Do feel sick after drinking juice? Feeling dizzy after juicing may be common for first-time drinkers and yet it can also happen to those who are quite used to it.
There are a couple of reasons why this can happen, with the most common cause related to blood sugar levels.
In this article, you will learn to identify the most probable reason why you’re getting light-headed after drinking a juice. There are a number of factors involved but if you can narrow it down, you should be able to easily get past the uncomfortable experience.
If you want your to get more out of your juicing, having a slow juicer is what we recommend. Check our list of the best masticating juicers in this ultimate buyer’s guide.
Feeling Dizzy After Juicing
The best way to get to the source of your light-headedness is to classify them into the reasons why you’re drinking juice in the first place. Fortunately, there are only 2 of them. It’s either you’re doing a juice cleanse or just drinking it regularly.
If you’re new to juicing, you’ll most likely fall into the latter. An exception is those who are just drinking juice for a 3-day detox, which is discouraged if you’re a first-time juice drinker. This is mainly because you don’t want to overwhelm your body with nutrients that quickly. You wouldn’t join the Grand Prix if you just got your driver’s license.
For Those On Juice Fasting
During the time you’re doing juice detox, you’ll be only feeding your body with healthy juices. This means it will not be receiving any solid foods that your body is so used to having.
This side effect is quite normal for a juice fast, especially on the first day. Your blood sugar level goes down including your caffeine intake. This will drop your energy level initially while your body adjusts to the abrupt change. All of these contribute to your light-headedness.
If your blood pressure is measured as normal, another contributing factor to your dizziness is the sudden dip in blood pressure. It should not be cause for alarm, though, as it should normalize quickly.
However, you have to make sure that the juices you drink while fasting should contain enough iron to compensate.
With your body using up a lot of glycogen energy for fuel, it will resort to getting the rest of the energy from your muscle protein. This is why you’re feeling dizzy during the process. Your body is struggling to function normally while you’re doing a juice cleanse.
For Those Who Are NOT Fasting
If you are not fasting but still feeling light-headed after drinking a juice, the cause will most likely be coming from the ingredients. Are you on a low-carb diet? Then the juice may have likely spiked up your blood sugar level.
Having too many fruits on your juice can definitely do this to you. As your body gets bombarded with a lot of sugar, and to cope with it, it produces more insulin in the shortest amount of time possible. But it’s not the sugar which is causing the nauseating experience.
Studies show that too much insulin can drop your blood sugar really fast. The sudden drop in blood sugar level is what causes you to feel dizzy.
How To Avoid Lightheadedness When Juicing
Now that you know what can cause lightheadedness when juicing, these tips will help you get the most out of drinking juice without having to go through the experience.
- Don’t put too much fruit in your juice. You should put minimal amounts of fruit or sweetener only. Having too many carrots or beets are a big no-no.
- In the beginning, you should avoid dark greens and beets altogether. Allow your body to get accustomed to the new lifestyle first.
- Indulge the experience in drinking your healthy juice. Drink it very slowly and do not blitz your body with all these nutrients immediately.
- Keep yourself hydrated by adding ingredients with a lot of water content like cucumber.
In case you’re already feeling dizzy, you can wait it out if you’re fasting or skip your next juicing while you get yourself hydrated. Water should be fine but coconut water works wonders. A hot ginger-infused water is another great alternative.
Feeling High After Juicing
Here’s another phenomenon that you should be aware of when drinking juices, specifically green juices. When your body is already used to the experience of juicing regularly, you can start taking green juice more frequently.
Drinking green juice can get you high. It will lift your mood because it encourages the production of serotonin. Serotonin is an organic chemical produced by our body to make us feel good.
Dark green veggies like kale and spinach are rich in magnesium and folate. Most fruits, on the other hand, are abundant in B vitamins. These nutrients will make feel happy and energetic.
A masticating juicer such as the Omega NC900HDC should help you extract more juices from these green leafy vegetables.
Wrapping It Up
While lightheadedness is quite common as was mentioned above, you should immediately stop fasting if it becomes persistent or severe. Allow your body to recuperate and consult your doctor again.
Once you get past feeling dizzy after juicing, the world opens up to a whole new range of experiences. You get to become healthier and happier, especially that you become ready for those green juices.
I think I’m guilty of the blood sugar spike since I tend to put too much flavor on my juices. I better start enjoying them with their raw taste. Thanks for sharing this!
Thanks for stopping by Kristen. I was on the same boat too. You’ll learn to love those raw healthy flavors in no time 🙂