Fruit juice
A main stream ( read…one that follows the government approved foodpyramid) dietitian, came out yesterday, saying that fruit juice wasa contributing factor to obesity in children.She said that many parents, believing it to be healthy, let theirchildren drink juice to quench their thirst instead of water.Worse still. are the fruit juice drinks.They are about 20% juice and the rest, sugar sweetened water.
Thank goodness that Ocean Spray has come out with Splenda sweetenedcranberry and cran/other juice combinations. The only sugar is from theberries themselves. It’s low in calories, 40, and low in carbs comparedto other juices, 10g for an 8 oz. serving. Now the store brand versionsare starting to show up as well. I love the cran/grape. I get a glassfull of ice, fill it half full of juice and half with water. It’s such anice refreshment.
I can’t see kids wanting to drink this.Their choice is usually orange or apple.These come packed in neat little boxes with straws.Makes it easy to put in their lunch boxes as glass bottles are notpermitted.The dietitian did emphasise that fruit juice was a highlyconcentrated form of juice and thus had more calories.Until about 20 years ago I always started the morning with freshlysqueezed OJ, and also gave it to my children.Who knew that it was not as healthy as perceived?
Fresh squeezed juice is a totally different product than juice you buyin a store. When juice is processed, the processing changes thechemical makeup and the sugars in the juice rendering it a totallydifferent product than fresh squeezed juice.
Fresh squeezed juice is healthy and good for you because your body willprocess the fructose, etc., differently than with processed juice. Thedifference is in the enzymes. Fresh juice is full of enzymes, processedjuice has none.
If you are drinking fresh squeezed juice, drink away. It’s the storebought, canned or bottled juice that is not good for you and what youneed to stay away from.
I personally believe that eating the whole fruit is a better option thandrinking the juice, even if it is freshly squeezed. If you consume theentire fruit, you also get the fiber that is contained, which slows theabsorption of the sugars in the fruit. My fruit juice diet helped me gain 15pounds
I bought my LaLanne juicer right before Christmas and have been juicingdaily. Down 23 pounds since January 3rd.
How does that fit in with a low-carb diet?Just curious. What are you juicing?
23 lbs in 5 weeks…I think it’s time for us to see a week’s food diary.Maybe we could learn something here.
Well, lets see how good my memory is. I can back up to Saturday andtry to compile:
SaturdayBreakfast fresh juice: apple & orange, about 12 oz.Lunch Large green salad, romaine, radishes, green onions, tomatoes,cucumbers; dressing was my mix of organic balsamic vinegar & organicEVOODinner Plate of crudits, carrot sticks, cucumber slices, cauliflower& broccoli, eaten raw with just a little bit of Newmans Own Ranch fordippingSnack of a sandwich bag of radishes, cauliflower, orange slices,grapefruit slices; all fresh and nothing cooked
SundayBreakfast 2 eggs fried in organic butter with one slice of wheat breadmade with whole wheat, unbleached flour, no sugar, no cane juices, etc.Lunch Large green salad with salad vegetables, Newmans Own CaesardressingDinner well, it was the game so I ate about 6 chicken drummies thathad been roasted over a Mesquite fire; 2 fairly large meatballs; largeplate of cruditsSnack Green salad with salad vegetables, sunflower seeds & thevinegar/oil dressingSnack fresh vegetable juice
MondayBreakfast fresh fruit juice, fresh kiwiLunch fresh vegetable juice, green salad w/veggies, pine nuts andCaesar dressingSnack fresh orange, few grapefruit slicesDinner - small green salad and sack of crudits
TuesdayBreakfast Albacore tuna mixed with a little bit of mayo and eaten withcelery sticksLunch Fresh fruit juice followed by a salad w/orange slices, tomatoes,pine nutsDinner Large salad w/vegetables & no dressingSnack tangelo slices, orange slices, half apple, kiwi
WednesdayBreakfast 2 boiled organic eggs, sliced while warm w/sea salt &pepper; fresh fruit juiceLunch large salad w/vegetablesDinner mixture of fresh orange slices, pineapple slices, strawberries,grapefruit slices, blueberriesSnack no snack today
Tania, please understand that I only eat organic produce. If I eat meator eggs, it is free range, non-antibiotic and non-hormone. If I cantget organic meat and eggs, I dont eat meat or eggs. I dont drinkmilk. My butter must be organic or I dont buy it. I dont eat anyother dairy, save for organic sour cream once in awhile, and I buy anorganic pepper jack cheese that is to die for. It is wonderful with abit of fruit.
