When done correctly, juicing can be beneficial to your health by providing fresh, raw nutrients in a condensed form. One drinkable serving can provide essential dietary elements. Sometimes, we find juicing practices that seem like a good idea, but actually prove to be counter-productive to your health. At Thomas Cuisine, we utilize input from leading dietitians and chefs to create juicing and smoothie recipes that taste great and are great for you.

Try It

Juicing can be a beneficial practice, here are some tips from our Director of Wellness & Nutrition to get the most out of your fruits and veggies:

• Have twice as many vegetables in your juice vs. fruits- 2 veggies + 1 fruit, or 4 veggies + 2 fruits etc.
• Juicing is an easy way to get dark green leafy vegetables in your diet. This includes spinach, kale and other greens
• All freshly made juices should be consumed quickly. Since fresh juices are not pasteurized, it may be dangerous to store or keep them. Juice and drink ASAP.
• Juicing should never serve as your only intake of calories. You need protein and fat in the diet and consuming primarily carbs in juices can have a negative impact on muscle mass and metabolic rate. You need solid foods with proteins and fats in addition to juice.
• The blending or pureeing of fruits and vegetables can sometimes increase the bio-availability of micro-nutrients…but not always. There is much to learn about micronutrient absorption and much that is unknown at this time.

Fruits and Juicing

If you use a lot of fruit in your juicing recipes, this can result in a big dose of sugar. It is unhealthy to consume large quantities of sugar, whether it comes from fruit or refined sources. One tried and true method to avoid access of any ingredient is to measure them. While this may seem daunting at first, easy tricks such as placing your measuring scoop alongside your juicing tools will remind you to use the scoop instead of throwing several handfuls of your desired accent flavor in the mix.

Juicing as Meal Replacement

If you use juicing as a meal replacement, keep in mind that most meals have protein, carbohydrates and fats. If you are consuming several singular servings of juice over the course of your day, it may be wise to consider adding a protein or fat source to your mix and blend it as a smoothie instead. Protein and fat sources can come from healthy sources such as: Avocado, Tempeh, Cottage Cheese, Plain Greek/Regular Yogurt, and nut butters, to name a few.