Update on my juicing test project

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partlycloudy

partlycloudy

Joined
Dec 10, 2010
Messages
528
I began juicing about two weeks ago since I can only eat veggies rarely due to the fiber bothering me. I'm extremely pleased with the results and plan to keep this up.

Below are my results if anyone is interested:

1. I have absolutely no issues with fresh-juiced veggies/fruit. It goes down...and comes out, hehe....without issue. No gas even.

2. I started out with a cup of full strength carrot, celery, apple juice. Added cabbage later and am now up to about two cups. I drink it in one sitting. Again, no problems including gas.

Last night I juiced four apples for a big glass of fresh apple juice and it went through my system with no problems or gas. It was delish too!

3. I noticed the very first day I had more energy. I'm still no great big ball of fire but am definitely feeling better in terms of having a bit more energy reserves throughout the day.

4. Am sleeping better. That's unexpected.

I'm going to add ginger to my mix to see how its anti-inflammatory properties affect me.
 
That's great! You've almost inspired me to start juicing... I guess that means I have to go to the grocery store, huh? ;)

Keep feeling good!

- Amy
 
I like the way you are doing this so much better than our last Juicer:)!! Keep posting!!
 
Interesting and glad it's making you feel better. I'm wondering if blending to make soups will work on the same principle? There's quite a few veggies I miss that I don't think I could face as a cold drink!
 
Dexky, lol. :) Thanks.

Grumbletum, you mean like onions? LOL. Seriously, that's kind of what got me thinking of juicing as I too miss veggies terribly and was thinking of blending (in a blender rather than juicer) some for soup/stew bases. I haven't tried it yet except for some sauted carrots and onions. The onions blended wonderfully. The carrots needed to be cooked/softened more.

I'd say juicing those same veggies would give you a really nice broth base. Juicing does make the flavor more intense so I suppose it'd have to be diluted plus you've got all the leftover pulp to dispose of. Blending would probably be better.
 
Obviously I can't speak for others, but I don't tolerate blended vegetables all that well- no pain but diarrhoea the next day. And that's with using a slow cooker left on all day, then blending to make a soup. Sometimes it is worth it though!
 
I began juicing a few years ago.

As you may know, C & UC sufferers have trouble absorbing nutrients from food and supplements, and so it is very easy to become deficient. Prior to beginning a juicing program, I was seriously deficient in many vitamins and was seriously ill with UC.

I also have a real problem with fibre and have to avoid eating too much. So juicing is the perfect answer. I get a wide range of nutrients entering my bloodstream and getting to work within 20 minutes of drinking the juiced vegetables, but without the irritating fibre to contend with.

Like you:

I am drinking about 2 – 3 cups a day. I have absolutely no issues with fresh-juiced veggies/fruit. It goes down...and comes out without issue. No gas.

I stick to full strength carrot juice with a hint of ginger. Or spinach, cucumber, celery, lemon & apple juice. I have to go easy with cabbage juice but I am managing to drink more and more each time. Plain cabbage juice is renowned for its healing properties for C & UC. But less is more in the beginning.

If I am having a flare, plain carrot juice settles my bowels immediately. It is the best thing I have ever discovered, and it has literally changed my life for the better. Instead of sitting on the toilet for hours each morning, I just have a glass of carrot juice and am able to get on with the rest of my morning without the worry of a flare.

Prior to discovering it, it took me literally hours to leave the house, plus I would always be worried about losing control on the trip to work. Now I just flare first thing upon rising in the morning, I then make and immediately drink the juice and I am fine for hours. Previously I was late for work 4 out of 5 mornings, now I am on time every single day. It has made the relationship with my boss a lot easier.

I discovered the carrot juice connection quite by accident one morning, and then a few months later I was reading an old fashioned health book where they said traditionally carrot juice was used to settle an upset tummy and stop diarrhea.

I use to be so tired and lethargic. Probably because I was not sleeping due to flares, I was not absorbing nutrients from solid food and I was making so many other toilet trips a day. Like you, the juice gives me more energy and helps me to sleep better.

