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Writer's pictureOrisha Lampkin

Detoxify through Healthy Juices

Updated: Dec 18, 2021


If you are into making a positive change in your lifestyle then, fitness juicing is a perfect choice to do. Making your own healthy juice means you have full control of what you put in your body. So, if you are relatively new to juicing or just starting out, these simple ways may help you get started and avoid messy mistakes


For a lot of people juicing can be a daunting task. But not to me. Juicing is fun and I love it! Let me get into how much I love juicing. You see, it is a lot of work. The preparation and most importantly, the clean-up.




Why you should juice?


One of the reasons why I chose juicing is not only for the health properties that come along with it but most importantly, I LOVE IT!. I love to cook. I love to handle food, to touch food, I love how it feels. I love that I am putting love into the food. I am putting love into my juices and it's going back into me. I like to watch comedies when I'm juicing or listen to a funny talk show when I am juicing because I like to laugh. I like to be happy when I’m cooking and when I'm juicing. I feel that this energy is one of the reasons why I love to eat out but I don't eat out now because of health reasons. “I love to eat out but not all the time. Just like my energy can go into my food, so can others” or” If you get my drift.”




This is part of wellness, this is part of self-care. We are taking things to a whole new level. I choose to live my life and try to always be in a space of abundance and love and happiness because it feels good.


Myths about juicing


Juicing vs. Smoothie


Juicing is extracting the liquid form from raw fruits and vegetables while Smoothie is over-rising the whole plant. With Juicing you get less fiber than when you have a smoothie. But it helps in detoxifying the body because it has a high amount of concentrated nutrients.

  • Juicing is a process that extracts water and nutrients from fruits and vegetables, but discards the (very healthy) indigestible fiber naturally found in the produce.

  • Smoothies are blends that contain the entire fruit or vegetables (fibrous skin and all).



My Top Beginner’s Guide on Juicing for Health


1. Juice greens before other ingredients

This method of extracting preserves the enzymes, nutrients and produces very concentrated and wholesome juice.

2. Pulp those vegetables

Take the pulp and use it in a soup or make broth with that.


3. Be mindful of the juicer you use.

This will be helpful for easy clean-up and gives distinction on the storage options. Make sure it's dishwasher safe - nobody likes washing the dishes!


I hope these simple ways and beginner tips will help you with your homemade fitness juice journey.

“If life gives you lemons, make some kind of fruity juice!

Make Fitness Juicing fun”



Can Juicing help detoxify the liver?


The liver is the largest organ inside the body and is the main organ that converts nutrients from the food we ingest. The liver then stores these substances and supplies the body with them when needed. (it is so smart!) It helps maintain blood sugar levels, metabolize proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, and helps the immune system fight off infection. Most importantly, it helps the cell flush out toxins.


Now you know why it is important that we are discussing it :D.




What causes the liver to malfunctions


1. Eating too Much Saturated and Processed Foods

Your liver needs to make extra efforts to process saturated or processed foods. So if you regularly eat processed fats such as corn or peanut oil, fried foods, you can imagine the amount of harm your liver endures. These foods are not only hard to digest and break down, but also produce a lot of toxic by-products which harm your liver.

2. Breathing Polluted Air

The air we breathe is full of pollutants. Regular exposure to car exhaust, first or secondhand smoke, and other types of industrial by-products not only harm your lungs but also your liver. The reason is the toxins that you breathe through your lungs also run through your liver to be processed. The toxic air that you breathe overloads your liver and needs detoxification.

3. Eating Processed Carbohydrates

Similar to processed foods, processed carbohydrates can also have an impact on your liver. Sugary drinks, white bread, pasta, and candies contain processed carbohydrates. Regular intake of any of these items will make your liver work extra hard to break down and digest the processed carbohydrates. When you eat these foods rich in processed carbohydrates, your liver needs to make some extra efforts to maintain your blood sugar levels and remove toxic substances present in these food items.

