Juices or Smoothies whats your favourite?

To say juices and smoothies are having a moment right now would be an understatement. They’re so popular that lots of people are even doing cleanses where they only drink juices or smoothies, or some combination of both. 

The goal is to detoxify the body and give the digestive system a rest while fighting inflammation and other chronic conditions. Even if you’re not on a cleanse, juices and smoothies can be a great way to pack in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants in one refreshing drink. 

"I wake up in the morning and drink a green juice or smoothie, but I won’t drink it if it doesn’t taste good. The secret is putting a bunch of amazing stuff in it, like coconut. When you remove something, like sugar in this case, you have to add something back in. A lot of healthy fat works well for me. "

But what’s the difference between juices and smoothies? And is one better? 

Both juices and smoothies are delicious, but smoothies feel more like a meal because they’re usually thick and chewy. On the other hand, some people find juices tastier because the flavors are more concentrated. 

A big difference between juices and smoothies is the fiber content. When you make a juice, you have this big pile of pulp left. That’s all the fiber that usually goes into your digestive system and moves things along. 

When you make a smoothie, you’re blending whole fruits and vegetables, so all that great fiber goes into your body. We definitely need fiber to keep our digestive systems healthy, so it’s important to make sure you’re either having smoothies often or getting fiber from another source. 

On the other hand, the nutrients in juices are absorbed more quickly in many cases, which is a pro. Since there is no fiber in juices to slow down the absorption process, all of the nutrients and antioxidants go directly into the bloodstream. 

The downside? Juices often contain a lot of sugar too, and because they have no fiber, they lead to a spike in blood sugar followed by a crash. Smoothies slow down this process because they have fiber in them, creating a steady release of energy rather than a quick spike and crash. 

The key to drinking juices without experiencing blood sugar spikes, energy dips, and cravings is using a very minimal amount of fruit, if any, and adding protein and/or fat to your drink. Especially fruit juice has an extremely high glycemic index, giving a temporary boost of energy followed by a crash. Some vegetable juices even have high sugar content, like those with beets and carrots. 

To keep your juices low in sugar, follow these tips: 

Use one green apple at most if you need a little sweetness in your juice. The green ones have less sugar than red apples.
Add fat like coconut milk, coconut oil, or even olive oil to your juice. Many well-known juice bars do this and it actually tastes amazing.
Add chia seeds to your juice for a satisfying texture plus protein and fat to cushion the impact of any sugars and keep your energy high and stable.
Another big factor for a lot of people is cost – juicers are expensive, and blenders cost less. When buying juices and smoothies out of the house, both are usually expensive. In general, smoothies are more cost-effective when made at home, but some people get such great benefits from juicing that they choose to invest in their health in this way. 

You either pay for healthy food and drink now or pay the doctor later on, right? We need health care, not sick care. Food creates our blood, and blood creates our cells.

By setting an example of health, self-development, and growth, you spread the ripple effect in a big way. 

"Bio-individuality, my core concept that no one approach works for two people, is key here. One person’s juice is another person’s poison, so experiment to find which juices and/or smoothies work best for you. '

It’s also good to mix it up and drink both juices and smoothies for variation and nutrition. Each has their pros and cons and most people need both to thrive. 

What do you prefer, juices or smoothies? Or do you love both? Why or why not? Share in the comments below.

Adrenal Fatique

What is adrenal fatigue?

Adrenal fatigue is a collection of signs and symptoms, known as a syndrome, that results when the adrenal glands function below the necessary level. Most commonly associated with intense or prolonged stress, it can also arise during or after acute or chronic infections, especially respiratory infections such as influenza, bronchitis or pneumonia. As the name suggests, its paramount symptom is fatigue that is not relieved by sleep but it is not a readily identifiable entity like measles or a growth on the end of your finger. You may look and act relatively normal with adrenal fatigue and may not have any obvious signs of physical illness, yet you live with a general sense of unwellness, tiredness or "gray" feelings. People experiencing adrenal fatigue often have to use coffee, colas and other stimulants to get going in the morning and to prop themselves up during the day.

This syndrome has been known by many other names throughout the past century, such as non-Addison's hypoadrenia, sub-clinical hypoadrenia, neurasthenia, adrenal neurasthenia, adrenal apathy and adrenal fatigue. Although it affects millions of people in the U.S. and around the world, conventional medicine does not yet recognize it as a distinct syndrome.