It has been so successful for me that I am planning to upgrade to a Green Star juicer next week because this juicer is renowned for extracting the most nutrients from the vegetables. I currently have an excellent non-centrifugal / cold press juicer but want to take my juicing up another notch.

Prior to starting a juicing program, I was literally at deaths door, I was really chronically in a very bad state. So this juicing really has been a lifesaver for me.

Good to see it working for you too.
 
That's really wonderful to hear, Miss Spencer, and inspiring too. I've also made note of the carrot juice info for D help.
 
This thread caught my attention because I thought you meant Juicing as in taking steroids :) . Sounded like a strange experiment!
 
I juice as well! Same results. Smoothies are great too. To whomever asked the soup question - I make all sorts of soups with my mixer! This is a great soother and a very healthy proactive diet in the life of a crohnie. :) Glad it has worked for many, I will definitely continue. I replace two meals a day with blended soups, smoothies, and juices. Then I treat myself to a vegan organic meal. Works great. :)
 
Shannon said:
I juice as well! Same results. Smoothies are great too. To whomever asked the soup question - I make all sorts of soups with my mixer! This is a great soother and a very healthy proactive diet in the life of a crohnie. I replace two meals a day with blended soups, smoothies, and juices. Then I treat myself to a vegan organic meal.
Click to expand...

This sounds very interesting.

It is basically what I am doing too in regards to juices and smoothies.

I would love some ideas for blended vegan soups.

I have been trying to give up meat and dairy for a few years now, as both give me horrible pain and blood.

And this year I have finally decided to go 100% vegan.

I have only been following the vegan diet for a short while but already I am seeing very promising results. The pain has stopped. The blood has stopped. I have more energy. And I have stopped doing dramatic rushes to the loo.

Are you following a particular vegan idea for C & UC? - In fact, don't worry about answering, I will post this question on your thread/blog.

Dr Joel Fuhrman says that “recovery is possible through aggressive dietary modifications” and his ideas are really helping me so far.

My only issue is not falling off the vegan wagon and back into bad food habits. That will be my challenge this year.

I have eaten organic vegan food made at home off and on for a few years now. But yesterday I went to my first proper vegan restaurant and the food was sensational. It was absolutely gorgeous. With food that good, I hope I won’t have problems staying vegan full time.
 
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Ah! Are you a long lost sister? Haha, I made plans just last night to go to a proper vegan restaurant "Quiet Storm". I read the menu and fell in love! Didn't know that the vegan diet could be so creative and inspiring. And then that steak commercial comes on, or something about cheese, right? Stay strong! I have my days...
 
Shannon said:
I juice as well! Same results. Smoothies are great too. To whomever asked the soup question - I make all sorts of soups with my mixer! This is a great soother and a very healthy proactive diet in the life of a crohnie. :) Glad it has worked for many, I will definitely continue. I replace two meals a day with blended soups, smoothies, and juices. Then I treat myself to a vegan organic meal. Works great. :)
Click to expand...

Smoothies are good, but be careful. What juicing does, is separates the fibre in the food from the stuff inside it that your body tries to extract as is flows through your system - the juice.

To remove the juice from the fibre, you need both proper mastication and saliva (and everything in it) to get mixed with your food in your mouth so the rest of your digestive system can do its thing.

When you blend and then down a smoothie, you are putting still not totally masticated fibre through your body, and inside those fibre cells are the juice your body needs to extract. However you have't broken all the cells open by chewing it, and you haven't added saliva into the mix in the same concentration, that your body will require to digest and remove the nutrients from within those cells as the food passes through your body.

You are better off eating and chewing thoroughly than blending in terms of nutrient uptake, especially if your in a diseased state.

You are far better off juicing than blending, especially if you are in a diseased state.

Juicing, when done properly, effectively removes the fibre from the nutrients the way your digestive system would, and then provides it for immediate absorption and usage by your body when you drink it.
 
