Going on a weight-loss juice diet does not mean exclusively going on a liquid diet. Weight-loss juice diets can be a nutritious supplement to your diet program if you know the right kinds of metabolism-boosting ingredients to use.
Read on to learn more.
The Right Way to Go On a Weight-Loss Juice Diet
Juicing is a simple but great way to add a lot of nutrients to your weight-loss diet. It’s perfect for people who are always on the go and don’t have a lot of time to prepare a full meal and/or sit down for a full meal. Healthy juices also make for nutritious pre- and post-workout energy drinks.
If you use the right ingredients, your juices can speed up your weight loss by kicking your metabolism into a higher gear and adding to your satiety – when taken with a solid meal. At the same time, you can quickly load up on a variety of vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, and other healthy compounds by adding fresh vegetable and fruit juices to your daily diet.
You can opt to go on a juice fast for a few days, wherein you only consume juices and no solid foods. A juice fast will definitely help you lose weight, but as with most types of fasting, it should only be done intermittently and not for too long; otherwise, you will be depriving your body of a lot of essential nutrients. Juices are low in calories so you will also feel hungry quickly and more often if you do not eat solid meals.
Prolonged severe calorie deficits from a juice-only diet will drastically lower your energy levels and also wreak havoc on your metabolism. With very little to zero protein intake, your body will lose muscle mass. Muscles are metabolically active; this means that they burn calories even when at rest. With reduced muscle mass, you will also have a reduced energy expenditure and fewer calories burned when at rest. Eventually, your weight loss will come to a halt.
Lastly, prolonged severe calorie deficits will put your body into starvation mode. It will slow down your metabolism to conserve energy and, therefore, burn fewer calories.
Weight-loss juice diets should be done correctly to be effective. It’s best to eat solid meals every day and only use healthy juices to feel fuller nutritionally and satiably.
Weight-Loss Juice Ingredients
Here are some pointers when juicing:
- Choose ingredients that you don’t have to peel for juicing. The skin of fruits and vegetables contain fiber and are loaded with vitamins and minerals. You can maximize their nutritional value by juicing fruits and vegetables with the skin on
- You should remove the seeds, pits, and rough skin (such as the skin of an avocado or a pineapple).
- Do not add sugar. Fruits already contain fructose, a natural sugar. But if you must, use honey instead.
- Thoroughly wash your fruits and vegetables, especially because you’ll be juicing them with the skin on.
- You can use a humble blender to make your juices, but it will not produce a smooth juice, especially when you juice certain vegetables and the fruit/vegetable skin is included. If you want a smooth drink, you will have to strain the slush using a coffee filter or very fine strainer. Or you can invest in a more expensive juicer. Also know that not all juice machines can work on leafy greens.
- Use organic ingredients. Freshly made juices will also contain whatever chemicals were used to grow the fruits and vegetables.
- Drink your juice right away. The nutrients quickly degrade after juicing.
Below are some of the most nutritious and delightful ingredients you can use for your weight-loss juice diet.
Cucumber Juice
Cucumber is mostly water and fiber, so it makes for a very filling juice. Make it more refreshing with some lime juice and top with mint leaves.
Watermelon Juice
This is another refreshing ingredient that has high water content and very low calorie content. It also contains arginine, an amino acid that aids in fat burning. Watermelon juice is very refreshing and delicious on its own, but you can add some mint leaves to your drink to add a minty twist.
Orange Juice
Make your own freshly squeezed orange juice, instead of drinking the sugar-laden ones sold in supermarkets. As a negative calorie fruit, it has fewer calories than what you need to metabolize it, so you’ll end up burning more calories.
Pineapple Juice
Pineapple contains bromelain, an enzyme that aids in metabolizing protein and fats. It also helps suppress appetite. As with oranges, your body uses up more calories to digest pineapples than what it gets from this tropical fruit.
Pomegranate Juice
Pomegranates are great for the skin and also have an appetite-curbing effect. They’re rich in antioxidants, polyphenols, and linolenic acid. And they’re already very delicious on their own!
Carrot Juice
Carrots are best consumed fresh, so juicing them is a great way to get all their nutrients into your body. Eating carrots may also increase fat burning and, therefore, weight loss. To make it more enjoyable, add a small amount of grated ginger, half an orange, and an apple.
Indian Gooseberry Juice
Indian gooseberry or amla juice is another metabolism booster that you can easily make into a refreshing juice. Sweeten it with some honey to make it tastier, and you’ll also benefit from the antioxidants in honey.
Cabbage Juice
Cabbage offers many benefits for digestive health. Loaded with fiber, consuming cabbage will slow down digestion in your stomach so that you’ll feel full quicker and longer. Blend cabbage leaves with other sweet vegetables, such as beetroot and/or carrot, or with an apple or lime.
Bitter Gourd Juice
As bitter as it may taste, it actually helps increase the liver’s bile secretion in order to metabolize more fats. And bitter gourd is very low in calories. Add apple juice or lemon juice, honey, ginger, and black pepper to make it more palatable and lessen the bitter taste.
