Juicing

I love my juicer and also my Vita Mix blender for smoothies and soups.  If you have those two pieces of equipment on your counter, you could eat without ever having to turn on the oven!  Today I'm going to make an orange, ginger, carrot and apple soup which can be eaten cold or hot.  Yummy!

LOL Someone on another thread called in Swamp Water!  Doesn't bother me. I add an apple to whatever combo I make so there is at least a little sweetness. I use cabbage, celery, 1/4 lemon (peel it first or it will be too bitter) cucumber, broccoli, carrots (adds sweetness)

I use just whatever is in the fridge. Besides apples I haven't used any other fruits yet. I have the Jack La Lanne model $100 at Sears.

Good luck. Not everyone likes juicing. My DIL gave her juicer away as she didn't like it, but everyone else I've talked to who have tried it, liked it and juice regularly.

My red blood count was normal for the first time in years after using my Vita Mix for several months.  It is my breakfast...oranges/citrus/Greek yogurt/spinach/carrots/berries/and anything else that sounds good...wheat grass/broccoli ...a little protein powder. 

What do you think of protein powder?

I like for my juices to be appealing in taste and appearance.  Getting greens into juices is very important, and they don't have to be murky. 

I like to juice a peeled lemon, a granny smith apple, a slice of ginger to taste, and 3-4 greens.  I rotate through the greens for variety. I steer clear of cruciferous veggies due to underactive thyroid, although use spinach anyway because I love it so much.  My faves are romaine, parsley, bell pepper, cucumber, celery, cilantro, sprouts.  I have a champion juicer, and the leafy vegs need to go through first and then alternate between firm and less firm items.  If my green juice is on the 'swampy' side, I like to add coconut water.  ...think I'll go make some right now.

What juicers do you recommend?

We find that we are using our Vita Mix Blender more than the juicer.  The smoothies are good, and you also get the fiber which is needed for digestion.  The juicer is great when you are doing a cleanse or a juice fast.  I blend everything in the Vita Mix....fruits, veggies, leafy greens...it all is pulverized to a smooth drinkable juice.  Depending on how sweet you want it, you can adjust by adding fruits like pineapple or strawberries.  On top of that, we add our Vit C powder which gives it a citrus flavor.  I feel so healthy after I have one of these....I'm going to make one now:)

PS:  Also good for the eyes if you have macular degeneration like I do. 

I would highly recommend juicing and smoothies - QiGong food healing recipes are by far the best. 

I would be interested in those recipes as well.  When we go back to NC for the summer, I am going to catch up with a friend who lives there who teaches QiGong.   They go to Thiland every year to learn the latest techniques.  She completely put her Mysthenia Gravis in remission with a vegan diet and doing QiGong.

Apple and ginger are the basic ingredients for all my juices... they 'hide' the vegetable taste (not always in the mood for the latter). To the apple and ginger, I add: a few bits of kale or broccoli, a couple of carrots, and and a large lump of raw beetroot (excellent for the immune system).

Use a breville juicer - suitable for commercial juice shops.

I tried out my new Vitamix yesterday, wasn't bad. But I felt a little off after. Has anyone checked their blood sugar after a juice/smoothie?

I think you need to be careful about using too many sweet fruits like oranges or grapes in the juicer.  I only use them to lightly sweeten vegetable juices and take away some of the bitter flavor.  Too much and you will get a sugar overload.  

I now use my Vita Mix to blend my fruits and veggies so you get the fiber which is better for you and helps to stabalize the blood sugar. 

I use my Vitamix all the time. My hubby loves sweeter smoothies. I like to blend spinach into mine along with a carrot. I try to use fresh veggies and fruit. I do have a stash of frozen berries from Trader Joe's.

Hmmm, I like to eat my protein, but that's a thought. Looked around online for some ideas last night, and ready to give it another shot. Definitely need to add water though, it could have been the very thick texture that turned me off a bit!

First attempt was some kale, romaine, parsley, a carrot, apple and a few strawberries and walnuts. And some coconut water. May have gotten carried away with the fruit, but DH and I split it.

This would be a good way to use TJ frozen organic berries that have been in the freezer for a while! 

I like whey protein in my smoothies.  Bev uses a vegetarian protein, rice protein, that is from sprouted rice to make it a complete protein.  I prefer the smoothies to the juices because you get to eat 100 percent of the fruit or vegetable in a smoothie, as opposed to the portion that is extracted by the juicer.  We're using a Blendtec blender.