Thanks for the advice endibd! Fortunately smoothies have been soothing my stomach - no bad reactions yet. :) My vitamix blender cost so much that when I'm done recovering from that expense, I'm getting a juicer. I prefer fresh juice to smoothies most times. Another fortunate thing, the vitamix is pretty heavy duty, blending thoroughly. Good thing!
 
I'm jumping on the juice train as well! I'm a little bewildered as to how many veggies yield how much juice, though. I guess I'll figure it out soon enough once I get going.

But can anyone give me some ideas for starter recipes, and how much I should actually use of each ingredient? I'm making a run to the grocery store tomorrow, so I just want to make sure I get enough (or make sure I don't buy TOO much!).
 
CrabbyRelish said:
Wouldn't that just keep the fiber in it making it hard to digest all over again?
Click to expand...

No, because the fibres would have been totally broken down during the blending.

Yes a blend still has fibre in it, but hardcore digestion is not required because it is already in a mush form before it enters your mouth.

During a flare I can still consume blended foods.

These blended foods are used for babies, elderly people and ill people, as they take the pressure off your digestion.

But obviously you need to choose your blend wisely. Pineapple and kale may flare you up in the early stages. Instead you could try heavily steaming carrots, squash or zucchini, then blending that with some avocado. Then eating it.

Juice with the fibre totally removed is still the best bet though.

You have to find what works for you.
 
jecoll said:
But can anyone give me some ideas for starter recipes, and how much I should actually use of each ingredient? I'm making a run to the grocery store tomorrow, so I just want to make sure I get enough (or make sure I don't buy TOO much!).
Click to expand...

Sorry for the delay in replying to your private message Jecoll.

I have been attending a personal development course and been a bit preoccupied

Go onto google and search under the following key words:

Juicing
Juicing for Health
Juice Therapy
Doctor Yourself Juicing
Heal Yourself Juicing
Heal Yourself
Inflammatory Bowel Disease Juicing
Juice Fasting
Vegetable Juice for Health
And other similar word combinations

You can also try the following books for a good first introduction:

Raw Juices Can Save Your Life! An A-Z Guide to Juicing by Sandra Cabot

Fresh Vegetable And Fruit Juices - What's Missing In Your Body by Dr Norman W Walker

I buy enough vegetables to last 2 - 3 days only, and then refresh with a top up.

How much you buy depends on the type of juicer you have. A centrifugal juicer will yield a lot less liquid than a non-centrifugal juicer.

And also how many people you are juicing for, how often you will be drinking the juice, how much you plan to drink and various other variables. Also what you plan to juice. Something with high water content like celery or cucumber will produce a lot of juice, pumpkin yields next to nothing even with a good juicer. Spinach yields little but you only need a little because it is so highly concentrated.

How much to buy is something you will have to discover for yourself over time and with experimenting.

Get some recipes from the above books or weblinks, and you will soon get a feel for it.

Have fun!
 
CrabbyRelish said:
Wouldn't that just keep the fiber in it making it hard to digest all over again?

Glad its working for you. It still gives me diarrhea. :p
Click to expand...

I reread what I typed and have no idea what I meant, lol. Maybe I was referring to making soup thicker if the poster I was responding to could tolerate blended vs. juiced. ?? :confused:
 
I was inspired by all this juicing talk and busted out the old juicer today. Gag. Now I remember why I stopped juicing!

But, I will stick with it because I need to get me vegetables somehow!

-Ames
 
LOL, I love the taste. Well, I've never had wheatgrass.

I've had to stop due to a niggling cramping. I've yet to try straining my juice though so hopefully that will solve the problem. A friend who juices said she strains hers due to there being a bit of fiber.
 
Interesting! I have been without an unpulverized fruit or vegetable since November... I'm wondering if juicing will be a good thing.

Would you recommend your juicer? What kind of juicer is it? Is there a thread somewhere on here that talks about juicers?

Thanks in advance!
 
