Juicing, Juice Fasting?

[Simona19]

Hi! I would like to ask you guys for an advice. What are the risks of juicing instead of eating food, or vegetarian food? My son wants to do it, but I

[ravenwoodglass]

What is he eating for protein and carbs? If he is seriously underweight already any kind of fast would not be a good thing. Juicing along with a balanced diet wouldn't be a bad thing but if that is all he is planning on consuming he could be doing damage to his body. How old is your son? Anorexia is becoming more common with young men so do be sure he isn't spiraling in that direction. If he is under 18 you may want to talk with his doctor just to be safe.

[kenlove]

I do a green juice fast for a week every 6 months or so, its great for getting the body in balance. I'm 60 and not skinny and besides celiac have had a lot of heart and kidney trouble. When I went vegan 2 years ago and started doing this, Ive had NO trouble at all and feel 20 years younger. I wish my sons would do it! --

Open Original Shared Link

is a clinc I was in for 1 month to help me get back to health. a book the owners wrote is called hte pleasure trap.

If your son does this I think he is way ahead of the curve!

check the book called the China Syndrome too.

good luck

Ken

Hi! I would like to ask you guys for an advice. What are the risks of juicing instead of eating food, or vegetarian food? My son wants to do it, but I'm worry about him because he is vegetarian on mostly raw vegetables and fruit already. He is also very skinny. I don't think that is safe for him. Any advice?

[TeknoLen]

In short bursts, occasional juice dieting is probably ok. However, fiber is good for keeping the digestive system tone (among other things) and discarding the fruit pulp or vegetable pulp would deprive him of a valuable source of fiber. Otherwise, a long-term juice-only diet seems like a bad idea. The body needs protein to function, make repairs to itself etc. Protein is not optional, IMHO.

I think straight juice might also have a higher glycemic index and/or glycemic load than its whole food counterpart. Google "insulin resistance" and "metabolic syndrome" for more there.

[kenlove]

depends on the type of juice, green juice or fruit. Green juice from kale, celery etc is one thing. not a banana smoothy although sometimes when one is skinny its not a problem. in any case its good to check with some alternative medical experts like True North Health center people or even ask at a local health food store. There are many books on the subject. Also, most fruit has some protein in it. Vegans do fine without animal protein, lots of alternatives

In short bursts, occasional juice dieting is probably ok. However, fiber is good for keeping the digestive system tone (among other things) and discarding the fruit pulp or vegetable pulp would deprive him of a valuable source of fiber. Otherwise, a long-term juice-only diet seems like a bad idea. The body needs protein to function, make repairs to itself etc. Protein is not optional, IMHO.

I think straight juice might also have a higher glycemic index and/or glycemic load than its whole food counterpart. Google "insulin resistance" and "metabolic syndrome" for more there.

[CR5442]

What is he eating for protein and carbs? If he is seriously underweight already any kind of fast would not be a good thing. Juicing along with a balanced diet wouldn't be a bad thing but if that is all he is planning on consuming he could be doing damage to his body. How old is your son? Anorexia is becoming more common with young men so do be sure he isn't spiraling in that direction. If he is under 18 you may want to talk with his doctor just to be safe.

I just saw this and wanted to reiterate what Ravenwoodglass said about anorexia nervosa in young men. My close friend is a psychologist and did her dissertation on this condition. It is a lot more common that one would think. It would definitely be a good idea to speak to his doctor about this. As this is a psychological disease more than anything you would need to get to the bottom of that first. Is he celiac as well? Do you think also that eating wholefoods might be uncomfortable for him?

[RiceGuy]

While I don't do juicing, I do use a blender quite a lot. I think using a blender is healthier than juicing if the juicer you use is going to filter the stuff. I did find it very necessary to blend all my food at one time, for more than a year, as my gut just wasn't able to digest much of anything. It was a tremendous help in obtaining nutrients, but I also did need to supplement, and still do. Just because you put a given nutrient down your throat doesn't mean you'll benefit adequately from it.

As for protein, as kenlove said, being vegan doesn't leave you without protein unless you go about it improperly. For instance, one meal I still enjoy is pea soup, which I make by blending the peas into a puree in the blender. A one-pound package of peas makes about 3 cups of soup, and offers over 50% of the RDI of protein, and about 100% of the fiber. So with all the great veggies, plus nuts, seeds, legumes, and so forth, there's no good reason to be missing protein when eating a vegan diet, unless you go about it improperly. Protein powders can also be incorporated into such meals, and there are plenty of vegetarian choices, such as pea protein, rice protein, hemp protein, etc.

My opinion is that as long as your son is making smart choices regarding juicing, then I'd not worry that he's developing some kind of neurosis or other mental issues. Neither would I worry about proper nutritional intake, if the juicer isn't filtering out stuff, and he makes good food choices. I recall a juicer promoted by Jack LaLanne which didn't filter out stuff, so I know they're available. Or, use a good strong blender, though I don't suppose that'd work quite the same on everything.

[JustNana]

Riceguy

I juice a couple of times a week just to clean the fridge and counter of fruits and veggies. We use the whole thing, peels, husks, tops, hulls, stems and seeds. (We pop in the entire cluster of grapes for instance) The amount of stuff left after juicing in a quality juicer is maybe a tablespoon. You can't put all that stuff in a blender and get juice. You might get some interesting mush I guess. Juicing is very healthy.