Since I train hard in the weight room, I can’t do a traditional juice fast. I always have to “juice” my juices with added nutrition.
I always add protein powder to my juices. Lately I’ve been using egg white protein. I’ll also use Garden of Life Raw Protein. Sometimes I’ll use an off-the-shelf whey.
Guys will get into veritable “protein wars.” Which protein is better? Which is most bioavailable?
Just use a protein that you can afford. When in college and graduate school, I bought whey concentrate. As life was a bit kinder to my wallet I began using fancy brands of whey and casein.
Now that I’m older I realize it doesn’t matter all that much. Just get your protein in.
I go for 150-200 grams a day, but I bust my ass in the gym. If you’re not lifting hard, that’s protein overboard.
Sometimes I don’t feel like juicing kale, collards, or other leafy greens. When I just juice a carrot, apple, and ginger, then I add some chlorella.
Chlorella is a sea algae that is loaded with chlorophyll. Chlorella binds with toxins in your bloodstream and helps you pass them through your digestive tract.
I toss in a teaspoon of chlorella into my sweeter juices. I also use a teaspoon of chlorella in my blueberry smoothies.
I’ll also occasionally toss in a tablespoon of coconut oil.
Adding fats to your juice can help you absorb the nutrients:
Scientists at Iowa State University figured this out a while ago. They recruited graduate students to eat bowls of salad greens with tomatoes and various types of salad dressings — from fat-free to regular Italian. “Basically once a month for several months we’d show up first thing in the morning,” recalls participant Gregory Brown, now a professor of exercise science at the University of Nebraska. Researchers put IV lines into the participants’ veins and drew blood samples before and after they’d eaten the salads in order to get precise measurements of the absorption of nutrients.
“The salads all tasted the same to me,” says Brown. But when researchers went back and analyzed the blood samples they realized that people who had eaten fat-free or low-fat dressings didn’t absorb the beneficial carotenoids from the salad. Only when they had eaten the oil-based dressing did they get the nutrients.
Carotenoids are the pigments responsible for red-, yellow- and orange-colored fruits and vegetables. And carotenoids are also found in dark green vegetables such as spinach. The compounds convert to Vitamin A in the body, and studies have found that carotenoids have anti-oxidant activity which may help protect cells from damage caused by free radicals. Human studies have linked high consumption of fruits and vegetables to reduced risk of cancer.
I don’t add fat to every juice. But between smoothies and juices, I go through a lot of coconut oil. Thus I buy it in “industrial” sizes.
There’s no need to add protein powder, chlorella, or coconut oil to your juices. But if you’re active and drinking a lot of juice, you may want to add a little extra to your juices.
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Of course, this makes perfect sense, fat always helps increase nutrient absorption.
While new to the whole juicing thing, coconut oil is old hat…it’s one of my go-to cooking oils. Love it.
If you’re interested in mixing it up once in awhile, you could try some of this stuff too:
http://www.oilsofaloha.com/macadamia-nut-oil
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/macadamia-oil/#axzz28JplY8cy
I like to alternate my cooking with coconut oil and macadamia nut oil.
Other times, I’ll combine the two – throw in a pat of butter and squeeze some lemon to pan fry some fish…. YUM.
Think I’ll add some mac nut and coconut oil to my next batch of juice tomorrow, as I always have bottles of both in my pantry cupboard.
Do you just put the coconut oil directly in the glass and stir it up, or through the juicer too?
Hey, I was just wondering what do you do with brushing your teeth? If you drink it in the morning how long do you wait before brushing your teeth? I heard it is not good for your enamel if your not careful.
I go through cases of Spry gum, which is made from xylitol:
If you order from iHerb (at this link), use coupon code EKO606 to save $10 off your first order over $40 and $5 off all other orders. Free shipping, too.
The toothpaste is good stuff, too. This is what I use.
You can also get it from Amazon at this link.
Protip of the day: Chew gum with xylitol in it. You can even find mouthwash and breath mints. Look online (most of major gum brands don’t have enough xlyitol in it). I chew x-pur xylitol gum. Keeps the sugar off my teeth and keeps them healthy. Look it up for more info.
Juicing will change a man’s life entirely.
While this may be disgusting for many, try mixing in beans, olives and other legumes to add calories. Still looking for an organic protein source and if push comes to shove may consider eating raw fish immediately after a juice.
Regarding adding protein – a very good online protein source is TrueNutrition.com They’ve got practically every protein type under the sun (whey, egg, hemp, pea, grass-fed whey, etc.) plus you spec the mix. That is, you can order the protein without added flavoring or sweetener which might work for adding to juice. You can also order your own custom blend (i.e. you want 10% whey isolate, 50% hemp, 30% egg white, and 10% waxy maize starch, you got it.) They provide a description of each protein, so may have to be careful (some are bitter without flavoring or sweetener). Prices are good and there’s bulk discounts. The guys who own the business (Dante Trudel and others) keep a constant eye on quality and the customer service is superb. The business was built through word of mouth on meathead forums where anything that isn’t top notch would be brutally criticized. I’ve been buying from them for years and can highly recommend them.
Yep. I am actually going to get in touch with True Protein to help design a custom protein for readers.
I do DoggCrapp training and was a member at Intense Muscle.
Need to get a coupon code for readers.
Thanks for the reminder.
You said: Since I train hard in the weight room, I can’t do a traditional juice fast. I always have to “juice” my juices with added nutrition.
Have you tried this modified type of juice fasting? If so, for how long and how did your workouts feel (energy, etc)?
I’d be interested in trying a juice fast for a few days (3-10), but I don’t want to give up lifting. Most everything I’ve read says during a juice fast you should take it easy. I’m just wondering if “juicing” your juices is a viable option for a “modified” juice fast? What are your thoughts?