I have a Hamilton Beach, which I like. I bought it years ago though so can't remember what I paid for it. In another thread or maybe this one (not sure) the Jack Lalanne $99 juicer was recommended as a decent starter juicer. You can pay as much as several hundred dollars (around $300-400) for the high-end types.

If it turns out I can juice I plan on getting one of these as they're supposed to be far superior in terms of flavor and preserving all the nutrients in the juice.
 
Thanks Cloudywo(man)... I saw the Jack Lalanne and also the Hamilton Beach.. maybe I'll try and inexpensive one like the Jack Lalanne and see how juicing goes for me... then if it's a home run... I'll try something more advanced...
 
Slightly, that sounds like a good plan. Not sure if you read this whole thread but juicing is bothering me so I'm glad I didn't spend hundreds on a juicer. I THINK I'm in a flare so hopefully will get back to juicing successfully and will get a nice one then. :)
 
Hi Partly
Can I join your Juicy Club?
I bought a new juicer 3 days ago, it's a Phillips. It's early days yet, but I've been drinking celery, cucumber and carrot. No effects, no pain, no nothing.
I'm hoping I'm getting something in terms of nutrients tho, I cannot eat veg, gives me chronic D, goes straight thro me.
So. I'll keep it up, hopefully!
good luck!
 
Alrighty, you've all inspired me to juice/smoothie it for at least a couple of weeks. I feel like my gut just plain needs a break. If my knee was hurt and inflamed, I'd go easy on it. My gut is inflamed, so it makes sense to me to not require it to work too hard.

How are you all getting enough protein though?
 
Miss Spencer said:
Sorry for the delay in replying to your private message Jecoll.

I have been attending a personal development course and been a bit preoccupied

Go onto google and search under the following key words:

Juicing
Juicing for Health
Juice Therapy
Doctor Yourself Juicing
Heal Yourself Juicing
Heal Yourself
Inflammatory Bowel Disease Juicing
Juice Fasting
Vegetable Juice for Health
And other similar word combinations

You can also try the following books for a good first introduction:

Raw Juices Can Save Your Life! An A-Z Guide to Juicing by Sandra Cabot

Fresh Vegetable And Fruit Juices - What's Missing In Your Body by Dr Norman W Walker

I buy enough vegetables to last 2 - 3 days only, and then refresh with a top up.

How much you buy depends on the type of juicer you have. A centrifugal juicer will yield a lot less liquid than a non-centrifugal juicer.

And also how many people you are juicing for, how often you will be drinking the juice, how much you plan to drink and various other variables. Also what you plan to juice. Something with high water content like celery or cucumber will produce a lot of juice, pumpkin yields next to nothing even with a good juicer. Spinach yields little but you only need a little because it is so highly concentrated.

How much to buy is something you will have to discover for yourself over time and with experimenting.

Get some recipes from the above books or weblinks, and you will soon get a feel for it.

Have fun!
Click to expand...



thanks for posting all this useful info, does these books have recipes for juices
 
Astra, welcome aboard. :D

David, I was just using juice as a supplement with regular food. I can't imagine a short fast would be an issue regarding protein as people have fasted for centuries on water and/or juice. I'm sure others know more about it than I do though. :)

For those about to juice, we salute you! :D
 
I'm on day four of my all juice fast (I started a couple days before my initial post). I am surprisingly NOT thinking about food all the time and my hunger pains are infrequent and minimal. In the past during other forms of fasts, well, let's just say it isn't pretty. I consider myself to be addicted to food so that I'm doing this well is surprising. My energy levels are pretty high still as well. Unfortunately no lessening of my gut pain at this point, but I'm sure I have to be patient with that :)

Thanks again for the inspiration :)
 
Wow, it is amazing that so many have moved to juicing regularly and the results are undeniable. The forum has done it's job when people are sharing success. :)
 
David said:
How are you all getting enough protein though?
Click to expand...

You could always add a protein supplement if you are that worried.

