Sometimes, you just need a ‘kick start’ to change your eating and drinking habits, which are leading you into an unhappy place as you put on weight and generally feel unhealthy. A ‘shock detox’ performed over a couple of days, such as a fast, a soup or a juicing cure can be the just thing. Liquid fasting is being recognized in the scientific community as a health benefit. You can even improve your mood with the right ingredients in juicing. Here are some fun facts and tips to help you balance your emotional health on the juicing route:
Get relief with Juicing
Juicing is the quickest way to ingest nutrients and vitamins, particularly the ones which are trapped in the fibre of fruit and vegetables. This helps if you have digestive problems and the pain is making you grumpy and unhappy. Being physically healthy can lead to being emotionally healthy.
Feel happy with juicing – the science
Serotonin can’t be found in juices but tryptophan, the amino acid our body needs to produce serotonin can. We get tryptophan from our diet. Choose juices with high vitamin C and B (for the nervous system) and tryptophan to get you towards positive emotions (Mood, food, and cognition: role of tryptophan and serotonin)
Before you start juicing – avoid emotional collatoral damage
Just remember you’ll start off ‘Hangry’ a mix of angry and hungry, as your mind and body change habits, which is far from a good mood booster. It can be easier if you find a ‘buddy’ to do it with so that you can motivate each other. Also, it’s a good idea to warn those close to you of your change in habits and potential mood swings. You may want to take a break from socialising in bars and restaurants, which can also help you give your mind a rest. If you can’t face the ‘hangry’ feeling, then smoothies are a great alternative with the vitamins and the fibre to fill you up. We love the Vitamix machines and all the recipes that come with it.
Start Juicing – Expect to feel worse before you feel better
When you just consume juices or a liquid diet, you will probably first experience a drop in calorie intake and blood sugar levels which in turn makes you feel tired and probably your head ache. Juicing experts recommend that fruit juices are consumed in the first half of the day to keep the energy levels up.
Mood Boosting Juices- which ingredients
Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) figures for Tryptophan, needed to produce Serotonin ‘the Happy Hormone’, vary across countries from 3.5 to 6.0 mg/kg of body weight per day. The Vitamin C RDA is 40mg per day for adults, Vitamin B1 0.8 mg for Women and 1 mg for Men and B3 Niacin 13.2 mg Women and 16.5mg Men (Both B vitamins work on the nervous system). We like to check the facts with the UK National Health Service government site but do look at your vitamin packs. We’ve compiled a list of the best ingredients to get these nutrients into juices for your emotional health.
- Cocao – a happy making ‘cheat’ treat
Not strictly a juice recommended by juicing detoxers, raw cacao or dark chocolote is high in tryptophan and magnesium. Reduced fat milk contains approximatly 551 milligrams of tryptophan per liter. Combined, this makes a delicious mood enhancing treat to start the day, especially if you live in a cold climate. It’s about emotional wellbeing.
- Pineapple
Not only satisfies anyone with a sweet tooth, it has 20mg of tryptophan in a 200 calorie serving. The enzymes in the fruit also aid digestion which is why it is often recommended for detox juicing.
- Apples
‘An apple a day’ keeps the doctor away. Apples are high in Vitamin C and taste delicious in juices. Additionally, a medium-sized apple contains approximately 2 milligrams of tryptophan.
- Plums/Prunes
Known for helping with bowel movements, prunes and plums are also great mood elevating fruits. A single prune contains approximately 2 milligrams of tryptophan.
- Bananas
Bananas are high in vitamins B6, A, and C, which combined with high levels of fiber, tryptophan, potassium, and healthy carbohydrates make for a great mood enhancer.
- Citrus Oranges & Lemons
The citrus fruits are extremely refreshing and packed with Vitamin C, a great ‘pick me up’. Lemon, according to Dr Jennifer Harper’s Detox book, is also known as an aggressive cleanser, for those who feel like their insides need a clean. Oranges are rich in the B vitamins that boost brain health.
- Coconut Water
Coconuts contain mediem-chain triglycerides that our bodies process and use as brain fuel. Coconut water is refreshing, packed with health and easy to buy in supermarkets everywhere.
- Berries
Berries are a favourite for alot of people, high in vitamin C and yummy. Strawberries contain 10 mg of tryptophan in a 100 gramme portion and blueberries 11 mg per 200 calorie serving.
- Tomatoes
Tomatoes are a winner on the vegetable list for both high levels of vitamin C and tryptophan. A virgin mary juice for lunch may be just the thing to pick up your day.
- Go green on the Vegetables
Vegetables highest in tryptophan tend to be the leafy vegetables such kale (30mg per 100g) and spinach (10 mg per 100g). Avocado has a whopping 50 mg per avocado as well as plenty of good fats.
- Ginger and Chamomile Tea
Not strictly a juice, but very helpful if you have chosen to do a juice only fast. Sip the tea throughout the day for the calming effect of chamomile tea. Ginger and lemon provide good sources of vitamin C, boosting the immune system with a refreshing taste.
Balance 2020 recommends…
For a comprehensive guide to juicing ingredients, check out Heinerman’s Encyclopedia of Juices, Teas & Tonics.
Let’s face it, if you are going through a tough time emotionally, the horrible pain of break ups, financial difficulty, loss, physical discomfort, it is really tempting to drown your sorrows in some alcohol. Find out here why drinking is bad for your emotions . But if you have got the hangover, we’ve found a great little book which gives great recipes for anytime miracle juices hangover cures.
