Juicing Benefits and Delicious Recipes

(BeWellBuzz) Science has progressed significantly, but much has not changed in certain aspects. For instance, our diet still comprises mostly of cooked food and, worse, most of us still do not know that heat destroys almost all nutrients present in vegetables.

Heat is not gentle with fruits either. Most of the nutrients present in fruits are lost due to pasteurization. So, in effect, the nutritional value of bottled or canned fruit juice is comparable to that of natural gummy worms with a few vitamins thrown in them.

Why eat raw?

According to the experts, everyone should eat 50% of their fruits and vegetables raw, as raw food contains a higher amount of vitamins, minerals, and cancer-fighting phytonutrients, such as alkalizing chlorophyll, anti-viral flavonoids, and carotenes.

Numerous benefits of juicing

Raw juice, without doubt, is the supreme form of raw food. Here are some of the most important benefits that fresh juice provides:

1. Gives rest to your digestive system

When you eat something, your digestive system produces enzymes to initiate the digestive process and assimilate the food. You can reduce the workload on your digestive system by drinking more liquids.

2. Energizes the body

A glass of juice offers an abundance of minerals, enzymes, vitamins, antioxidants, and phytonutrients. All these nutrients work together to boost the micro-electric potential of your body cells. In other words, the cells are able to use oxygen better, which, in turn, energizes both your brain and muscles.

3. Removes toxins

Fresh fruit or vegetable juice is extremely rich in antioxidants, which, among other things, aids the removal of waste and toxins from the body.

4. Balances the diet

The diet of an average American is quite acidic, according to experts. Fresh juice helps balance a diet as fruits and vegetables are mostly alkaline in nature.

In addition to the above, other important health benefits of drinking fresh juice are:

• It promotes better bone health
• It aids weight loss
• It boosts immunity
• It slows aging

How to start juicing

Juicing is fun and offers numerous health benefits to you and your family. However, you must keep certain things in mind when you start juicing.

1. Ensure that the juice does not cause your blood sugar levels to spike

The most common beginner’s mistake is to add lots of fruits with high sugar content to juice. The problem with fruits is that they can raise your blood glucose levels. Instead of adding too many sweet fruits, use soaked almonds or cinnamon to sweeten a vegetable juice.

Carrot and fruit juice are extremely sweet and can increase your blood sugar levels. To prevent this, add some protein (e.g. organic hemp seeds) or healthy fat (e.g. organic flax seeds) to your juice.

If you are preparing a juice using both vegetables and fruits, stick to the time-tested blood sugar stabilizing ratio of 1 fruit to every 3 vegetables.

2. Use organic vegetables and fruits

The advantage of using organic vegetables and fruits is three-fold:

1. They contain higher levels of antioxidants – up to 30% more – than conventionally-cultivated fruits and vegetables
2. They do not contain traces of pesticides, which are linked to diseases like cancer
3. You can safely use the skins of organic fruits and vegetables. The outer layer of fruits and vegetables contain essential nutrients, including fiber.

3. Invest in a good juicer

Here are a few tips to help you identify the kind of juicer that best meets your requirements:

• Some juicers produce more juice than others. If quantity matters to you, it is best that you settle for a juicer that gives the maximum produce.

•  Juicers that are difficult to clean are ultimately consigned to a dark corner of the kitchen and never taken out again. Purchase a juicer that is easy to clean, otherwise you may not use it more than a few times.

• There are juicers that give you vegetable and fruit juice, and then there are juicers that give you all that and more, like wheat grass juice. If you want to introduce your family to this healthy, anti-cancer food, buy a wheatgrass juicer.  

3 Delicious juice recipes

Give me red  

Here’s a carotene-rich, anti-cancer juice for you and your family:

• 1 beet (use the top as well)
• 3 big carrots
• 1 sweet potato (medium-sized). Cut the potato in strips.

Per Serving: 265 calories, 6 g protein, 13.5 g fiber, 0.5 g fat (saturated fat: 0%), 275 mg sodium, 62 g carbohydrate

Green is healthy

Here’s a green, detoxifying juice for you and your family:

• ½ cup spinach (you can use 2 kale leaves instead of spinach if you want)
• 2 ribs celery
• ½ cup parsley
• ½ lime
• 1 green apple
• ½ cucumber

Per Serving: 144 calories, 2.5 g protein, 8 g fiber, 0.5 g fat (saturated fat: 0%), 83 mg sodium, 37 g carbohydrate

Low-glycemic fruit juice

Here’s a fruit juice that does not spike your blood sugar:

• ½ cup of blackberries and blueberries each
• ½ cucumber
• 1 pear
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 12-15 almonds (soak the almonds overnight before using)

Per Serving: 275 calories, 6 g protein, 12 g fiber, 10.5 g fat, 5 mg sodium, and 47 g carbohydrate

Spring/fall body cleansing

The fall season, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, is related to the large intestine and lungs. It is also the best time to revitalize the body and mind by way of detoxing.

The ability of our body to detoxify itself plays a key role in our overall health and beauty. A detoxification program improves the body’s ability to remove toxins on its own and, as such, is extremely beneficial to your health.

This spring/fall season call a detoxification program to clean your body inside out. A detox program usually includes the following:

• A raw diet free of rancid fats and chemical preservatives
• Deep breathing
• Meditation
• Sweating
• Stretching

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References:

http://www.naturallysavvy.com/living-raw-foods/spring-cleansing-your-body

http://www.dreliaz.org/blog/prepare-your-body-mind-and-spirit-for-a-seasonal-fall-cleanse

http://diaryofanutritionist.com/2010/03/16/how-healthy-is-that-juice-juice-and-pasteurization/

http://kriscarr.com/blog/the-benefits-of-juicing/