Fresh fruits and vegetables are the healthiest foods around, and one great way to unlock their nutritional bounty is through juicing. Converting vegetables and fruits into liquid form preserves all of their great benefits and makes them more palatable and easier to consume. Here are just a few of the ways that juicing can contribute to a healthier diet:
Don’t juice low-water content produce, such as avocado and banana. Put these through a blender first, then add them to your juice afterward. These types of fruits will produce a heavy, thick juice that will clog up your juicer. Also, it is difficult to get enough juice of this type of fruit alone, so it needs to be mixed with another type of fruit.
Use cucumber as a great flavor disguiser when you are juicing greens. Cucumber is excellent at masking the strong flavors inherent in greens. A juice’s health benefits aren’t going to do you much good if you can’t stand to drink it. Cucumber also has the extra added benefit of being chockfull of important vitamins and nutrients itself.
Don’t forget to wash your produce prior to juicing, and use organic products where possible. So many people seem to think that since it’s going to turn into juice, they don’t need to wash their fruits and veggies. Just because it’s liquid, doesn’t mean the chemicals present on the peels are going to go away. Clean your fruits and vegetables thoroughly before juicing.
Juicing and keeping it inside the fridge is the best idea; however, you want to watch for color change of the juice. No one wants to drink juice that has gone from a bright color to grey or brown. Lemon juice acts as a natural preservative, keeping your juice a bright and inviting color. The small amount of added lemon juice will allow the juices you make to keep their vibrant colors.
Try adding chopped ice to your juice to make it a cool treat in the summer! It’s like drinking a smoothie while actually knowing what ingredients are in it and where they came from (and how clean they were when they went into the juicer!) What a tasty way to chill out.
When it comes to juicing, one thing that you want to keep in mind is to be sure that you stay away from certain types of dry or squishy products when buying your ingredients. This is important because certain fruits and vegetables such as bananas and squash are just simply not suited for juicing.
Diabetics or people with hypoglycemia should consult a doctor before attempting to juice sweet fruits. Do not drink fruit juice because it can cause your blood sugar to rise rapidly. You need to be careful about the amount of fruit you include in your juices. Vegetables can supplement your juices to provide your body with nutrients without the risk of sugar overload.
Juicing is an excellent way to lose weight in a safe and healthy manner. Before meals, drink juices that include vegetables that require more calories to digest than they contain, like carrots, cabbage and broccoli. This will help curb your appetite and speed up the weight loss process. Adding spices like cayenne or cinnamon, will stimulate your metabolism.
When it comes to juicing, one thing that you want to keep in mind is that when you are dealing with greens such as lettuce, it is best to stack it up in a dense pile before putting it in your juicer. This is important because you will get the most amount of juice and nutrients this way.
When it comes to juicing, one thing that you want to keep in mind is that the best way to keep pulp from your juice is through a coffee filter. This is good to keep in mind because not only are they cheap but they do a great job!
To get the most nutrition from your juices, be sure to drink them when they are fresh. After juicing, fruits and vegetables are vulnerable to oxidation which will destroy their nutrients. If you have to store your juices for some reason, use air tight containers to reduce the amount of oxidation that will happen.
There is no harm in juicing more than once a day as long as you’re not just filling up on fruit juices. Fruit can be full of calories and sugar, so stick to vegetables as much as possible instead. If you want to add some sweetness to your veggie juice, try beets!
If you’d like to add protein supplements to your juice, wait a few days before you start. Your system will be getting used to the juice (which is easy as it’s half-way digested by the time it gets to your stomach!) and flushing out toxins, so give it a chance to catch up first.
If you have a large batch of juice and need to store the juice for a while, adding drops of lemon juice is a good idea. They will act as a natural preservative and help the juice stay fresh. Also remember to keep the juice in a container that is air tight and refrigerated.
A great juicing tip is to always opt for fresh fruits and vegetables because they offer the most nutrition. By choosing organic produce to use in your juice, you won’t be taking in any preservatives or pesticides. For the most nutritional juice you should always go for fresh fruits and vegetables.
Juicing may sound scary if you have problems with acidity like heartburn, but there are many fruit and vegetables which will actually combat the acid and help heal your gastrointestinal tract. They include beets, carrots, grapes, oranges, peaches, spinach and tomatoes. Try to drink at least 32 ounces of these items a day for maximum health benefits.
Juicing is a great nutritional process that can be just as simple or as complex as a juicer wants to make it. Quick, cheap techniques can offer dramatic health benefits, and a greater investment of time and money can provide even bigger results. Hopefully, the tips presented above can be of use in starting or improving a great juicing routine.
