Juicing.....is it the right thing for you?

How did the week go? Did you answer the questions that I asked? Were you surprised by your answers? I am a big believer that if you can predict your obstacles and plan ahead for how you will deal with them, you will achieve your goals. Preparation is the key to success, especially when it comes to weight loss.

                Did you know that weight loss/ improving health is always in the top 5 New Year's Resolution every year for most people? While this is a wonderful thing that people want to improve their health, there is also a downside. Companies and people see this as an opportunity to financially profit. As a result, more gimmicks and FAD diets hit the market with the promise of miracle weight loss with very little effort. My goal is to help you separate fact from FAD so that you hopefully won't fall into their trap. I am not saying that all nutrition FADs are 100% bad. They all have to be used in the right way and are not for everyone. I want you to be informed about the advantages and disadvantages of the FADs so that you can make the right decision as to whether or not it is a trend for you to follow.

                One nutrition trend that has taken off in the past year is "juicing". In general, "juicing" is when you leach the juice out of vegetables and fruit and throw away the rest. The theory behind this trend and the main advantage to it is that "juicing" will increase the average Americans intake of vegetables and fruit. This is especially true if you are someone who avoids vegetables and fruit like the plague. Increasing the intake of vegetables and fruit  is definitely an advantage. There are multiple research studies/clinical evidence that show that increasing the intake of vegetables and fruit can help prevent/treat many health problems because of the added vitamins, minerals, fiber, and anti-oxidants.

                However, there is very little research/clinical evidence of the same health benefits coming from only consuming the juice or concentrated powders of vegetables and fruit. In fact, there is research that shows that consuming fruit juice will increase blood sugar substantially and can lead to weight gain, high cholesterol and type II diabetes. As a result, it is better to only juice vegetables and not fruit. If you are going to juice fruit to help improve the overall taste of the juice, try to keep it at a ratio of 5 vegetables to 1 fruit. The best vegetables to use are the following:

Artichokes	Carrots	Okra
Artichoke Hearts	Celery	Onions
Asparagus	Cauliflower	Pea Pods
Green beans	Cucumber	Peppers (all)
Bean Sprouts	Eggplant	Salad greens
Beets	Green Onions/Scallions	Sauerkraut
Broccoli	Kohlrabi	Spinach
Brussels Sprouts	Leeks	Summer Squash
Cabbage	Mushrooms	Tomatoes (all)
Bamboo Sprouts	Chayote	Jicama
Rutabaga	Watercress	Greens (all)
Tomato/Veggie Juice	Zucchini	Radishes
Turnips	Kale	Bok Choy
Water Chestnuts		Daikon

                Another fact to consider before you start "juicing", is the potential interactions that it can have with your medications. Heart and blood clotting medications like Coumadin interact with nutrients like Vitamin K, which comes from green leafy vegetables. As a result, it is best to talk to your physician and research your drug and food interactions before you start "juicing".

                "Juicing" can also leave you deficient in fat soluble vitamins, such as Vitamin D, Vitamin E, as well as other vitamins like Vitamin B. All of these vitamins are very important to overall health and well-being. Being deficient in any of the above vitamins can actually lead to other health issues.  "Juicing" also removes a majority of one of the biggest health benefits you get from vegetables and fruit, the fiber. This is especially true if you remove all of the pulp from the juice. This is why it is always better to eat the fruit than to drink its juice.  As a result, "juicing" could actually lead to weight gain if no other modifications are made to the calorie intake of the diet or calorie burn from the exercise regimen.

                The "juicing" only diets or "juicing" fasts are the most dangerous of all because they lack protein, fiber and essential vitamins. While they might cause short term weight loss because of the low calories, they could lead to depletion of muscle mass and severe fatigue. If you are going to follow a juice only diet or fast, limit the amount of time you follow it to less than 24 hrs and add low fat or preferably fat free milk or yogurt to increase the protein intake. I also highly recommend talking to your health care provider before you start,

                

Last but not least, fresh fruit juice can grow harmful bacteria at a faster rate than commercialized juice. As a result, ONLY make enough for you to drink right after you make it. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends "only pasteurized juice for infants and children to protect against pathogens such as E. Coli, Salmonella, and Cryptosporidium organisms". It would probably be best that you are over the age of 18 before you add "juicing" into your diet.

                To sum it up, there are things to consider before you buy a juicer and add "juicing' vegetables and fruit into your diet.  There are more disadvantages to "juicing" if not done properly or in excess. Always talk to your healthcare providers before starting a juice only diet or fast.  Remember to talk to them about your medications and the food interactions that could occur.  If you have any questions please feel free to email me at dietnista@gmail.com or post them on Facebook or Twitter.

