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20 Day Juicing Challenge

Gianni

Moderator
Hey Guys,

Wanted to propose a new challenge for all the juicing fans out there. Let's do a 20 day challenge where you juice and drink one 20oz+ juice a day for 20 consecutive days.

This is not a fast.

Think you have what it takes to Replenish your vitamins and minerals, to aid your overworked liver, to increase immune function, to feel more awake, to start giving your body the right things?

Everyday we can each post a picture of our juice that we made and the recipe.

Let's begin on Feb 1. Let me know if you want to join:)

Gianni
 
I think we worked this out before but 20 oz is one of our pints right?

I do half a pint a day at the moment, it should be easy enough (and very beneficial) for me to go up to a pint, so count me in :soledance:
 

KWalker

Moderator
Awesome! Since starting the SCD I've actually used your method of substituting one meal a day for a juice/smoothie and it works perfectly while I'm at school. I make it the night before and then just throw it in the fridge and it's ready to go in the morning. And I get lots of calories with the amount of organic peanut butter I put in there
 

KWalker

Moderator
I add peanut butter to smoothies. I've just been using the blender I have until I get a juicer but the peanut butter makes it thicker so if you're going for a juice it might be better if you keep the peanut butter out.

I just made my smoothie for tomorrow and this is what I included

1 cup of honey dew
1 cup of almonds
1 cup of strawberries
1 banana
ginger root (decent size chunk)
Quite a bit of peanut butter
5 ice cubes.

I'm not sure exactly how healthy that is but it's delicious and with the almonds and peanut butter I still get a decent amount of calories from it.


Also, for people who use mint in their juice/smoothie, how much do you use? I've been using a whole stem (approx. 10 leaves) and I still don't taste the mint. I also want to make mint water. Does the mint have any health benefits to it at all?
 
I assumed it was with a smoothie lol. I've been juicing this past week. Base is carrot, apple, orange, then what ever other berries I have. Peanut butter sounds interesting though, I could take my juice add some ice cubes, banana, and peanut butter and throw it in the blender. I'm one of those crohns patience that can't eat anything hard to digest.
 

Gianni

Moderator
I'm not the biggest fan of peanut butter but if it works for you that's great:)

Try to include some more veggies in the smoothies.

Yes mint is amazing. It is actually considered a soother for IBS and colitis.. the menthol oil in it soothes the skin, clears sinuses and soothes digestion. Mint's aroma is a strong liberator of the saliva glands in the mouth which will facilitate digestion.

Mint is antibacterial, antifungal.


In juices you need less mint than in smoothies simply because the mint mixes better in a more liquid substance. Stirring around a smoothie won't quite distribute the mint well. Just keep adding in more and more amounts till you hit a good taste.
 

KWalker

Moderator
Oh crap, I used a lot of spinach too, I forgot to add that. I usually do use more vegetables but I need to get more groceries so I had to work with what I had. I never knew mint was so good for you, I thought it was just for taste. I love the taste of it. I know it sounds like a weird combo but I've been really wanting to make some sort of mint chicken. If there was a way to grate it over top I just picture it tasting so good.

Also, I only use the peanut butter for the calories. Being on SCD, I can only use the organic peanut butter so I don't get all the additives that come along with it, but between that and the almonds it does add some calories. You just can't use too much peanut butter jlm because it will overpower the rest of your drink.
 

KWalker

Moderator
Oh, I also meant to ask you. Since I get the "pulp" from things like carrots and it's not the greatest texture, would it do any good to blend it and then run it through a strainer so I only get the juice or would all the nutrients be in the pulp?
 
From what I've read about juicing most of the nutrients come from the juice anyway. So you could strain it. Lots of work though lol. I get all of my calories from nightly TPN. My goal is to decrease the nights I have to do. But solid food and me don't get along. Do you use like a tablespoon? Or less?
 

KWalker

Moderator
tablespoon of what? Oh, peanut butter? I've used half a cup before. It all depends on what else is in the smoothie. You could definitely use much less though.

Also, it wouldn't take anything to blend it and then pour it through a strainer into my cup.
 
I'm interested but I don't have a juicer. So smoothies I understand are okay? Just trying to get the picture. I could make a yogurt, banana, almond butter smoothie and that would count?

Oh and speaking of pictures...just joined this site yesterday, is there a tutorial on how to add a pic?

Thanks!
 
I will take the challenge.I just started juicing today,funny how it turned green,tasted good.3apples 3carrots 1kiwi 6strawberrysabout a dozen raspberrys,try more veggys next time.
 

