Once considered the drink of drop-outs and hippies, confined to earthy-smelling health food shops and co-ops, the juice revolution has swept the nation. Now available at such trendy places as Jamba Juice and even sold in pedestrian grocery stores, the fresh vegetable and fruit juice movement is now a common part of American life. Read on for tips to learn how to be a part of this healthy revolution.
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.
When you start making your own juices, try adding a vegetable in the mix that you tend to avoid. Vegetables that you do not like alone might end up tasting great to you when mixed in a juice with other flavors. This is a great way to get nutrients you otherwise wouldn’t.
When attempting a juice-only diet, it can be helpful to remove all processed foods from your house first. Having a box of crackers, a jar of peanut butter, or some candy bars staring you in the face while you can only have juice is an easy way to cut your diet tragically short.
Be consistent and do a little juicing everyday. The more you do, the more you’ll want to juice and gradually, you’ll make juicing a bigger part of your day. If you make juicing an infrequent occurrence, not only will you get less nutritional benefit but you’ll also lose the will to keep going.
Buying a masticating juicer will allow the juice you make to have it’s nutrients break down much slower, meaning you can take your time in drinking it or even store it for a while. It will also leave as much of the natural nutrients intact as possible, giving you the most healthy juice to drink.
To improve your general health quickly and easily, drink green juices. These are fresh juices made from leafy green vegetables. To improve the flavor and add a variety of nutrients, include such fruits and oranges and bananas. These juices are quick to make, taste great, and will give you energy that lasts for hours.
When you have your juicer assembled, prepare the fruits or vegetables quickly so you will not have to stop and start during the juicing process. Look at juicing as if you were making a meal. Having everything on hand before you begin to cook is always easier than trying to find what you need during the process!
When it comes to juicing, one thing that you want to keep in mind is that you want to make sure that all of your ingredients are correctly prepared before entering in the juicing machine. This is important so that you do not harm your juicing machine as well as so that you do not introduce seeds and peels into your juice.
When juicing, it’s very important to drink the juice as soon as possible while it is fresh. This will ensure that you are receiving the maximum benefits. Some nutrients begin to be destroyed right away through oxidation. If drinking immediately is impossible, store the juice in an airtight container and drink within 24 hours.
Are you gluten intolerant? Anyone with celiac disease will love juicing as it’s a healthy way to have a treat in your diet. You can even include wheatgrass and it’s nutritional benefits as gluten is only found in the seed of the plant, not the stem or grass leaves. Enjoy!
Vegetable juice contains very few calories, no fat (unless you add dairy), little sugar (unless you add a sweetener, including fruit), and lots of fiber. It will taste wonderful and provide you with all the nutrients and vitamins needed to fulfill your daily required intake. It’s also a ton of fun to make!
Incorporate spices into your juicing. There are a variety of spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, garlic, ginger and others, that can can boost the flavor output of your juices. If you have flavors you want to experiment with, look for recipes online or you can look for spices that work well with fruits or vegetables. Be sure to check their health and nutrition values.
If you are new to juicing, a steadfast rule to follow is – to go slow! Start with a vegetable that you know you like. After trying that vegetable juice for a few days, you can slowly start to add in vegetables that you are unfamiliar with or not sure if you will like. By taking small amounts at a time, your body will adjust slowly to the different foods and absorb the juice in naturally.
In regards to juicing, it is important to consider the fact that you are creating a natural and cheap anti-aging product. This is important to consider when you weigh the costs of a juicer and produce, against how much you may pay for other methods of staying young, such as creams or medicines.
The juicing movement is on the rise but it hasn’t come far enough. The undeniable benefits of the raw juice of fruit and vegetables are essential to improving the overall health of the American public. With the increase of home juicers and the information coming out from National Cancer Institute’s about the benefits to long-term health from fruit and vegetables we will start to see more people join the juicing movement.
