I'm a total weenie too, so please report back and let us know how your combination tastes! I'm more of a fruit-smoothie gal... But can't even bring myself to throw kale or spinach into a fruit smoothie for fear of "ruining" a perfectly good smoothie ;)

The best way to improve your metabolism is to add more muscle.

My 2 cents, FWIW:

Juices are yummy & great treat, but keep in mind we lose out on all the healthy fiber that keeps us full & minimizes cravings. Eating lots of whole fresh fruits & veggies w/ meals keeps our stomachs full longer so we're less likely to overeat - & so does the extra chewing....

romaine, kale, apple, ginger, lemon = green lemonade. yum.

my main peeve is the size of juicers -- I no longer have room for it in my kitchen, and so it sits in the closet collecting dust. Wish I could find a more compact, less complicated juicer.

I was on a sort of juice fast for awhile. Basically juice throughout the day and a healthy dinner. I felt great at the time but in the long run I think it totally messed up my metabolism and it really is a poor substitute for just eating regular meals. 15 veggies a day is just unnecessary and not sustainable. It's expensive and the juicing process is messy and time consuming. I have two really awesome juicers that sit unused in my cabinet.

These are the only magic pills: Eat regularly, get plenty of sleep, stay active and laugh as much as possible.

Well, I have an unexpected bbq to attend today so my juice experiment is on hold as I plan to take all my lovely persian cucumbers and other mix of veggie scraps and make a coucous salad.

Violet, the green lemonade sound great.
Carol - my understanding was that the juicer retains all (or much of) the fiber, no? I guess it might depend on the juicer and how it works. I DO eat a lot of veggies but in order to get variety, it's often a race to eat before they turn bad. I am thinking the juices will help me to consume not only more of them but a greater variety.
Terriks - understood and I agree-- however, even when I was an athlete and in much better shape with much more muscle, my metabolism was sluggish. I think adding a meal of juice cannot hurt!

We'll see how it goes. I am curious and eager to try some juices but as I said, I don't intend to get too serious about it. I am not planning to move to a juicing lifestyle. Nor do I intend to replace my normal veggie meals with juice. I am really just looking for guidance on making tasty and nutrient-rich combinations.

Excellent points, Magdalena! I do want to clarify that my friend did her juice diet for just one week-- still much more extreme than I would do but it wasn't a lifestyle change. I thought of it much like the kickstart weeks of the old South Beach diet. For me, I will be adding a juice where i do not regularly eat a meal. I will continue with an evening meal much as I do now.

You did touch on something I've wondered about-- and that's how messy/time consuming it is. That will be every bit as much of a deal breaker as taste and smell. No worries if it doesn't work out-- the juicer was given to me and so all I'd be out is the cost of veggies/fruits which I already buy!

In the end the mess/time issue was the deal breaker for me.

As far as flavors go, I used ginger, lemon, cinnamon, turmeric, cayenne and cumin. Depending on whatever produce I was using. Cucumbers and celery are great base flavors and they contain a lot of water so it fills out the juice a little more. Kale and parsley made me retch.

My daughter is a juicing lover and has found most of her recipe mixes on pinterest, you may want to see what combos you can find there.

I bought a juicer thru groupon a few years ago. I only used it maybe 5 times, then it went to the garage (for storage.) The clean-up is a hassle, and you lose out on the fiber.

Now I just bought a Vitamix - on sale at Costco for an early Mother's Day present to myself. I'll start using it today, as we have lots of leftover fruits from our party last night. I've been wanting to add more fruits and veggies in my diet, so I think this is gonna be good.

I have some recipes pinned.

juice recipes

there are also some good recipes on the fat sick and nearly dead site that are free.

I think Kale is pretty harsh to start out with. I would do: 2 cucumbers, 2-3 stalks celery, a romaine heart, an apple and two lemons. That is really yummy to me. as you go I sub out the romaine in that for kale, bok choy, spinach, cabbage. Always using the rest the same as the base (I use 1 lemon if I am juicing more regularly) . (makes 32 ounces for me)

the peach pie juice on the fat sick and nearly dead site is AMAZING. but for like a dessert. Not really super healthy.

I also like carrots with an orange and a grapefruit (again I fill with carrots to 32 ounces) the green juices are better but once in awhile I like the carrot.

oh and I think juices are not so good warm. I would put in the fridge for a bit or add ice.

ooh, I forgot: carrot + apple + orange + lemon + ginger = the best thing you ever tasted. I call it Bunny Juice.

Thanks so much, Boop and Violet!! I have found lots of recipes online and my friend had some crazy ones but I am looking for the tried and true "this isn't icky" kinds of recommendations. While I like beets and sweet potatoes, I don't think i am ready to drink them!

