Why I Chose Juicing for My TMJ Disorder

 Having TMJ disorder has really limited my ability to eat fresh things so I decided a few months ago that I wanted to get creative, do something  more than just a blender to get my veggies/fruits in.  I looked into juicing and was really happy with the things I read. Here are my top 5 things I love about it.

1. Juicing is TMJ friendly and quick

2. Juicing can boost your immune system and help your body resist and fight infections or help fight inflammation.

3. Juicing will help to break down the vegetables, making it easier to  assimilate, so you will receive most of the nutrition. Freshly pressed juices provide enzymes as well      as vitamins and minerals that are easily assimilated.

4. The fruits and vegetables you use in juicing are very high in antioxidants, which are revered for their anti-aging properties. But antioxidants also improve circulation, contribute to cardiovascular health, enhance brain function, and reduce the negative effects of stress

5. You can add a wider variety of vegetables in your diet. Many people eat   the same vegetables, raw or cooked, every day. Foods should be rotated to prevent  developing allergies. With juicing, you can juice a wide variety of vegetables that you may not normally enjoy eating whole.

My goal with juicing is purely to replace the veggies/fruits that I would normally eat in a day, so when I juice I don’t prepare a lot…I make it more of a side dish to go with my regular meals once or sometimes twice a day or as a snack.  If I would normally eat  1 ½ cups of salad for lunch then I instead juice 1 ½ cups of cabbage or some other green, and then I throw in 1 carrot and half an apple. I sip on my juice while eating my regular meal(soft/no chew food).  I am currently juicing twice a day but I know people that only do it once a day and just do greater quantities.

Here are a few of my favorite recipes:

• 1 ½ cups cabbage, 1 carrot and 1 apple
• 2 apples, ½ beet and ½ lemon
• 2-3 slices of fresh pineapple,2 oranges(peeled),1 apple,1 kiwi
• 1 cup cabbage, 1 apple and 1 kiwi (this is my very favorite)

I’ve been reading up on juicing and have come to find that you can really try and juice just about anything, spinach, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, celery, kale, etc.  I can’t say I would want to juice all of those, but at this point I’m ok with trying new things and seeing what I can come up with and maybe even like. I also love the nutrition that I’m getting.

Since starting my juicing journey (6 weeks now) I also came across something very interesting. I started having heart burn, stomach aching (before juicing)  and my doc said he thought I had an ulcer, well after doing a lot of research I found out that cabbage juice has been shown in clinical studies to heal gastric ulcers and help with problems like IBS.  So instead of taking another round of medication (like pain meds aren’t enough with TMJ) I decided to juice cabbage and sure enough my heartburn and stomach aches went away. It made me feel great that food was helping my body and it makes me want to continue juicing because I know I’m getting great nutrition with it.

I’ve been asked a few times, how did I choose my juicer?   I researched juicers for a few days and decided that because I was unsure that I would love juicing I wanted a juicer that had great reviews, was under $300 and had a decent resale value in case I really didn’t like it.  I chose to go with the champion juicer.   This juicer was highly rated, it is an American company that has been around since the 50’s and I really loved that aspect, knowing that I could get replacement parts very easily was a comfort.  I also had a friend who has had her champion juicer for 15yrs and it’s never broken.

Click here to view the juicer on Amazon

Do you juice? Share your tips with us!