Vegetable juice is a great cleanser and you can achieve quick weight loss through juice fasting. Vegetable juice provides an ideal way to obtain the benefits of large amounts of vegetables without having to eat (and chew) your way through them.

How do I make the juice?

It’s preferable if you have a juicer, or a powerful blender. If you’re using a blender, your juices will be thicker (”veggie shakes”) because all of the fiber is still present. This is a GOOD thing, but some people don’t like the texture.

If you decide to invest in a juicer, do a lot of research. I prefer the type that is a “macerating” juicer. They typically run about $200-225. It is an expensive appliance, but the health (and weight loss) benefits are great. You can also create fun frozen sorbets and ice creams using this type of juicer. But if you’re trying to lose weight, only use low-sugar fruits like strawberries and blueberries.

A juicer pulverizes and mashes the vegetable, then separates its fiber from its juices. So that is the one downside with juicing–you lose the benefits of the vegetable fibers.

But you gain the benefits of tremendous amounts of vitamins and minerals that are concentrated in the vegetable’s juice. And you can quickly achieve weight loss through juice fasting, but with the RIGHT vegetables, as I’ll discuss below.

How do I lose weight with juicing?

The best way to achieve weight loss through juice fasting is to use low-sugar vegetables, rather than fruits. Remember that with juicing, all of the fiber is removed, so any high sugar vegetable (such as carrots) will send your blood sugar and insulin levels through the roof. This will cause weight gain.

Juice with the following ORGANIC low-sugar, high-nutrient vegetables for optimum cleansing and weight loss:

o green or red chard
o dandelion greens (these are especially good for liver cleansing)
o cucumber (these have lots of water)
o celery
o spinach
o parsley
o sprouts
o romaine lettuce
o cilantro
o broccoli
o fennel
o tomatoes

Avoid the high-sugar root vegetables such as carrots and beets (although beets are well-known for their liver cleansing and healing abilities). If you can get beet greens, use those instead. Many supermarkets carry them.

You may notice that there is only one cruciferous vegetable on my list (broccoli). Although these types of vegetables are filled with cancer-fighting, liver-cleansing compounds, they have also may interfere with thyroid function. Since a sluggish thyroid (hypothyroidism) can affect many people who are trying to lose weight, I advise keeping your intake of these vegetables lower, especially for juicing.

Experiment with which combinations you like best. Here are some general guidelines for combos:

o tomato, celery, cucumber, romaine, dandelion
o broccoli, tomato, celery, parsley, cilantro

Why no fruit juices?

I don’t recommend consuming fruit juices because it is such a concentrated source of sugar, and can spike your blood sugar and insulin levels, leading to increased weight gain. Most people who are overweight need to control their blood sugar carefully. So stay away from fruits to achieve weight loss through juice fasting.

However, there are some low-sugar fruit exceptions: strawberries, cranberries, and blueberries. Although they DO contain fruit sugars, they are the lowest in sugar of all fruits (except lemons and limes, of course).

A delicious, refreshing morning blend is to juice a handful of fresh (not frozen) strawberries, blueberries, and cranberries. Then add the juice of half a lemon.

But be sure to note how you feel after drinking this juice. Does your heart race? Do you feel lightheaded? This could indicate that these fruit juices have caused a spike in your blood sugar. If this happens, don’t juice fruits, except for lemons and limes.

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