These are great combos! Thank you! I really don't buy or use kale all that much but romaine, bok choy, spinach-- theyre all regulars here. Never heard of fat, sick and nearly dead LOL but I'll check them out.

No worries on cold juices-- I DO NOT drink without ice lol. It's silly but true.

Thanks again-- I will report back!

Fat sick and nearly dead is a great movie if you have Netflix. Also superjuice me which is free on line periodically. Same with the movies about the Gerson therapy.

oh one more I like if you are not in the mood for green juices but want primarily veggies....

Gazpacho Juice

4 plum tomatoes (I usually use half carrots half tomato)

1 large cucumber
2 celery stalks
1 red bell pepper
1 small red onion
2 cups parsley (leaves and stems, roughly chopped) ( i use a bunch of parsley and just put it through the juicer.
1 lime

ALso drinking through a straw is a must for me for smoothies or juices.

I've written my favorite 'juice' recipe before, but will again. It's not soup, like many of the ones above with lots of onion, garlic, etc, but something refreshing and gets some greens in me several days a week that I might not otherwise get. I bought a NutriBullet 900 over a year ago before investing in something more substantial. It's still going strong. I use half greens and half fruit and fill to the max line with liquids (coconut water and ice water) and add 2-3 ice cubes. For the greens I use baby spinach and kale stripped off the stem. For the fruit I use pineapple chunks and either frozen peaches or frozen mixed fruit. Sometimes I vary it up and put apple chunks in and I sometimes have to reduce the greens a little bit to cram all the fruit in there. I also add a squirt of honey and a tbsp of Barleans flax/chia/coconut mix. After all the greens and fruit are in there I add the liquid and whirl away. I use this as my breakfast 4-5 days a week, usually with a small piece of whole wheat toast. I have to shake it now and then as it separates out from the liquids so if you make this be sure to have a lid you can close.

This thread is a year old . . . have you abandoned the juicer yet? :-) Or (I hope) are you still juicing?

I started juicing in the 1970s with an Acme Juicerator. At some point I stopped, and then started again about five years ago. The Juicerator still worked perfectly. I discovered that juicing vegetables in the morning gave me noticeably more energy in the afternoon, and that was my prime motivation for keeping it up.

When I saw the documentary "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead," I wanted the juicer that played a major role in the movie--the Breville Juice Fountain Pro. I had to have it! So I bought it, and realized immediately I preferred my Acme. I found the Breville annoying to use and difficult to clean. Judging from Amazon reviews, I appear to be in the minority on this.

But last year the blade on my Acme started to dull, and the replacement I bought didn't fit properly. Reading up on different types of juicers, I cashed in my Amazon points and a gift card, and bought a masticating juicer this time:

Omega J8004

I love this thing! I noticed immediately that the juice tasted richer and seemed to have more substance to it. Because it doesn't heat up like the centrifugal juicers, you can refrigerate half the juice to drink the next day if you like, so now I juice every other day.

My standard combination is romaine, kale and/or spinach, carrots, celery, beet, lemon, and ginger root. I used to include apple, but my Lyme disease doctor said I'd be better off without it. I vary this from time to time, and included cucumbers a lot this summer. Sometimes zucchini or sweet potatoes. I usually omit fruit other than the apple and lemon wedge, but if I have a pineapple core I will juice that.

I have chronic health issues, and truly feel vegetable juicing is one of the best things I do for myself.

Alisande - I love Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead! I juice too. I have done one 10 day juice fast and two five day juice fasts. I really enjoy the spiritual aspects of juicing. When I juice fast it's for spiritual reasons, I meditate ect,.

Nice to know another person who juices, Sabbath! I was going to say, "Nice to know another juicer," but that sounded as though I'd turned you into something mechanical. :-)

I had an Omega and I just didn't like how slow it was and it would clog a lot. I use a breville now and there are a few places by me that offer fresh juice to order which is great. I also order some frozen sometimes if I am doing a fast. this year I have done a few 3 days and one 44 day fast. It is funny you brought this back up today as I am starting on a 30 (maybe 60) day juice feast/fast on Oct 1 with a facebook group.

It is going to be rough since I packed my juicer! I have no idea when we are closing as it keeps getting moved out and I thought I would have moved by now.

It can be a bit tough, but fasting really does give you a great sense of well being and peace. it is so hard to describe. I think you can get there eating raw too, but that is easier to do in the summer in the northeast if you ask me :)

Alisande - I am glad you are finding something to help with your health issues. I also follow the gerson therapy facebook group and I have a few friends with RA that get a lot of relief from their symptoms with juicing.

I think depending on what your goals are can help people decide on a juicer as well. for example to those doing gerson for serious health issues even an omega is not good enough! :)

Boopadaboo, thanks! I remember you from years ago when I was remodeling and hanging out in Home Decorating a lot.