Juicing & Smoothies

Towards the end of my chemotherapy treatments, I started hearing more about the benefits of juicing and smoothies in documentaries that I was watching and from my Naturopath. Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead is a great documentary on Netflix about an Australian named Joe Cross who is tired of being overweight and unhealthy. In the documentary, he sets out to regain his health by juicing for 60 days. At the end, you will see that he was able to lose the excess weight and get off of medications that he was taking every day due to an autoimmune disease.

This movie inspired me to start juicing as an easy way to ensure that I am getting the proper amount of fruits and vegetables every day. Unfortunately, after juicing for about a month, I discovered that it wasn't for me. I was buying a ton of vegetables just to make a tiny glass of juice and didn't like how all the the fibre was thrown out. Instead, I decided to try smoothies which are also a good option to ensure you are eating fruits and vegetables but in a way that you are keeping the fibre and there is not as much waste. If you are interested in the pros and cons of juicing versus smoothies, I found this article helpful:

http://simplegreensmoothies.com/tips/juicing-vs-blending-whats-the-difference

Regardless of which option you choose, I highly recommend it as a way to ensure you are eating right during chemo and radiation. At my hospital, I found they took a 'eat whatever makes you not feel sick' approach. What I wish they realized is that there are people who still want to try and eat healthy as much as they can and encouraging us to eat popsicles (which are pretty much void of any nutritional value) probably isn't the best approach. If you can stomach a juice or smoothie, regardless of whether it is homemade or store bought, it does so much more for your body than popsicles which are lacking vitamins and minerals and are full of refined sugar. 

Here are some delicious smoothie recipes that I enjoy:

The Green Monster

Dairy Free Field Berry & Banana Smoothie

Chocolate Blueberry Spirulina Smoothie
Kale, Pineapple & Almond Milk Smoothie

When I go back to work, I realize that making a fresh smoothie every day will be a bit more of a challenge. It is best to drink your smoothie/juice right away to get the optimal nutrients but you could always make it the night before and refrigerate if you don't have time. I find it easiest to wash all of the fruits and vegetables the night before so in the morning, all I have to do is throw them in the blender and go.

Tip - Don't forget to put some veggies in there! I find most of the store bought smoothies contain all or mostly fruit which makes them high in sugar (although it is natural sugars). When searching for recipes, I always look at the fruit to veggie ratio and either add additional veggies if there aren't enough or cut the amount of fruits with a high glycemic load like bananas and dates. For example, if the recipe calls for a banana, I usually put half and find it is plenty sweet.