I have some organic chicken breasts, two very large orange peppers, 2gorgeous red peppers and a yellow pepper I plan on slicing and sautingwith EVOO and part of a purple onion. Ill put the chicken, peppers andonions on top of a plate of romaine and use sour cream as my dressing.That will be tomorrow or Friday.
I try to eat all my vegetables in their original state whenever possibleor lightly steamed. Now, I do plan on cooking the peppers and onion butIm doing fajitas and you just cant lightly steam peppers or onions.Well, I guess you could, but I dont eat canned vegetables. I eatabsolutely no sugar and absolutely no processed food. The only type ofsweetener I use is Stevia and the only place I use it is in my hot tea.Equal is poison and Im betting the bank account well be told beforevery much longer that Splenda is just as bad as Equal. IMO, if it isman made it shouldnt go in your mouth. The only bread I eat is a smallloaf I buy at the organic grocery I frequent and it is calledBirdcage. It is made with unbleached wheat flour, no sugar, no canejuices, all organic ingredients and so many types of seeds they named itBirdcage. I keep a loaf in the freezer and once a week, maybe twice, Ihave a slice with an egg or a slice with a cup of hot tea. Justwhenever the mood strikes me I havent eaten any of it this week and Ionly ate half a slice last week. I do drink a lot of herbal tea. Theonly caffeine I intake is from my white herbal tea.
Absolutely no soda pop in any way, shape or form, not even Diet Riet. Ithink stopping the pop, which I quit drinking around Thanksgiving, hasdone the most good. I used to keep Diet Rite in the house and was aregular drinker but no more. I started eating organic meats quite a fewyears ago. In December I started with the organic produce. Based onthe way I feel after eating this way since Christmas, I feel better thanI have for months. My diet focuses on mainly vegetables and fruits intheir natural state and as long as I eat what I want of those foods Ivecome to realize I am not hungry at all. I never have hunger pangs.Even losing the weight I have, never once since Jan. 3rd have I hadketosis breath. What I eat is very satisfying, even if the list lookshum-drum and boring. Its not I find I am quite happy. Surprisingbut true, LOL!
In addition to the above, I changed the water I drink. Even with thefilter on the sink and the filter on the icemaker/water dispenser in theside-by-side, I stopped drinking tap water. I buy natural spring wateror distilled water by the gallon jug and 3 gallon container. The 3gallon container goes on the kitchen counter and a gallon jug is in myoffice at all times. I buy bottled spring water in bottles that are alittle over a quart in size, I take 3 to work with me every evening andI make sure all three are drank before I walk out the door at night tocome home. I have a glass that holds 16 oz. and I dont go to workuntil I have drank at least 3-4 of those glasses of water. I drink afull glass with each meal and I have a glass on my desk at all times.Thats why I keep the water jug in the office here at home.
