous??!! 

Other tips for a newbie and my juice crazy 1 year old daughter?!!

Thanks,

Lori

althea

Hi lori, I see wheat grass in the produce section at the grocery, but I haven't tried it.  I went to a juice place once to try it, and their wheatgrass juicer was broken.  They had a special machine just for wheatgrass, so I've been hesitant to put it through my champion juicer.  There's also a lot of greens that I was really liking in my juice that I now avoid.  I have an underactive thyroid and so I avoid juicing cruciferous veggies (just as I was really liking collard greens and kale in my juice!).  There's still a lot of other greens.  I love celery, romaine, cucumber and bell peppers.  If you go heavy on the green and want to sweeten without fruit, try stevia. 

MsBliss

Cruciferous interferes with thyroid function?  I never heard of that before, please tell me more!

lorieg

Thanks, althea!  I will try stevia.

MsBliss, I think I saw a conversation about cruciferous veggies in the juicing thread below.  (or it may just be chemo brain setting in!)

rreynolds1

From what I have read in several nutritional books, cruciferous veggies were anti-cancer foods.  I have also read how important thyroid function is to breast cancer.  What are the sources of this new info?  Thanks.

Roseann

althea

I don't think it's new info, but I've read in many places that cruciferous veggies interfere with the uptake of iodine.  Do a search on 'goitrogen'.  You'll find many references and some variances in the lists.  Some lists include flaxseeds as a goitrogen, and I'm very fond of flaxseeds.  Cabbage, I can live without it and not miss it a bit.