derryX enters the world of juicing

At the beginning of the year, I drastically cut back the amount of exercise I’m doing. Instead of supplementing my cardio and boxing routine with DDP Yoga, I’m focused on DDP Yoga and now supplementing some cardio and boxing. Another thing I’ve added to my day is juicing. No, not steroids. Fresh juices.

Like this guy.

I watched the movie Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead a few years back, and it really intrigued me. Although most of the recipes I decided to try come from a “juice cleanse” infographic put together by the author of that film, I’m supplementing my regular diet with the juices. Actually, I have a juice first thing in the morning, then follow up with breakfast about an hour later.

We’ve had a juicer in the closet for the better part of the year, so I figured this was worth a shot.

The first juice I tried was a combination of carrots, apples, and ginger. I figured it would be the least gross. Actually, it was really good. It’s way sweeter than you’d imagine, and the ginger really adds some spice.

Next, I tried one with cucumber, apple, celery, kale, ginger, and lemon. This is Joe Cross’s basic green juice and has become my daily staple. It’s fairly easy for me to stock these items for a weeks worth of juices, and I think it adds about $15 to my weekly grocery bill.

I made a juice with cucumber, kale, chard, and clementines. The first time I made this one, I juiced the clementines whole, and it was really disgusting. The rind and pith create an oily layer that sticks to your mouth. The second time, I cut away the rind and pith of two of the clementines, and it was much better.

The gazpacho juice wasn’t my cup of tea. In it was plum tomatoes, cucumber, celery, bell pepper, onion, parsley, and lime. I’m not a huge fan of gazpacho as it is, so I didn’t have high hopes for this one.

The last one had some raw sweet potato, and that made it almost creamy like a smoothie. Aside from the first two, I haven’t had any desire to revisit the remainder of these. Like I said, I have the cucumber, apple, celery, kale, ginger, and lemon combo every day. I’ve had the carrot, apple, ginger combo once a month or so; it’s actually a lot of sugar for me in the morning.

But since I’ve been having these, I’ve been able to keep up with my meal plan and maintain my weight (plus or minus a trip to Puerto Rico and some power-eating due to Wrestlemania, moving, and my anniversary). The main benefit that I notice is that my body is processing food faster. I’m not feeling hungry between meals, and smaller portions are leaving me satiated. I’m also noticing that my skin is way clearer than it ever was.

I’m not going to sit here and say it’s the best thing I’ve ever incorporated into my diet, and I sure as hell am not going to tell you that everyone has to do it, but if you’re curious to try it, I’d say give it a shot and see if it’s something for you.