Diabetes and Diet, for type 1 and 2 diabetics »

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 Many people are very attracted to the idea of “juicing”.  Making a delicious and nutritious beverage that is alive with vitamins and minerals ready to be absorbed by your needy gut is easy and fast. 

But when we think of juice we think of fruits.  Namely apple, grape, orange, and cranberry.  I think fruit juices are great in moderation.  But, what if you’re a diabetic?  Can you still “juice”?

I believe you can.  You just have to do something first.  You have to change your mindset from “fruit juicing” to “vegetable juicing”. 

Lately I’ve gotten back into vegetable juicing.  I enjoy it so much because it makes me feel energized and clear-headed.  I also feel great knowing I’m getting much needed nutrition in a small glass.  It’s really hard to eat enough vegetables each day.  Drinking them all at once feels revitalizing and helps you feel secure about your vitamin and mineral intake. 

Vegetable juicing is great for vain reasons, too.  When I started juicing I noticed better skin and nails in just a couple of weeks.  

The biggest change I’ve noticed with juicing is an increased feeling of alertness.  I feel more awake and ready to take on whatever the day throws at me.  Since my metabolic type is the carbohydrate type, I feel amazing on vegetable juice.  Others may not feel as great.  You may want to read about metabolic typing because IF you happen to be a protein type juicing may not feel as wonderful for you as it does for me.  Here is the link to my article on metabolic typing. 

A cookbook my mom let me borrow called “Change Your Brain, Change Your Body” has a recipe called “Green Goddess Breakfast”.  It contains:

Celery

Cucumber

Broccoli

Parsley

Kale

Spinach

Fresh Mint

Avocado

You can optionally add stevia extract and whey protein powder.

Notice the sugar content of these items.  Exactly.  This is how diabetics can best juice.  Obviously a type 1 diabetic taking insulin may be able to just give insulin to cover any fruits added to the mix. 

How does vegetable juice taste?  Um…I can’t say I particularly love it.  The thing is, I LOVE how it makes me feel so I always come back for more.  Don’t be afraid to try it.  You may like it a lot more than you think.  My 1 year old twin babies drink vegetable juice in a baby bottle!  (Probably one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen was seeing them down their bottles of vegetable juice and then cry for more!)

The above vegetables are great to juice.  Here are some more you can do:

Leek

Bok Choy

Red Leaf Lettuce

Lemon (not a veggie but, extremely low sugar/low glycemic and I only add a little)

Collard Greens

Lettuce

Radishes

Ginger root (not a vegetable but a great anti-inflammatory and adds a wonderful spicy kick to juice!)

Carrot (I don’t add much because it increases the total carb count of my green drink)

Beet (same as carrot)

Lastly, there are things about juicing that you really NEED to know.  Check out this article at JuicingBook.com for helpful info before you begin (like which vegetables to stay away from if you have kidney issues).  Also, make sure to count the small amount of carbs in the vegetables you choose instead of assuming there aren’t any. 

Vegetable juicing is a big consideration because of the cost of a juicer and maybe you don’t want to get out a bunch of veggies and juice them. 

Personally, I can tell you I look forward to improved health from starting this up again.  If you don’t feel ready to juice now, simply reconsider it again next year. 

If you try it, I know your body won’t regret it!