Juicing?

Type 1 and LADA
1

Okay, I'm not some nutball fad dieter. I just like fresh squeezed juices. I bought a new juicer (I had one when I lived abroad but sold it when I moved.) I don't plan on only drinking juice and, of course, I'm going to carb count and be vigilant about my blood sugars. (Yes, I'm going to the doctor. I have a blood test on Tuesday and a doctor's visit the week after.)

My reasons for doing this: resetting my system and just better overall nutrition. I was in NYC and was just horrible with my nutrition (kettle chips were my friend and I knew both Boston Markets in Manhattan very well) and, once the winter hit last year, forget exercise except for some ice skating. Of course, the combination of that two meant weight gain and everything else that goes with that. It was a combination of stress and just not being happy there. Well, now I'm only there for business and live elsewhere. I'm much happier. I'm more active. I'm eating better.

Years ago, I used to walk during my lunches to a juice bar and have wheat grass and a healthy lunch. Needless to say, I fell off that routine. However, I really want to incorporate juicing back into my regimen and, eventually, making homemade yogurt again and stuff like that. All of this I've done, on some level, before. I'm just out of practice.

I started juicing last night. I had a green juice with kale, spinach, roma tomatoes, an onion and apples to add sweetness and cut that onion bite. It was around 32 oz of juice. I pump, so I carb counted based on the fresh bottled green juice and carrot juice that I drink (usually Trader Joe's, Naked Juices or Odwalla). When I woke to go to the bathroom, I checked my glucose and it was 109. I have to admit I expected that I'd messed up, but that was excellent for that juice combo.

I'm also not going to do straight fruit juices for obvious reasons: the sugar content will just spike my sugars and that's not good. I'll add apples, carrots or sweet potatoes to cut the bite of the more bitter veggies, but I used to do shots of wheat grass. I like that sort of stuff. ;)

I'm just wondering if there are other diabetics like me who juice: type 1s, insulin dependent. My biggest fear is getting a wrong carb count.

2

Well, there are upsides and downsides to juicing. Juicing can make it more palatable to consume servings of foods that you might not eat much of. It also can make the nutrients in those foods more bioavailable. But I will tell you there is a downside, juicing can turn foods that are complex carbs that digest slowly into simple carbs. The foods simply digest faster.

So if you are going to juice, make sure you don't strain out the solids, that is where all the fiber goes. It is now thought that fibers are actually more important to us than just something that makes us regular. And most importantly, test to see how juiced foods affect your blood sugar. I'm sure it will be better than kettle chips, but juiced foods may have higher carb counts than expected and they may react like simple carbs rather than complex carbs.

3

I'm a T1 and I've been juicing now for several weeks and actually haven't had too many BG issues (surprisingly!) I do avoid fruits (or try to limit them) and stick mostly to veggies and greens. What I have done is each time I make a recipe, I write down exactly what I'm putting in and how much I'm bolusing. I approximate the carbs as best as I can based on weight and then take into account the fact that I'm removing the fiber. So far, I haven't had any BGs over 150 at 1 hr afterwards (and I've been back in range around the 2 hr mark) so I guess I'm doing something right. I stick the same recipes for the most part and also try to avoid making them late in the day (so that I have time to correct). Bottom line is that while it was a little tricky at first, I was able to quickly get the hang of how much to bolus. And it's still way better on my BGs than things like pasta and bread.

For me, dealing with simple carbs like fruit and veggies have never been too difficult. For whatever reason, even fruit is always easy for me to bolus for and get it right.

4
And it's still way better on my BGs than things like pasta and bread.

That's for sure. :)

Thanks for the tips! Fruit for me is pretty predictable too. I slept in today, so when I finally woke up I was hungry. I had a few small tangerines and nailed it in terms of my bolus. I've just been improving my snacking habits over the last few weeks and snacking on cherry tomatoes, apples and small oranges. It seems to be working well for me. I know it's much healthier than chips which is what let myself snack on for way too long over the last year or so.

Adding juicing back in throws in the question marks, but estimating based on carb counts from fresh juices that I buy worked last night. I hope I can have good luck like you and make that a consistent thing. I'm going to ease in to it by making juice once a day and seeing how I react.

I'll definitely follow your advice about keeping a recipe tracking what and how much of it I'm juicing.

5

Im thinking about starting to incorporate juicing into my diet. I have been T1 for 30 years. I'm planning on juicing mostly greens with a small amount of fruit. I was just wondering if you have continued to juice and how it is working for you and your BG control? Possibly some of your juice recipes thank you

6

I've delayed it. I got my juicer, got some greens and discovered my new juicer arrived with a cracked top. Anyway, a new one is being sent to me. Once it arrives I'll get back on it. What I did do, however, was find a ton of links on juicing to use once I got started.

Ready? I put the links in a Google Doc, so I just made it public, so dive in: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AryqwQYa9EbsdDJrRklGQT...

With carb counting, the one time I did juice it was frighteningly on point. I hope it stays that way once I go hardcore with it.

7

Thank you appreciate it and good luck. What kind of juicer did you order?

8

A refurbed Cuisinart CJE-1000. I wanted to get something good because the juicer I had when I lived abroad only juiced one cup at a time (good for a quick cup for fresh juice but really cumbersome to use).

I decided to try juicing again first before investing in one of the a really good and expensive masticating juicers.

9

Occasional juicing may be fine, but I think it's often hard for our bodies to handle foods in such concentration regularly. Without fiber or chewing isn't the way nature intended us to more slowly consume veggies & fruits. My mother messed up her digestion from juicing. She was juicing a lot of vegetables daily (far more than anyone could eat) & it was too much for her digestive system. As it got worse, she convinced herself she was detoxifying. She went overboard. But, great if it works for you.