"j" is for jello & juicing

Jell-O

I realize that Jell-O is not an especially healthy food. I'm not sure it counts as food at all. And, I would normally put it on the "do not eat" list... but sometimes, when I'm craving something sweet, I really like to eat Jell-O with fruit and nuts and cottage cheese mixed in. Because I put actual food into the Jell-O, it comforts me that I'm eating mostly food! At one point, I attempted to research "clean eating" or "whole food" Jell-O, and it had to do with actual gelatin and other things. I could probably figure out how to make Jell-O from scratch, but honestly, how much healthier could it be? There is something strangely comforting about the unnatural colors, jiggliness, transparency, and texture that is uniquely a powder from a box. And, I like it. So there.

Juice and Juicing

Juice is often considered a healthy drink, but the vast majority of juices we can purchase are simply glorified sugar drinks, with perhaps some small percentage of actual juice. If you want to drink juice, read labels carefully! But, I just don't consider juice a beverage any more (like I don't consider Diet Dr. Pepper a beverage any more). When you juice a fruit, you lose all the other good stuff that makes a whole fruit good for you: fiber, especially. If I'm craving some orange juice, I'll eat an orange. If I really want to drink, then I'll put the orange in the blender! (An interesting discovery, just orange juice by itself is not nearly as good as if it's mixed with another fruit; I especially like mango and orange mixed together.) So, forgo drinking juice for eating the entire fruit!

Juicing is a little different. Juicing is done with a machine at home, where you put in fruits and vegetables and extract just the nutrient-dense liquid. This kind of juice is a powerhouse of goodies for your body, in a format that is quickly and easily digested and absorbed. The reasons that I don't juice are twofold: (1) I haven't wanted to pay $$$ for a piece of machinery that only does one thing. (2) Like purchasing juice, juicing loses all the fiber, pulp, and other goodies that came with the fruit. What to do with the "leftovers" is a problem for daily juicers (unless you are industrious and do your own composting or make 'crackers' from it). So, I have opted to get nutrient-packed liquid into my body with smoothies (which keep all the other stuff in the fruits and veg), since they are also easily digested and quickly absorbed. Just my way of doing.