What is Intermittent Fasting | Juicing basics | Intermittent Fasting & juicing
Intermittent Fasting Juice Recipes have become quite popular in the health and fitness world over the last decade or so. Celebrities and wellness figures alike have all shared their special juice recipes which led them to weight loss success. You may even remember Joe Cross in his weight loss documentary where he shares his success with juicing as he travels across America.
From beet, celery, apple, and cucumber, there are endless combinations of fruits and vegetables to use while juicing. We know how important fruits and vegetables are to include in our diet and juicing can be a convenient way to get those essential nutrients in your diet. Keep reading as we will discuss the ins and outs of juicing including the potential benefits and risks.
So you may be thinking, how does this fit in with Intermittent Fasting? Can the two be combined? You’ve likely seen or heard someone talk about the benefits of Intermittent Fasting as a health and weight loss tool. Since Intermittent Fasting is more of a schedule for when you eat, what you eat during your eating window is up to you. Juicing can fit into an Intermittent Fasting schedule when done properly. It can even enhance some of the benefits of Intermittent Fasting.
Below, we will explore Intermittent Fasting and its benefits as well as what juicing is, what are the benefits of juicing, and how this works with Intermittent Fasting. We’ll also give our favorite tasty juicing recipes that you can try at home.
What is Intermittent Fasting?
While fasting has been practiced for centuries, Intermittent Fasting has risen as a popular health trend in recent years. Intermittent Fasting means exactly what the name implies- there are periods of fasting and periods of eating.
This can be by the day, where you fast on certain days and eat normally the rest of the week. Or, the more popular version is to fast during certain hours of the day and eat during a smaller window of time during the day.
Some of the benefits of Intermittent Fasting include weight loss, improvement in hormone function, and heart health. Since you are eating during a limited number of hours each day while Intermittent Fasting, it will likely result in an overall reduction of calories, leading to weight loss. Intermittent Fasting has also been shown to improve appetite control, meaning you will not feel as hungry and be tempted to overeat.
Many have used Intermittent Fasting as a way to lose weight and improve overall health. But, does it actually work? To answer that question, we will turn to what research has to say. Intermittent Fasting works based on the idea that by fasting you are either limiting the amount of calories consumed or reducing the amount of meals or snacks that you eat in a day. One review study looked at multiple studies and found Intermittent Fasting to be an effective weight loss strategy.
Another reason Intermittent Fasting works is by utilizing our metabolism to run more smoothly. Studies show that when we fast for 12 hours or more, our body switches from using glucose into using up stored fat, known as glycogen.
There is no prescribed diet to Intermittent Fasting, meaning there are no specific restrictions as to what you can eat. It is encouraged, however, to consume a healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables, lean protein, healthy fats, and whole grains. If you are interested in learning more about specific foods to eat while Intermittent Fasting, check out this Intermittent Fasting Food List.
Still have questions about Intermittent Fasting? Check out this complete guide to Intermittent Fasting.
Juicing basics
Juicing is the practice of extracting the juice (with most of the vitamins and nutrients) from fruits and vegetables. This removes all of the fiber from fruits and vegetables. It can be done at home using a juicer or through store bought juices. You’ve probably seen a juice bar pop up at some point. Juices are also offered at some coffee and smoothie shops as well.
Juicing essentially gives a more concentrated form of some of the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients from fruits and vegetables. Some have used juicing as a way to cleanse their body, lose weight, or as a way to add more fruits and vegetables to their diet.
Here are a few benefits from juicing:
Gives your gut a rest.
It takes a lot of work to digest certain foods, especially those with fiber. By eliminating the fibers from fruit and vegetables through juicing, you can give your gut a rest and allow healing to occur.
Adds more fruits and vegetables to your diet.
It’s no surprise that many of us do not get our recommended 4-5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. One way to do that is through juicing. One juice can meet at least 2-3 servings of vegetables and fruits for the day, depending on what is in your juice. It can also be a convenient option for those who don’t like eating whole fruits and vegetables.
May improve gut microbiome.
You have likely heard how our gut bacteria plays a vital role in our health. The variety of bacteria and other microbes in our gut changes based on several factors, one of which is what we eat. One study found that participants who tried 3 days of juicing saw sustained weight loss and improvement in the variety of the gut microbiome.
Weight loss.
While juice still contains calories, it is often less calories than if you were to eat whole fruits and vegetables. Some have found success losing weight by replacing meals or snacks with juicing.
Proponents of juicing often list detox as a benefit to juicing. However, there is very little significant scientific research that supports the idea that juices can detox your body. Your liver and kidneys are vital organs and a big part of their function is to detox your body.
