My friends Kazuki and Sachie live in Osaka, Japan with their two little children. Kazuki is a typical hard working man who works until late at night, including weekends.
A couple months ago, Kazuki visited Hawaii and I was lucky enough to see him. He was busy working even though the trip was supposed to be his company vacation. I could totally tell by just looking at his face that his priority was not his health. His face was full of fatigue, and his body was far from being fit.
I mentioned to him about juicing, but he was not interested in at all. (I learned that his diet contains meat, potato chips, instant noodle, alcohol, and etc, etc....)
Later on, Sachie and I exchanged a couple of emails, and I found that their hesitation of starting the juicing life is because of these three reasons;
1. No money to buy a juicer
2. Juicing requires more vegetables, which means more to their meal budget
3. Her husband loves meat and does not like vegetables. He would not like the taste of juice.
Sachie told me so, but she started something that she could do to change his lifestyle within their budget.
1. First, she started making smoothies using a blender that they already had.
The result? Their kids loved the smoothies, but when she mixed some vegetables, the taste was not good enough for Kazuki to drink. He resisted to drink it. (Smoothie is good for getting the whole fruits, but it is not really meant for getting vegetables. The vegetable smoothie tends to be bitter.)
2. A couple of months later, she found a cheaper juicer at the store and purchased it right away. It was about 4,000~5,000 yen. (about $50.00 USD)
The result? Since the juicer was cheap, it produces a lot of pulp. When she juices twice, it creates about 100ml more from the second batch. (I never thought about juicing twice, and I tried with my Breville juicer. My juicer was $160 on the market. Yes, it created about 90ml more!! I now juice twice regularly.)
First, Kazuki did not like it. He said, "The taste is terrible. I don't like it. I cannot drink 500ml." But he started drinking 250ml, once a day anyway. Apples are expensive in Japan, so Sachie often used tangerines instead. Kazuki also resisted to drink the juice that does not have a pleasant color. He also did not like mixing many vegetables. A few weeks went by and due to Sachie's effort, they finally found their favorite juice recipes. (It was mainly a mix of carrots, lemon, and apples.)
Kazuki's mother did not like him to drink juice, because she was concerned, "Since you are using a whole apple or tangerine, isn't the juicing high in calories? It must be bad for his body taking more sugars from fruits."
I advised Sachie: If the person is diabetic, then he/she needs to drink the juice with less fruits. In Kazuki's case, he does not have diabetes, and he is a juicing beginner. It is impossible to force him to like the taste of juice right now, since he is the guy who loves meat more than anything.
So, take a breath. His preference will change when he keeps drinking juice. Begin with 250ml, if he is OK with it. Then over time, increase the amount to 500ml and use more vegetables. Important thing is to focus on the good side of juicing, Soon he will start drinking juice that contains more vegetables.
Calorie-based diet will not last for a long time. Instead of focusing on how many calories you are getting from juice, it is important to eliminate junk food from your diet and focus on being active.
A few weeks later, I asked Sachie, how their juicing life went on.
A couple months ago, Kazuki visited Hawaii and I was lucky enough to see him. He was busy working even though the trip was supposed to be his company vacation. I could totally tell by just looking at his face that his priority was not his health. His face was full of fatigue, and his body was far from being fit.
I mentioned to him about juicing, but he was not interested in at all. (I learned that his diet contains meat, potato chips, instant noodle, alcohol, and etc, etc....)
Later on, Sachie and I exchanged a couple of emails, and I found that their hesitation of starting the juicing life is because of these three reasons;
1. No money to buy a juicer
2. Juicing requires more vegetables, which means more to their meal budget
3. Her husband loves meat and does not like vegetables. He would not like the taste of juice.
Sachie told me so, but she started something that she could do to change his lifestyle within their budget.
1. First, she started making smoothies using a blender that they already had.
The result? Their kids loved the smoothies, but when she mixed some vegetables, the taste was not good enough for Kazuki to drink. He resisted to drink it. (Smoothie is good for getting the whole fruits, but it is not really meant for getting vegetables. The vegetable smoothie tends to be bitter.)
2. A couple of months later, she found a cheaper juicer at the store and purchased it right away. It was about 4,000~5,000 yen. (about $50.00 USD)
The result? Since the juicer was cheap, it produces a lot of pulp. When she juices twice, it creates about 100ml more from the second batch. (I never thought about juicing twice, and I tried with my Breville juicer. My juicer was $160 on the market. Yes, it created about 90ml more!! I now juice twice regularly.)
First, Kazuki did not like it. He said, "The taste is terrible. I don't like it. I cannot drink 500ml." But he started drinking 250ml, once a day anyway. Apples are expensive in Japan, so Sachie often used tangerines instead. Kazuki also resisted to drink the juice that does not have a pleasant color. He also did not like mixing many vegetables. A few weeks went by and due to Sachie's effort, they finally found their favorite juice recipes. (It was mainly a mix of carrots, lemon, and apples.)
Kazuki's mother did not like him to drink juice, because she was concerned, "Since you are using a whole apple or tangerine, isn't the juicing high in calories? It must be bad for his body taking more sugars from fruits."
I advised Sachie: If the person is diabetic, then he/she needs to drink the juice with less fruits. In Kazuki's case, he does not have diabetes, and he is a juicing beginner. It is impossible to force him to like the taste of juice right now, since he is the guy who loves meat more than anything.
So, take a breath. His preference will change when he keeps drinking juice. Begin with 250ml, if he is OK with it. Then over time, increase the amount to 500ml and use more vegetables. Important thing is to focus on the good side of juicing, Soon he will start drinking juice that contains more vegetables.
Calorie-based diet will not last for a long time. Instead of focusing on how many calories you are getting from juice, it is important to eliminate junk food from your diet and focus on being active.
A few weeks later, I asked Sachie, how their juicing life went on.
She said that Kazuki lost 5 kg! (11 lbs!) Wow...He was only drinking juice once a day!
Now he is able to drink 400 ml a day, everyday.
His coworker noticed he lost some weight.
Sachie sent me a picture of favorite recipe. (top) Their favorite is a mix of carrot, apple, and lemon. She sometimes adds spinach.
She also sent me a picture of pulp jam. (left)
Good job, Sachie and Kazuki! I would like to see how his lifestyle will also change in future.
Sachie, please send me the recipe of pulp jam!
Now he is able to drink 400 ml a day, everyday.
His coworker noticed he lost some weight.
Sachie sent me a picture of favorite recipe. (top) Their favorite is a mix of carrot, apple, and lemon. She sometimes adds spinach.
She also sent me a picture of pulp jam. (left)
Good job, Sachie and Kazuki! I would like to see how his lifestyle will also change in future.
Sachie, please send me the recipe of pulp jam!