Green Juice for Better Digestion

Hello Palate regards juicing as a digestive supplement and recommends juicing for occasional reasons or specific health challenges. However, I do not consider juicing a path to optimal health or weight loss or even regard it as a staple.   Now and then, I enjoy a colorful enzymatic fresh juice with loads of greens, lemon, and ginger, but above all else, I never regard it as a meal replacement. 

When NOT to JUICE

• Suppose you are experiencing hyperglycemic conditions. Juicing can put you through a roller coaster of blood sugar imbalances. Juicing may contain up to 20 grams of sugar or more, about four teaspoons. In addition, juicing may spike your blood sugar since they lack healthy fat, fiber, or protein to slow down the absorption of those sugars in the bloodstream. Spikes in blood sugar inevitably lead to a crash, which leaves us sluggish, exhausted, and wanting to eat more to get our energy back.

• If you experience chronic constipation, juicing can constipate you. Fiber induces proper peristalsis, and thread moves food through your system, removing waste and toxins. Juicing separates fiber and discards it. 

• Suppose you have candida or any gut dysbiosis. Fiber is food for your gut. When juicing, you remove all the fiber.  Fermentation happens in the large intestine, and good bacteria that are helpful to us like to eat it. Bifidobacteria, for example, metabolize fiber into short-chain fatty acids, one in particular called butyrate, an energy source for colon cells; it helps prevent leaky gut, combats inflammation and cancer activity, and protects the brain.

When to JUICE

• If you're sick and feel run down, an ideal way to stay hydrated is to choose a vegetable juice with ginger and lemon.

• If you're traveling and don't have access to or time for greens, choose a green juice and pay attention to the amount of fruit added, it should be primarily greens.

• Take a shot of 2 to 4 oz of an enzymatic-rich juice prepared with anti-inflammatory ingredients as a digestive supplement. For example, Papaya contains papain to help digest protein-rich foods or pineapple for its bromelain to support your digestion. 

• As a replacement for non-alcoholic beverages, fresh juice with ingredients of herbs and fruits with carbonated water is a refreshing alternative to alcoholic drinks. If you feel obliged, adding vodka with the greens is better than having a store-bought mix.