These organs are much better equipped and effective at doing this job than going on a weeks long juice cleanse would do. A better way to “detox” would be to support your kidneys and liver to do their jobs by eating minimally processed foods, drinking plenty of water, and consuming a largely plant based diet. A total juice cleanse is not necessary if you are juicing simply for a detox effect.
There are a few potential drawbacks to juicing. Since juicing removes all fiber from the fruits and vegetables, it could cause problems long term. Fiber is essential to keep our digestive system moving and cannot be excluded from our diet long term. If you are replacing all meals with juice, you may experience irritability and fatigue from the lack of calories
Most of us need around 1600-2200 calories each day and it would be very difficult to achieve that through juicing. Additionally, you would not be getting any protein on a diet consisting only of juice. Protein is an essential nutrient in our bodies to build muscles and helps to repair cells.
Some choose to add protein powder to their juices in order to consume this much needed nutrient. Finally, purchasing enough raw fruits and vegetables to make your own juice at home, or buying store bought juices can get expensive very quickly.
How does Intermittent Fasting work with juicing?
As long as you are consuming the juice within your eating window, juicing can be done very easily while Intermittent Fasting. Drinking juice during your fasting period would break your fast, so you would want to avoid this.
Drinking fruit and vegetable juice while Intermittent Fasting provides all of the benefits that both juicing and Intermittent Fasting provides. The weight loss benefit of both may be enhanced by combining the two. There are some things to consider before trying juicing and Intermittent Fasting together.
It takes a bit of planning to make Intermittent Fasting work for your schedule and lifestyle. For instance, you may want to have your eating window during the hours in which you are most active. Juicing requires special home equipment and large amounts of raw fruits and vegetables if you are juicing at home. If you aren’t making juice at home, then you will need to plan ahead and buy the juices from an outside source.
You will also need to determine how juicing will fit into your eating window. If you are juicing as a supplement to meals or snacks, then you may need to be aware of the extra calories you could potentially consume and adjust accordingly. If you are replacing all of your meals and snacks with juicing, then you will want to be sure you are consuming enough calories.
This should only be done on a short term basis, as this would not be sustainable in the long term. If you want to give juicing and Intermittent Fasting a try, it’s best to start slow and maybe try adding juice as a snack and not as a meal replacement.
If you are going to give juicing a try at home, you will need a juicer to get started. Juices can be made in a blender, but the juice will be thicker and contain all of the fibers from the fruits and vegetables. However, juicing can be a fun and easy way to get more fruits and vegetables into your regular diet. We have rounded up 5 tasty juice recipes to get you started:
Beet Carrot Juice
- 1 large beet, peeled
- 1 medium apple
- 2 carrots, peeled
- 1 orange, peeled
- 1-inch piece fresh ginger
Raspberry Cabbage Juice
- 1 apple
- ¼ cabbage
- 1 cucumber
- 1 ½ cups raspberries
Green Juice
- 3 stalks celery
- 5 kale leaves
- 1 cucumber
- 1 pear
- 1 apple
Pineapple Spinach Juice
- ¼ whole pineapple, peeled
- 1 mango
- 2 cups spinach
- 1 cucumber
Broccoli Lime Juice
- 1 broccoli stalk
- 1 small lime
- 2 medium carrots, peeled
- 1 apple
Note: With each recipe, it is best to peel most of the fruits and vegetables and cut them down into manageable pieces. This will make the juicing process smoother.
Let’s Wrap it up:
I love Juices! I feel so good after drinking them, they are super refreshing, and can give you a nice boost of energy. Also they are easy to digest, and it only takes a handful of ingredients, which you can customize to your personal taste.
Juicing and Intermittent Fasting can work as a great combination. Juicing helps you eat more servings of fruits and vegetables per day, including vegetables that you may not otherwise eat. Intermittent Fasting provides the structure of when to eat, so including juices during your eating window can be beneficial. It’s best not to replace all of your meals with juice, as this can lead to certain deficiencies from the lack of protein and other important nutrients.
I hope you enjoyed these intermittent fasting juice recipes! As with any new diet plan, it’s always best to consult with your doctor or dietitian before starting to ensure the best results.
Like Smoothies more? Also Check out – The Absolute Best Intermittent Fasting Smoothies.
Also need help fasting? Check out the Best Intermittent Fasting Mobile Apps we recommend to help you on your journey.
Need Help choosing food and meals while intermittent fasting, try one of our Intermittent Fasting Meal Plans, you can choose based on your diet.