Until next week,

XOXO The Dietnista

Time to Deep Clean the Freezer

Sorry about the lapse of time between this week’s blog and the previous one. I wanted to make sure I gave you enough time to clean your pantry out and your fridge. Without any further delay it is time to deep clean the freezer! The following are helpful hints to improve the food choices in your freezer to help you to achieve your weight loss and health goals.

Meats

Red meat and fish are two important meats to have available in your freezer. Are you shocked? Don’t be. Both have a lot of nutrients and health benefits when consumed in the right amount and the right type. Many people think they are being healthy by avoiding red meat because red meat has been labeled as “bad for you”. Is fried chicken good for you? No! Neither is a fatty red meat. Red meat actually has a lot of healthy vitamins and nutrients, like iron and B vitamins. The following are considered “red meat”: ground beef, steak, bison, pork, ham, long horn and venison. The key to buying red meat is you want to buy meat that has less than 10% total fat, which means there is not much saturated fat. On the label, you want it to read 90% lean/10% fat or 93% lean/7% fat or 97% lean/3% fat. Don’t worry, if you buy red meat that has more that the above recommended fat, you can boil it to get the fat out of it. Try to limit red meat consumption to 2-3x/week unless you are anemic (low in iron) then you should aim to eat it more like 4-5 times per week. Fish is another important meat to have in the freezer. Fish can be high in fat but it is usually healthy fat and is high in Omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids are thought to lower triglycerides, which are a form of bad cholesterol, and decrease inflammation in the body. It is recommended to eat fish 3-4x/week. Aim to get a variety of fish. Remember that the most important thing to consider with any animal meat is the portion size. Aim to eat no more than 2-4 oz of any animal meat per meal or 4-8 oz per day. Yes, that is even true for men! To help with weight loss, it is a smart idea if you can freeze the meat in the right portion size. There are great frozen meat alternatives to consider having in one’s freezer. Spicy Black Bean/Veggie Burgers add a lot of fiber to ones diet and decrease the intake of saturated fat. Next time you are at the store look in the freezer isle for these options.

Vegetables

Aim to buy a freezer full of the free, non-starchy vegetables. Can’t remember which vegetables are free? Let me remind you. The following vegetables can be eaten all day and will still aid in losing weight: artichokes, carrots, okra, tomato/veggie juice, artichoke hearts, celery, onions, turnips, asparagus, cauliflower, pea pods, water chestnuts, green beans, cucumbers, all peppers, watercress, bean sprouts, eggplant, salad greens, zucchini, beets, greens onions or scallion, sauerkraut, kale, broccoli, kohlrabi, spinach, all types of greens, brussel sprouts, leeks, summer squash, radishes, cabbage, mushrooms, tomatoes, bok choy, bamboo sprouts, chayote, jicama, daikon, and rutabaga. It is a great idea to keep frozen vegetables. They do not spoil easily and are easy to add to any meals. Look for the steam-able bags to make cooking them easier.  

Fruit

Many people say the reason why there fruit is not routinely in their diet is because fresh fruit goes bad too fast. That is why frozen fruit is a great alternative. Frozen fruit can be used in smoothies, desserts or added to any meal to increase the nutrients. Remember, it is recommended to consume 3-4 servings of fruit per day. As a result, it is a good idea to keep a variety of fruit in one’s freezer.

Pre-Made Meals

Try to limit pre-made meals. They are usually filled with empty calories and refined carbohydrates. When in a bind, the best pre-made meals are healthy TV dinners, like Smart Ones, Healthy Choice, Kashi, Eating Right, etc. or frozen soups. Aim to purchase pre-made meals where the total dietary fiber is more than 4 grams per serving. Try to also keep that total amount of fat and saturated fat to a minimum. Remember the 1 serving of fat is 5 grams. If you do eat a TV dinner try to add a salad to it or a side of non-starchy vegetables. Non-Starchy vegetables are a good source of potassium, which will limit the absorption of the sodium from the TV dinner.

Desserts

Everyone has a sweet tooth.  Some have it more often than others. Try to keep healthy dessert options available when you need something sweet. When buying ice cream, aim to get fat free not sugar free. If you consider buying sugar free ice cream to reduce sugar intake and calories, make sure that there are no sugar alcohols added to the products. Sugar Alcohol is a man made product, which when over consumed, can cause side effects such as intestinal cramping, gas, bloating and diarrhea.  Nothing fun! Sugar Alcohol will usually be listed on the food label under the total sugar grams. If not, you can always check the ingredients list. Any words that end in “tol” are considered a sugar alcohol.

It is official! We have accomplished one of the hardest tasks to weight loss and overall better health, which is getting rid of food sabotages.  Making your own kitchen weight loss friendly and full of healthy choices is the first step to reaching your goals. It will limit temptations and guarantee success. Until next time…

XOXO!

The Dietnista