Gianni

Moderator
Oh, I also meant to ask you. Since I get the "pulp" from things like carrots and it's not the greatest texture, would it do any good to blend it and then run it through a strainer so I only get the juice or would all the nutrients be in the pulp?
A lot of the nutrients would still be present in the pulp because a blender isn't a juice extractor. The pulp from a smoothie will be wet and still contain alot of juice containing vitamins and minerals while juicers will really squeeze the pulp and extract the juice. So yes the pulp will still hold alot of the nutrients but if it is something that puts you off of the smoothie than strain just the carrot part:)

Gianni
 

Gianni

Moderator
I'm interested but I don't have a juicer. So smoothies I understand are okay? Just trying to get the picture. I could make a yogurt, banana, almond butter smoothie and that would count?

Oh and speaking of pictures...just joined this site yesterday, is there a tutorial on how to add a pic?

Thanks!
Well my hope would be that people would include more vegetable type of juices/smoothies but sure do what you wish
 

KWalker

Moderator
Tiaspins, I'm using a blender right now. If you add water it's not as thick either. I find that if you make a smoothie then put it in the fridge it tastes a lot better cold
 
I just recently started juicing, and my plan is to do it for a year. I read that it takes 3 months, on any diet, to really start feeling a lot better, so I thought, I'd at least try a glass or two, per day, for the whole year. Today I had watermelon pineapple, 2 kiwi fruit, and some blue berries.

Do you also take a multivitamin? I can't have most fruit veg raw in large amounts (hence juicing), and was recommended vital greens. It has a balance of just about every digestive enzyme, fruit, veg etc etc...but it's horrid!!! Tried it for the first time today, and barely kept it down. Are there others like it, just as good in tablet form? Or any suggestions on how else I could take it? It's 2 tsp in juice or water (I had it with my fresh fruit juice), but its so disgusting!!

And yep sure, I'll post what juice I have daily- should keep me motivated, but maybe make it 3 months, and then we could all post if we feel any better?!?!
 
I take a very basic multi vit and iron tablet every day - but always a chalky one - I don't rate sugar coated ones - but as I juice alot I don't worry so much because we should get all we need from that.

Try juicing green veg like spinach and curly kale with some apple or pineapple to sweeten it, you can feel the vitamins in that as they go down :)
 
I need to get a juicer first, and them I'm totally in. A friend of mine has one and she juices her breakfast every morning. I might just go to her house and juice a week supply of stuff for me. :) That's a whole lot of fruits and veggies.

Awesome thing out here in California is, we can get fresh, inexpensive produce all year round :)
 

Gianni

Moderator
Sorry for the large size of the photo but I made a large amount of a green juice. Wasn't exactly a recipe that I normally use. I threw some swiss chard cucumbers, kale, romain lettuce, apple, pear, carrots, red cabbage, and I think that's it. :) It was actually really good. Hope you guys did the first day :)
 
Well here we are at day one of the juicing challenge.

I had half a pint of nice green juice for breakfast - apples celery cucumber spinach and lemon, which gave me a good energy boost for the day.
Then when I got home from work I had a pint of orange and carrot to build up my vitC before I went out for curry and cider night, to celebrate my friends return from Oz.

If cider counts as fruit juice then I will be way over my 20 oz's today !?
 
My breakfast juice today was a couple of oranges, large carrot, a lemon, an apple and some spinach, plus have a teaspoon of magnesium citrate. Off to the shops to stock up on more fruit and veg :)
 
I just found a Breville 850Watt juicer on Amazon for $99. They apparently sell reconditioned, factory warrantied/guaranteed juicers at a significant discount. Subtract the $50 gift card I got for Christmas, and I got a juicer for $49! I am really excited to be able to start juicing.
 
:soledance: Loving this challenge and feeling much brighter in the mornings. My green juice for today: half a cucumber, handful of spinach, two kiwis, and an apple.
I find if I just put the spinach leaves into the juicer they are just going through whole. But I whizzed them up in the food processor before putting them in today and that worked better.
 
I find the trick is to sandwich spinach between a couple of harder things like apples, and run it on the slower setting.
I have also ran them through more than once before now to get the most out of them, it is one of my favourite things to juice.
 
:) Thanks, Beachbum. I'll try that. I love the juiced spinach too. It's funny, I don't really like eating cucumber, but juiced it's really nice.
 
It's all going very well so far. I have been drinking loads of juice but over the weekend I ate lots of crap too , so I am going to try to be a bit more sensible this week.

Instead of digging round in the cupboards tonight for a forgotten box of Christmas biscuits or chocs after dinner. I made a pudding juice that tasted just like apple pie.

Half a mug of apple , lemon and ginger, topped up with warm (not boiling so as to preserve the nutrients) water and finished with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top.

Wow yummy.
 
Mmmm, that sounds good. My juice this morning: an apple, some broccoli stems, bunch of spinach and a small beetroot. It was a bit muddy in colour and tasted really nice.
This juice business every morning is making a difference. I've got a lot more energy during the day.
 

