Vegetable Juice Diet
There is no "official" vegetable juice diet, and a diet consisting strictly of vegetable juice is not a long-term solution for overall health. However, there are benefits in the short term. Doctors have been known to recommend a diet of juice as a "detox" and will occasionally prescribe it to obese patients. For many, a vegetable juice diet is used as a quick way to slim down and cleanse the body. Either way, any diet that doesn't involve solid food should be monitored by a doctor or dietician.
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Types
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While it's called a vegetable juice diet, drinks typically consist of more than just vegetables. Vegetables are merely the staple, as most people who are juicing or juice fasting also add fruit to their drinks. This makes it possible to have a wide array of different flavors (not to mention vitamins). With a decent juicing machine, just about any type of vegetable or fruit can be turned into liquid form. Some of the more popular juices include carrot, tomato and apple.
Juicers
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Gone are the days when you needed to squeeze an orange by hand to get its natural juice. Instead, the majority of people on a vegetable juice diet use a juicing machine or juicer. These machines rose to popularity in the 1990s, mostly via late-night infomercials. Today, a decent juicer can be purchased for a little less than $200, with top-end machines available for as much as $350. Most come with recipes for a vegetable juice diet. Using a juicer is simple--all you do is stick the vegetable in the top of the machine and it does the rest, extracting the juice and tossing the "skin" aside.
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Benefits
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Vegetables are among the most important foods you can consume, featuring many essential vitamins and minerals. The same goes for fruit. When these foods are put into your system in raw and liquid form, they absorb into the blood faster than they would if eaten solid. This provides a jolt of instant energy, helping increase mood and vigor. A juicing diet has also proven to be a quick way to lose weight without starving yourself.
Minuses
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Because a juicing diet is devoid of other foods (hence the term, "juice fasting"), it does not provide all the nutrients needed. Vegetables and fruit alone lack the recommended daily intake of protein, and it's been widely determined that the key to good health is a balanced diet. Long-term unbalanced plans have been known to lead to deficiencies and even illness.
Warnings
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People following a vegetable juice diet without a doctor's supervision should not do so for more than one to three days. Possible side effects--even short term--include diarrhea, headaches, low blood sugar and acne. For this reason, women who are pregnant or those with a heart condition should not attempt a juice fast without consulting a doctor first, regardless of length or goal.
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