http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/juice-fasts-cleansed-sense-article-1.1862531
This article on juicing, caught my attention this morning as I was going through the morning news, and thought I would share a few comments about what I found to be “a healthy way of juicing”.
I’ve been a vegetarian for almost 30 years, and have been “juicing” for just about the same amount of time. I remember as an NBA professional basketball player, taking my “Juice Man juicer” with me on every road trip as I traveled from city to city on the NBA circuit. First thing I would do after checking into my hotel, was to find a nearby store, so that I could stock up on fruits and vegetables that I would be juicing throughout the two or three day stay that I would typically be there.
As with everything in life, “moderation is the key.” I know many people in which the vegetarian/vegan diet lifestyle just didn’t work for them, but in the majority of the cases, they weren’t paying attention to the fact that they still need to have a balanced diet and a sufficient amount of nutrients from the foods that they consume. Many times, it would turn out that they would be severely undernourished, because they weren’t getting enough calories, or a balanced ratio of protein/carbs/fats that is essential in any diet. Or, they may have had underlying food allergies that they weren’t aware of. Or, their diet consisted of “junk food”. All that, combined with the fact that you still need to exercise, get plenty of rest, reduce your stress is much as possible and have a positive attitude.
This article that I’m sharing with you today, tends to be a little biased in pointing out all the potential negative outcomes of juicing, but as mentioned before, in moderation, juicing can be a great thing.
I consume 2- 3 glasses of juices that I make up in my own kitchen every single day. I make sure for my personal consumption, that the juices are made up of perhaps 90% vegetable (kale, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, yams, carrots, etc.) and 10% fruit juice (perhaps an apple or two or a banana), along with a dash of flax oil and blend it all up in my juicer/blender/mixer, and then I have enough of a supply to last me for a couple of days.
Most vegetables are going to be naturally much lower on the glycemic index than fruit is, plus they will be chock full of vitamins and minerals without all that sugar. I tend to err towards the side of having my juices under sweetened, rather than over sweetened, as I can always add a teaspoon of honey or molasses to sweeten it up. Also, juices shouldn’t take the place of every meal throughout the day on a long-term basis, unless you are doing a structured scheduled detox, but for most everyday people, a glass of healthy juice replacing a meal or two during the day, will be more than enough to keep you healthy, cleanse your body, reduce your caloric intake, and even, with the addition of a little exercise, such as working in the garden, or walking the neighborhood, you’ll see that you can easily lose a few pounds.
Oh, and one last thing, with this being the summer season, “smoothies” are all the rage, and people tend to get on a bandwagon of making their own smoothies to keep cool, and also with the perception that smoothies are healthy for them. Be careful what you put into your smoothies, and make sure that they are not loaded with sugar or too much fruit (not to mention, it’s definitely not healthy if you add a scoop of ice cream or two… Common sense should tell you that that!), in essence, your smoothies should be perhaps a thickened, chilled version of your vegetable/fruit juice (remember, 90% vegetables/10% fruits) as mentioned above.
Happy juicing!!!
James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
www.StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
JamesD@StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
1-800-745-3161 (voicemail & fax)
James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” and “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” and founder of the Your Gift of Life Foundation which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our school aged children and men.
If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at jamesd@yourgiftoflife.org and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.yourgiftoflife.org