4. Lack of Proper Sleep

You need 8-hours of sleep not only to get beautiful skin but also for your liver to function smoothly. If you don’t get deep sleep by the time your liver kick starts the digestion process, there is a possibility that your liver is not getting enough time to function smoothly. For your liver to optimally, it is essential to get enough rest.



What are the vegetables for liver detoxifying?

  • Beets

  • Cucumber

  • Carrots

  • Celery

  • Spinach (or Swiss Chard)

  • Parsley (or Dandelion Greens)

  • Lemon juice



BENEFITS OF A JUICE DETOX

There are multiple benefits of a juice detox. It really depends on what your goals are. You can do a 1-day cleanse. That might be something just to get a little boost, a little kick because you just came back from vacation and you want to just maybe drink a little too much or just ate a little too much or you just want to settle your stomach and hope to cleanse your stomach before going back to work.


There are juices to cleanse your liver. These are great because when we think about it our liver converts whatever we eat or breathe. Sometimes we just need to give the body a rest.


This is me personally, I have done juice cleanses for up to 14 days, that’s something I would not recommend to everyone. I teach bio-individuality. You have to find what works for you.


To someone who is new to juicing, I would recommend trying a 1-day cleanse or a 2-day cleanse, possibly a 3-day cleanse. Depending on their goals and what they are looking to do. It is great because your body is gonna get the nutrients that it needs but it doesn't have to spend the energy to break down as if you were eating solid foods


With your liver converting everything that we eat and breathe into our sustenance or how we are sustaining ourselves. It’s processing all of these nutrients and helping to reduce risk. So, we want to improve the function of the liver. You want to give it a rest and make it and let it operate optimally.


As I said, there are multiple different cleanses. You may want to try a cleanse to even a lot of processed food, a lot of sugar, a lot of white flour. We can do a cleanse to take out all of that waste. My friends during COVID did a 3-day juice cleanse that I had prepared for them and the feedback was very interesting.



HOW DO YOU REALLY START HEALTHY JUICING?


These are my recommendations before beginning a juice cleanse.


  1. Stop eating a lot of processed food. Introduce more vegetables, fruits, and raw food into your diet slowly.


You don’t want to when you get off of a cleanse to just go to McDonald's “I could just imagine how one’s stomach would feel after that.” That’s one of the benefits of cleansing the liver. If you are experiencing constipation a cleanse is a good way to help, to get things moving along. Introducing all of the nutrients that you need to help the body to process all of the waste that’s been sitting in your system so that it could start to remove the waste.


  1. Drink a lot of Water


I’ve heard some juicers say “ you don't need to drink water when you’re juicing. “


I do not agree. If you’re juicing during the day and you are having 6-8 juices depending on the juice cleanse that you are doing. It's 16 ounces of juice and 8-16 ounces of water because you want to keep yourself hydrated. It's no different when you are eating. Just because a juice is a liquid doesn't mean that you are getting the water that you need to stay hydrated.


This is a great way to get the water in and you have to drink water during the juice cleanse to help to flush. You have to flush your system. It’s like taking your car into a garage for preventative maintenance. I don't understand why but you have to look after your body. It is a machine. You gotta keep it well oiled, you gotta keep it well greased and maintained.


  1. Be responsible for yourself.


There are things in your system that you're ingesting and that necessarily have to be processed food or fast food. It could be something that you find out you are allergic to.


  1. Don't feel bad if you have to add in some solids.


Start Slowly and Surely.. You don’t have to rush in. If you added some solids within the day, get back on it again and don’t stay guilty about it.


  1. Body First Motivation


Your body is your most precious possession. Complement it. Drink your way to glowing skin. There are many fruits and vegetables that help in clearing acne and dehydrated skin. Adding beetroot, apple, cucumber and aloe vera to your juice mixture helps a lot in achieving clear and glowing skin.





List of Vegetables and Fruits for a healthy juice recipe



Here are some vegetables and fruits you can consider adding as a mixture to your juice.