I read this but don't know how true it is:

"during water or juice fasting, the protein levels of the blood remain constant".

Most people eat far too much animal protein anyway. You will hardly waste away if you don't have it every day. So don't panic.

Have a look at the juicefasting.org website for more info.

Best to read some books on the subject before attempting. As there are many elements to consider, detox symptoms and even some emotional issues to prepare for.

So read up on the subject first.
 
Congratulations on your success, David. I hope your gut pain begins to wane soon. Have you read my thread on straining juice? Unstrained pulp was bothering me, but for me fiber if a sure way to cause pain. It may not be an issue for you.

I was lamenting my inability to eat correctly to lose weight on another thread, but I'm now thinking maybe juice fasting a day or two a week would be a way to do that. I'm inspired. :)
 
I did indeed see the straining idea and started today, thank you for that!

This evening some emotion finally started to rise up. I was reading a gardening book and started crying.

*shrug*

Next couple of days should be interesting. Hahah.
 
In other news, I began reading the "Juicing Bible" which my fiance just happened to have (she's also the source of my wonderful juicing machine). It is a FANTASTIC book. I think I may have been juicing wrong because I was just buying every organic fruit and veggie I could, but people with IBD (according to it) should avoid specific things such as citrus.

Today I made a beet, cabbage, onion, strawberrry, spinach, blueberry concoction. Sounds disgusting, but I loved it. With the onion, it reminded me a lot of a bloody mary which I thoroughly enjoy. I'm sure my girl won't want to be anywhere near me when she gets home though :D
 
Well, that should cure ya or kill ya, lol. Seriously, years ago I juiced a diy V-8 combo that included onions and was surprised that I didn't detest them as an addition.

I ordered a juicing book last night and am looking forward reading it. It's not one of the ones recommended, but I had a credit on paperbackwap dot com I wanted to use up ('Juicing for Life' by Cherie Calbom, Maureen Keanez).


David said:
Today I made a beet, cabbage, onion, strawberrry, spinach, blueberry concoction. Sounds disgusting, but I loved it. With the onion, it reminded me a lot of a bloody mary which I thoroughly enjoy. I'm sure my girl won't want to be anywhere near me when she gets home though :D
Click to expand...
 
Another juice fan here! I usually have apple/orange/carrot and apple/celery/beetroot/greens juices. Seems to work for me as long as I remember not to drink a massive glass-full all in one go.
 
Muso, what happens if you drink it all at once? I don't chug-a-lug mine but do drink it within a couple of minutes.
 
I'm loving this juicing thing. It's funny how there are a bunch of us that have all started around the same time!

My morning usually consists of:
Carrots, Celery, Cucumber, Spinach, Parsley, and a little chunk of ginger

Afternoon is when I get my fruit:
Carrots, an Apple, Pineapple or Orange (or both!), and some Berries if I have them kicking around

My pre- or post- dinner drink has been:
Carrots, Celery, Cucumber, Kale, and a Beet

I just bought some wheat grass that I throw into my morning or evening drink when I'm feeling bold haha.

Because I have some scar tissue in my small bowel, I've always had to stay away from fruits and veggies for fear of stuff getting caught in those problem areas. But now ..not a problem at all. I really owe you guys many thanks for getting me started on this!
 
So, Jecoll, you aren't having to strain it at all?

Despite straining I'm still having problems with it and am so frustrated.

Congratulations that it's working so well for you. :)
 
No straining. I think I mentioned in this thread or another that I'm using a masticating juicer (Omega 8005), so it does a pretty good job of getting all the large stuff out. There is definitely a lot of sediment left in the juice, but it's not nearly large enough to bother me.
 
I have the Omega juicer also and it's amazing. You can put a rock through that thing and get juice from it!
 
You may be onto something, lol.

Once I see my doc and get my symptoms/meds straightened out I'm back to trying juicing again and would like to do a one-day juice fast weekly in addition to daily juicing.

David, are you around? How's your fast going?
 

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