Adrenal fatigue can wreak havoc with your life. In the more serious cases, the activity of the adrenal glands is so diminished that you may have difficulty getting out of bed for more than a few hours per day. With each increment of reduction in adrenal function, every organ and system in your body is more profoundly affected. Changes occur in your carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism, fluid and electrolyte balance, heart and cardiovascular system, and even sex drive. Many other alterations take place at the biochemical and cellular levels in response to and to compensate for the decrease in adrenal hormones that occurs with adrenal fatigue. Your body does its best to make up for under-functioning adrenal glands, but it does so at a price.

There is considerable information throughout the website about many aspects of adrenal fatigue. For a comprehensive explanation of how stress and adrenal fatigue affect your health and what you can do to recover and protect yourself see Dr. Wilson's book, Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome.

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What causes adrenal fatigue?

Adrenal fatigue is produced when your adrenal glands cannot adequately meet the demands of stress.* The adrenal glands mobilize your body's responses to every kind of stress (whether it's physical, emotional, or psychological) through hormones that regulate energy production and storage, immune function, heart rate, muscle tone, and other processes that enable you to cope with the stress. Whether you have an emotional crisis such as the death of a loved one, a physical crisis such as major surgery, or any type of severe repeated or constant stress in your life, your adrenals have to respond to the stress and maintain homeostasis. If their response is inadequate, you are likely to experience some degree of adrenal fatigue.*

During adrenal fatigue your adrenal glands function, but not well enough to maintain optimal homeostasis because their output of regulatory hormones has been diminished - usually by over-stimulation.* Over-stimulation of your adrenals can be caused either by a very intense single stress, or by chronic or repeated stresses that have a cumulative effect.*

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Who is susceptible to adrenal fatigue?

Anyone can experience adrenal fatigue at some time in his or her life.* An illness, a life crisis, or a continuing difficult situation can drain the adrenal resources of even the healthiest person.* However, there are factors that can make you more susceptible to adrenal fatigue.* These include certain lifestyles (poor diet, substance abuse, too little sleep and rest, or too many pressures), chronic illness or repeated infections such as bronchitis or pneumonia, prolonged situations that you feel trapped or helpless in (bad relationships, stressful jobs, poverty, imprisonment), or maternal adrenal fatigue during gestation.*

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How common is adrenal fatigue?

Although there are no recent statistics available, Dr. John Tinterra, a medical doctor who specialized in low adrenal function, said in 1969 that he estimated that approximately 16% of the public could be classified as severe, but that if all indications of low cortisol were included, the percentage would be more like 66%. This was before the extreme stress of 21st century living, 9/11, and the severe economic recession we are experiencing.

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How can I tell if my adrenals are fatigued?

You may be experiencing adrenal fatigue if you regularly notice one or more of the following:*

1. You feel tired for no reason.
2. You have trouble getting up in the morning, even when you go to bed at a reasonable hour.
3. You are feeling rundown or overwhelmed.
4. You have difficulty bouncing back from stress or illness.
5. You crave salty and sweet snacks.
6. You feel more awake, alert and energetic after 6PM than you do all day.

For more information, consult Dr. Wilson's book, Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome. It contains a wealth of insights and a series of tests you can do at home, as well as lab tests like the saliva test for adrenal hormones to help you determine if you are experiencing adrenal fatigue.* Also see Could I be experiencing adrenal fatigue?

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Are there health conditions related to adrenal fatigue?

The processes that take place in any chronic disease, from arthritis to cancer, place demands on your adrenal glands. Therefore, it is likely that if you are suffering from a chronic disease and morning fatigue is one of your symptoms, your adrenals may be fatigued to some degree.*Also, any time a medical treatment includes the use of corticosteroids, diminished adrenal function is probably present.* All corticosteroids are designed to imitate the actions of the adrenal hormone, cortisol, and so the need for them arises primarily when the adrenals are not providing the required amounts of cortisol.*Find more information about the relationship between adrenal function and various health issues in Adrenal Function in Health Conditions.*

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Can people experiencing adrenal fatigue feel their best again?

Yes, with proper care most people experiencing adrenal fatigue can expect to feel good again.* For detailed information about how you can help support your adrenal glands, promote healthy adrenal function and maintain your health during stressful times, see Dr. Wilson’s book Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome and check out Dr. Wilson’s Health Tips and his Program for Adrenal Fatigue and Stress on this website.*

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