GREENS, BEETS, and CITRUS

Here is the list of fruit and vegetables with their nutrition content and possible health benefits.


Apple Juice: – is 88% water and rich in plant compounds; full of vitamins B and C, which are great for the immune system and cell metabolism. Also has soluble fiber pectin.

Beet Juice: A power-packed, great source of fiber, folate (vitamin B9), manganese, potassium, iron, and vitamin C. Beetroot juice has been associated with numerous health benefits, including improved blood flow, lower blood pressure, and increased exercise performance.

Celery: Celery juice is thought to improve the function of the digestive tract. It works as a natural laxative, and it can also help relax nerves that are sometimes damaged due to unhealthy lifestyles and food choices.

Cucumber: Contains vitamins A, C, and K, as well as antioxidants and a little bit of calcium and iron.

Ginger: Reduces nausea and inflammation

Kale: A power-packed ingredient that is a great source of several key nutrients, including vitamins A, C, and K. Raw kale is also especially high in antioxidants, including beta-carotene. Antioxidants neutralize harmful molecules called free radicals to help protect against conditions like heart disease.

Pear: Especially rich in folate, vitamin C, copper, and potassium. They’re also a good source of polyphenol antioxidants.

Pineapple Juice: has a range of vitamins and minerals that can boost your immunity. It’s high in vitamin C and also contains enzymes that have been shown to activate a healthy immune system response. Contains an enzyme called

bromelain, which triggers your body’s ability to fight pain and reduce swelling. It’s used as a treatment for inflammation and sports injuries and may be effective in reducing symptoms of osteoarthritis.

Pomegranate Juice: A good source of vitamin C, vitamin K, and potassium, as well as several other key nutrients. Potassium is an important mineral that helps your nerves and heart stay strong.

Spinach: Loaded with carotenes, amino acids, iron, iodine, potassium and magnesium, Vitamins A, C, K, E, and B complex. The minerals found in this vegetable are alkaline in nature and help balance the pH level in your body.

Apple Juice: – is 88% water and rich in plant compounds; full of vitamins B and C, which are great for the immune system and cell metabolism. Also has soluble fiber pectin.

Lemons: Lemon juice is high in vitamins C, P, A, and Folic Acid. Rich in bioflavonoids, lemon is a natural diuretic with antiseptic, germicidal, and mucous-eliminating properties.

In terms of cleansing, your body is already equipped to clean out toxins — that’s what your liver and kidneys are for — so the best way to support that is to drink plenty of water and eat fresh foods. And while it’s fine to go on a juice cleanse for a few days, long-term juice cleanses lack nutrients your body needs (such as protein and fat), so they’re not a great idea.


Know more about my juice detox and healthy recipe ideas.



What do you need to consider when buying your juicer?


Centrifugal Juicers.


This is the most common type of home juicer and is easily found in your department stores and kitchen stores or where you can buy kitchen appliances.


This juicer will chop your fruits and vegetables up into fine pieces when it spins. The fine pieces at a very high speed will separate the juice from the pulp. These high-speed machines generate heat that can affect the enzymes and nutrients in the juice. The positive side of it is, it is less expensive and easier to clean compared to the Masticating Juicer.


Masticating Juicer


Also known as the cold pressor gear juices.


This works like they grind the fruits and vegetables and press the broken bits of vegetables to the strainer. You press them all in the strainer.

That is the reason why I said you have to clean it right after juicing the strainer. The juice greens like kale and spinach more effectively than Centrifugal Juicers. Plus, even with the cold press I still get foam which drives me crazy (LOL).


Most of these Masticating juicers are more expensive than Centrifugal Juicers.


So, Bio-Individuality.

If what you’re looking for is to get that nutrient in you. You want to go with the Masticating Juicer. We want to get the most out of the juice as we possibly can.

So if you want to get those nutrients into your body then go with the Masticating Juicer.



- ORISHA Re’ -



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