CrohnsChicago

Super Moderator
Count me in again Gianni! :)

At least one juice per day is a good challenge, and an easy one for beginners that aren't ready to jump into the deep end just yet.

I plan to jump in on the challenge this Friday the 8th aka payday :lol: I always enjoy seeing how juicing works for others. Keeps me inspired and motivated to do it :)

Plus I am flaring again so I hope this will help get things back under control a bit before my docs throw me to the heavy meds (which is pretty much inevitable but I'd like to make the transition an easier one) lol.
 


Juice for today. 2 apples, celery stick, small beetroot, carrot, handful of spinach. Really yummy. Might make some more.
Have a good day, y'all.
 

Gianni

Moderator
Hope everyone's challenge is going well. I did a red head juice today .. MY fav:) I've been doing alot of green juices so I needed that sugar :) I may even do a watermellow fellow tomorrow :shifty:

by the way grumble, I need you to teach me photography... My pictures don't come out quite as nice... :(
 

CrohnsChicago

Super Moderator
This will technically be my 4th day.

The first 3 days I did morning 20 oz. smoothies (blueberry, raspberry, strawberry, banana, soy or almond milk) for breakfast.

Today I juiced a 20oz. Carrot, Spinach, Ginger, Cucumber, Green Apple beverage for myself for lunch :heart:.

I feel like my body really needed this for the moment even if just once per day.

Looking forward to keeping this going again :)
 

CrohnsChicago

Super Moderator
What drink recipes are you using?

Green apples help to sweeten the juice up a bit.

Lemon and ginger are good refreshers.

Cucumbers can help to water down the drink a bit making the taste a bit more tolerable.


I am having trouble with the taste of these juices...I'm nearly gagging. Suggestions?
 
I find adding ice to juices really helps, especially very veg heavy ones.

And yes adding a third of a lemon and/or knob of ginger will perk up any juice.
While a couple of apples or a quarter of a pineapple are good sweeteners.
 

KWalker

Moderator
I know I haven't been contributing but I just thought I'd let you guys I've been doing this still and replace my between breakfast-lunch snack with a big smoothie/juice!
 
Been trying very hard to keep up with the challenge and have mostly succeeded I would say.

I haven’t been feeling 100% the last few days, not sure what is going on but it has made me even more determined to be full of juicy goodness for the rest of the month.
I woke up yesterday with a pretty nasty cold sore in and on my nose – just in time for my romantic dinner date tonight oh joy – so I guess I must be run down, not enough sun mayhap?

Today I did a massive juice first thing, some spinach based green juice and some beetroot based purple juice. I even took an extra bit to work so that my boss could try, she has been saying that the juice doesn’t always look very appetizing (mostly the green ones which she said look like something from Star Trek) but she was really pleasantly surprised at how they both tasted and even called the green one her favorite – another convert? Huzzah!

:soledance:
 
My Champion Juicer came! It was used. It was in pretty good shape, there was a bit of food stuck in the corners of the mesh screen that wouldn't immediately scrub off. So I boiled some water in my tea kettle and poured that over the screen, scrubbed with a tooth brush and repeated that a few times and it came clean. Haven't actually used it yet as I just ate lunch and am full.
 

CrohnsChicago

Super Moderator
Still going strong after 11 days.

20oz Breakfast berry/almond milk/banana smoothies (with some greek yogurt or protein powder) on the mornings i work and need something on-the-go

small Veggie drinks in the evening and 20oz ones on the weekends. Found out this week that my hemoglobin levels dropped so I am juicing more kale and spinach and adding a vitamin c pill or extra carrot each day I drink them to help absorb the iron better.
 

CrohnsChicago

Super Moderator
Tomorrow marks day 20 of the Challenge for me! :D.

Starting the day with a green tea, banana, blueberry smoothie and finishing off the evening with a spinach, carrot, cucumber drink :)

I plan to continue the one smoothie/juice per day for as long as I can. I don't see an end to it for me right now, I have gotten some good benefits from it especially with regards to energy levels. I can use all the energy I can get right now to get through this upcoming month.

Hope everyone else is going strong!
 
Yep, me too. It's such a great way to start the day. I make and drink about half a jug of juice in the morning and that's breakfast now. I used to have eggs and/or bacon but my tum like the juice much more. It lasts me til 11am, when I have fruit, yoghurt and muesli at work.
It's become such a part of my morning routine and only takes 5 minutes to whizz up in the morning, I'm pretty sure it's a permanent fixture now :)
 
I know i'm late but I started this challenge yesterday, had carrot, ginger and romaine (which didn't seem to agree with my juicer very well).

Just about to juice my day 2 and think i'll try one of your recipes Gianni!
 
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