Lets see I think I have covered everything. I am of the very strongopinion that a lot of diseases and illnesses and the obesity epidemic wesee right now is due to the hormone and antibiotic laden meat that weeat. If the cow or pig or chicken is being fed hormones to beef them upfor market and shot full of antibiotics to keep them alive while theyare raised in inhumane conditions, you can bet all of that stuff isgoing straight into our systems when we eat it. Do some research onwhat feed lots feed cattle waiting for market. Sawdust, old newspapers,cattle that have gone down in the pen with those waiting to be sold andmore and more antibiotics to keep them well long enough to be sold. Iwont allow milk in my house because you dont know if it contains BHThormones or not and there is no law that requires labeling so we willknow. What has been done to the dairy and meat industry in this countryis criminal. Were killing ourselves because were ignorant and wetrust our government to take care of us when the name of the real gameis the bottom line for the producers.
Am I vegetarian? No. What I am is concerned about my health and Ithink that eating totally organic, no pesticides, no hormones, noantibiotics, etc. is what is right for me. Im sure there are many herethat will choose to argue with me and that is fine. Life is all aboutchoices we each make our own and when we make choices we do what wethink is right for us.
Oh, exercise. I do 40 minutes of Pilates every day and I have a Chimachine I spend 15-30 minutes on. One month ago I also took on a veryheavy, stressful load at work and have been putting in some long hoursand because I am teaching, I am on my feet throughout the class allnight and I do a lot of walking. Im not sure how much but it is a lot.I do believe that activity has spurred my weight loss, too. The firstof March the class I am in charge of will be over, and the work loadwont diminish that much but I do plan on adding about 30 minutes ofYoga to my day, in addition to the Pilates.
I told Julie not long ago I get it now. I only wish I would havegotten it about 15 years ago and started taking care of myself this wayback then. I dont think I would have had a lot of the problems I have.Ive been sick and tired, and tired of being sick and tired. I decidedto get healthy and Ive only been eating like this for a short time butI will never go back. This is what I should be doing, for me.
My DIL is currently buying organic vegetables for the baby.I think most of us take the easy way out and grab what we need atthe supermarket.I buy kosher meat, but that does not mean organic.I get my fish from a fishmonger, never at the supermarket, so I knowthat it is very fresh, but who knows what the mercury levels are.When you get to see more of my menus you will wee that we eat out alot.This week we ate out Tuesday night, tonight ( Thursday), ComingSaturday, probably twice on Sunday.Next week I am going away on business for 5 days, and will be luckyif I can even stay legal LC…( we went down that road last year andI will be prepping a lot of snacks to take with me )My kitchen tap water runs through a charcoal filter which wasinstalled at some expense at the behest of a doctor when DD wasdiagnosed with Crohns.
First, WOW you have way more willpower than I have!
Your menu actually looks quite tasty - I love veggies and it is one of thethings that I am really enjoying on Atkins - I have really added a lot ofveggies (amount and variety) to my diet.
Eating organic is a good way to go but it is expensive and the most expensivepart is the meat to get it without the additives is really tough and veryexpensive! I usually do a bit of both, get as much organic as I can afford andintermix it with “regular” items. I figured if I can even cut out half theadditive etc I’m better off than having them all.
The only question I have is how are you getting your protein - from what youlisted here you are not getting nearly enough. The reason I am asking isbecause I have a friend that had GBS and is having a problem with her proteinintake - she upchucks most protein sources that she eats and after about a yearnow is having trouble with her eyesight - she intermittantly loses the abilityto see in color - her doctor tells her this is from being deficient in protein. So she is really struggling to get her protein up….
Instead of going into a litany about plant protein vs. animal protein,let me copy and paste part of an article here. As I said before, I amnot vegetarian even though the majority of my foods consumed are fruit &vegetable. (Did you know that watermelon is almost pure protein?)
Quote:
“It is true that vegetarians consume less protein than meat eaters. Butthey easily meet their protein needs and protein deficiency is extremelyrare among vegetarians. Vegetarians should take a variety of plant foodsand don’t need to consume carefully planned food combinations at everymeal as was believed earlier.
Plant protein is healthier than animal protein and excess animalproteins are associated with increased heart diseases, loss of calciumfrom bones and poor kidney function.
