Juicing for Nutrients

I was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2014. Over the last six or so years I have learned a thing or two about weight and other food-related issues. Whether that is gaining or losing weight, I probably have something I can talk to you about.

During chemotherapy juicing saved me because I would not eat what I would have normally. My taste buds changed, and this helped not only give me something to eat but it was filled with nutrients. I will be talking today about how juicing helped me maintain my weight during chemotherapy treatment.

Considerations to think about before juicing

I would like to start out by saying that I did not make the juices for myself. I have an amazing team of people behind me and this task was given to my husband. It is important that if you are too fatigued that you ask for help.

The first thing that you need is a juicer. I already had a Breville juicer from before my diagnosis but there are many options to choose from. A few things to take into consideration are what you plan to juice to make sure the machine can handle it. Also, you want to look at how many pieces of the machine there are and if they would be a pain to clean. My husband spent more time cleaning the juicer than he did making the juices!

The next step is to find some recipes that you think you or the person you are making for would enjoy. During cancer treatment, you want to make sure that you are getting enough important vitamins. We focused on recipes that had more vegetables than fruit because we did not want to spike my sugar levels. A simple google search or Pinterest search will yield many options for you to choose from.

My preferred recipes

When choosing a recipe to make you want to ensure that you or the person that you are making the juice for will drink it. If you do not like apples, avoid adding those to your shopping list. As I said earlier, I preferred to have more vegetables than fruit.

Here are a few recipes that I enjoyed:

• Option 1: 5-6 Tomatoes, 3-4 Stalks Celery, Carrots with Tops (1 Small Bunch), Spinach, Parsley, 1-2 Beets with Tops, Optional: Romaine, Watercress
• Option 2: 2 medium-size green apples, 1 medium lemon peeled, 1 teaspoon size of ginger peeled, 2  4 inch long pieces of mint
• Option3: 6 stalks celery, 6 kale leaves, 2 Granny Smith apples, cored, cut into chunks, 1 lemon, peeled, 2 cups coconut milk
• Option 4: 2 carrots, 15 cherry tomatoes, 2 radishes
• Option5: 2 green apples, 2 cucumbers, 4 stalks of celery, 2 handfuls of spinach, 1 lemon, 1 small piece of ginger

Always consult with your doctor

Please make sure to do your own research on everything there is to know about juicing before jumping in headfirst. Also, please consult with your or the patient’s oncologist to make sure there will not be any adverse side effects.