by Jennifer Thompson
(Tiburon, California)
I have started juicing since I wanted to get some of the benefits of the raw food diet and the only way I could get the vegetables that I wouldn't normally eat that much of is by juicing them. However, on a blood-glycemic level how much is too much? If I am juicing veggies versus fruits do I have to worry at all? Your help is very much appreciated.
Vita-dose.com answer Very astute question. The major pitfall of juicing is that you get NO FIBER out, or at least very little. So if strawberries and bananas have too high a glycemic index WITH the fiber, imagine ripping it out.
I deal with this problem in two ways:
1. I tend to keep the sweet stuff to a minimum in my juices. One apple. Maybe a pear or a carrot. For the rest of the juice, I use low-sugar veggies like cabbage, celery, cucumber, kale, chard, or whatever is around. It's a testimony to the sheer quantity of sugar in these fruits that a TINY BIT of sweet fruit is enough for a huge volume of juice.
2. Of course, in the summer who can resist indulging in some sweet high-sugar berry or watermelon juice? This stuff tastes great. Here's how I deal with it: eat an avocado first, or a big handful of walnuts. However you do it, just make sure your tummy is already working on a pile of fats, protein and fiber when the high-sugar juice comes in.
Happy Juicing!