Vegetarians and proteins
Vegetarians usually have diets that are lower in proteins. As vegetableproteins contain less protein than animal proteins and as they containlimiting amino acids, vegetarians have to consume more proteins. Abetter RDA for vegetarians (excluding lacto vegetarians andlacto-ovo-vegetarians whose protein needs are like that of omnivores) is1.0 gram of protein per kg of body weight compared to 0.8 gramsrecommended for non-vegetarians. Vegans (pure vegetarians) get about11-12% of their calories from protein whereas omnivores get about 15-17%of calories from protein. Surveys show that vegans get plenty ofproteins.
Vegetarians don’t have to do anything special to meet their proteinrequirements. Just eat enough calories, maintain your ideal weight andinclude a variety of plant foods such as soya, lentils (Dhal) otherlegumes such as beans, lima beans (mekaral) potatoes, spinach, tofu,wheat bread, red rice and peas.
Some of the vegetarian foods such as broccoli are superior to animalfoods such as beef and are more protein dense.
According to American Dietetic Association it is not necessary thatcomplementation of amino acid profiles be precise and at exactly thesame meal i.e. protein eaten at one meal can combine with protein eatenat next meal to improve the quality of the protein as our body has astorage pool of essential amino acids.
Plant proteins prevent heart attacks and are better for your bonehealth. Excess protein is unhealthy for people with kidney disease.Vegetarians unlike non-vegetarians don’t get excess protein in theirdiet.”
End quote.
I know the above mentions eating beans, potatoes and wheat bread. I doeat what I consider very small quantities of organic wheat bread, but Idon’t eat potatoes. Too much low-carber in me to eat potatoes orbananas, LOL!
I do eat peas, and I do eat beans on occasion but I watch what kind ofbeans. I do eat organic peanut butter, just didn’t eat any this pastweek. I stuff it in celery. I do sometimes eat more cheese than what Iposted for the last week.
Right now I am going on what I feel like, which is good. People I workwith and people I know have gone out of their way the last few weeks totell me “You look good” and ask me what I’ve done to myself. When ahalf-dozen people tell me that, I figure something must be working!
My skin is clearer than it has been in ages and whereas I used to beplagued with dry skin on my face I no longer have that problem (could bethe diet, could be a new skin cream I’m using). My hair is noticeablyshinier and stronger. My energy levels are higher (could be due to theexercise, too).
Yes, the cost of buying organic is more than a conventional grocery, butI look at it as a preventative health measure. I’d rather spend themoney on the food and water I eat and drink than a doctor’s visit orprescription meds, LOL!
Also, my thyroid doesn’t work and I have been on medication for thatwhich I would like to get myself off of. Eating this way is also acleansing rite for the body, and I’m hoping to take myself totally offof the thyroid meds when my thyroid heals and begins to work again basedon what I eat. Even in the short time I’ve changed my eating habitssomething is happening with my thyroid. Recent testing without the useof meds had my levels coming back almost normal. Going to try it againin another few months and if I have normal thyroid tests return the medsare going in the trash!
Thanks for the info. I really didn’t realize that you could get your proteinfrom so many sources. I guess I am going on old information that you need tohave a lot of beans in your diet if you are not eating meat!
I also realized that just by going to whole foods rather than all thepreprocessed foods has made a big difference in how I feel so I guess I am notsurprised that going totally organic as well would make an even biggerimprovement.
I’ll also pass some of this info on to my friend, She can use all the help shecan get right now.
I’ve heard that but I’ve also heard that juicing the fruits drains away all thevitamins in the whole fruit.
I’m trying not to laugh…
Juicing fruits and vegetables MAY take away SOME fiber, but it is much morevitamin rich than anything you buy in the store which has been processed andsometimes fortified. Besides, when you have fresh juice, you’re not heating itin any form, so right there it is much more vitamin and nutrient rich!!
Nope, it doesn’t.
I think that the juice has to be drunk immediately to benefit fromthe vitamins.