According to MayoClinic.com, drinking fruit and vegetable juices is no healthier than eating the fresh fruits and veggies, whole. However, if you rarely eat fresh produce but enjoy juices, using a juicer may help encourage you to include these healthy options in your daily diet. If you reduce your overall caloric intake so that it is less than your caloric expenditure, you will start losing weight.
Weight-Loss Basics
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If you're looking to lose weight by juicing, remember that the success of your weight-loss plan doesn't depend on the specific recipes you select, but on the calories you consume and expend. If you're already following a low-calorie diet, changing from whole produce to fruit and vegetable juices may have little net effect on your weight loss. However, if you replace your typical high-calorie snacks with low-calorie juices, you may well bring your total caloric intake down. Balance your diet with plenty of regular exercise, so that you're burning off more than you consume. MayoClinic.com generally recommends aiming for no more than 1 or 2 pounds of weight loss per week. One pound of fat is equivalent to about 3,500 calories.
Basic Blends
If you prefer familiar foods, start juicing with simple fruit-and-vegetable combinations like carrot-apple juice. A recipe from the Stanford University Cancer Institute recommends three to four carrots and one apple. Tart apple varieties, such as Granny Smith, balance the sweetness of the carrots. Opt for firm apples to produce a clearer juice. According to Stanford University, 10 oz. of the carrot-apple juice provides 4 grams of protein, 49 grams of carbs and 200 calories. Experiment with other two-fruit combinations as you test out your favorite pairings, or add flavor to a single-fruit juice with a small amount of fresh ginger root.
Nutrient-Packed Combos
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For a green smoothie that's bursting with calcium, iron and potassium, blend spinach leaves, cucumber and celery. The mild flavor of celery lets cucumber and spinach take the main stage. One 10-oz. drink has 139 calories, 35 grams of carbs and 1 gram of protein. For a more tropical flavor, blend a quarter of a pineapple with 1 cup of blueberries and a 1/4- to 1/2-inch piece of fresh ginger. You'll get antioxidants from the blueberries, and digestive relief from the ginger. According to Stanford University, a 12-oz. drink has 16 grams of carbs and 7 grams of protein.
Creative Juicing
Once you've mastered a repertoire of a few basics, mix and match fruits and vegetables according to your personal tastes. For maximum weight loss, use foods with a higher energy density, such as avocados, less frequently. However, in general, fruits and vegetables are low-calorie and low-fat alternatives to many meat, dairy or even carbohydrate options. For variation, serve juice over crushed ice, or make sweet-and-tart combinations, like pear and pink grapefruit.
